Pixel 3a and 3a XL available on order

GOOGLE IS BRIGHT The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are official and are low-cost alternatives to the flagship duo Pixel 3.

Unveiled at Google I / O 2019, the handsets offer much of the same upscale features as their predecessors, including the same 12.2MP Pixel camera with Night Sight mode and the same level of corporate security thanks to the Google Titan M chip.

We have gathered below all you need to know about the smartphone duo. You can also see our thoughts on handsets in our comprehensive review of pixels 3a and 3a XL.

Price and release date
The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are available for purchase from the Google Play Store, starting at £ 399 and £ 469, respectively.

At EE, which offers a free Google Home Hub with Pixel 3a orders, the handset can be picked up from 25 € per month. The largest Pixel 3a XL is available from £ 30 per month, with 1GB of monthly data.

Carphone Warehouse also offers the Pixel 3a for contracts starting at £ 24.99 per month, while the Pixel 3a XL is available starting at £ 29.99.

Recent news
07/05/19: Google officially launched the Pixel 3a and 3a XL during its input speech on Tuesday.

The handsets offer an affordable alternative to Google's flagship devices, Pixel 3, but have the same features as their more expensive siblings. This includes the same 12.2-megapixel single-focus Pixel camera, which, while lacking Google Pixel's Visual Core support, promises the same high-end photography knowledge with some DIY under the hood.

Google boasts that the camera, even if it is slightly slower than the Pixel 3 flagship, will offer the same level of performance and will come with all the same software complements, including Google Night Sight, Portrait and the all new Photobooth improved. fashion. Models 3a and 3a XL will also come with the new Time-lapse and "duck face" modes, which will also be deployed on pixels 3 and 3 XL.

On the front, the Pixel 3A and XL 3a feature 1080×2610 screens (respectively 5.6 inches and 6 inches), flanked by a stocky upper frame that houses the 8 MP front camera. A rear-mounted fingerprint reader is located on the back of the devices.

Under the hood, the Pixel 3a handsets contain Snapdragon 670 SoCs, backed up with 4GB of RAM and built-in 64GB or 128GB storage. Battery life is estimated at 30 hours, and fast support is provided as standard.

In addition, the Android 9 Pie Duo pack contains the Titan M security chip from Google, dynamic support to activate Google Assistant and, unlike the more expensive Pixel 3 and 3 XL, a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The handsets will be available in three color options: black only, light white and purple.

05/03/19: The Pixel 3a XL, which had not been announced yet, made its appearance at a Best Buy store in the United States. As spotted by Android font, the "Purple-ish" and "Just Black" models were on display at the Springfield, Ohio, store, with official packaging confirming that the handset would carry a 6-inch display and an integrated storage of 64 Go.

05/02/19: The Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL were the object of a total leak before their unveiling on May 7th. The mega-scoop, via Droid-Lifereveals that Android Pie devices have 5.6-inch and 6-inch screens respectively, alongside an "extraordinary" 12.2 MP single-purpose camera with Google's usual software, 4GB of RAM , 64 GB of storage and 3000 mAh and 3700 mAh.

The report also reveals that new pixels will be available in white, black and purple color options, with neon color power buttons.

A separate report revealed that the Pixel 3a and 3a XL will bring in $ 399 and $ 479 (3a XL) when they go on sale next week.

04/30/19: Google's mid-range Pixel 3a arrived on Geekbench just days before its official launch. The premature list, identified by MySmartPrice, reveals that the phone uses, unsurprisingly, Android 9 Pie and contains 4GB of RAM with a Qualcomm chipset; speculation suggests that he will use a SoC Snapdragon 670.

In terms of benchmarking results, the Pixel 3a achieved a single core score of 1,625 and a multicore score of 5,206, which places it behind the current crop of androids. However, the Pixel 3a should present itself as a cheaper alternative to high-end devices, with rumors of prices below £ 400.

04/24/19: Google's Pixel 3a was presented in all its splendor before its unveiling on May 7th. The blogger Evleaks shared a high resolution image of the incoming intermediate ranger (below), confirming that it will be a fairly standard looking device with large glasses and a fingerprint scanner mounted at the back.

Google Pixel 3a pic.twitter.com/WFb1bfvlK9

– Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 24, 2019

Thanks to a previous Google leak, we also know what to expect. a 5.6-inch 2220×1080 display, a Snapdragon 670 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM, and the same Visual Core pixel that powers cameras on Google's current Pixel 3 devices.

04/16/19: Google will present Pixel 3a and 3a XL at its I / O conference on May 7th. A teaser on the Google Store (below) promises that "something big is coming into the Pixel universe", confirming that the mid-range duo will debut in less than a month.

08/04/19: The long-rumored rumors of Google, Pixel 3a and 3a XL have made their official appearance on both the Google Store device catalog and the Google Play Developer Console.

The leak of Store, tagged by 9to5Google, does not tell us much about the fact that the devices will likely go on sale soon, but the list of Google's device catalog confirms more details about the devices of Google. midrange.

The Pixel 3a, named "Bonito", will have a screen of 2160 x 1080, while the largest 3a XL, or "Sargo", will have a larger screen of 2220 x 1080. Both handsets will also have 4 GB of RAM alongside Google's Visual Core Pixel, which, according to previous rumors, will be paired with a Snapdragon 670 chip in the 3a and a Snapdragon 710 processor in the Pixel 3a XL.

The lists suggest a "mid-year experience", almost confirming that peripherals will make their appearance at the presentation of the speech of entry / exit of Google next month.

03/28/19: The "budget" of Google, known for a long time in the rumors, called Pixel 3a, would cost 450 € on his arrival in May.

Said so WinFuture, which had news from European online retailers that the standard-sized Pixel 3a will be whipped for about half the price of the Pixel 3 flagship. However, the site notes that the price quoted is "anything but reliable" and needs to be addressed with "extreme caution".

WinFuture also heard that the Pixel 3 would be available in a purple-colored "iris" model, alongside smaller black-and-white variants.

01/17/19: There is officially nothing left for Google to tell us about the Pixel 3 Lite, because a large practical video (below) has revealed all there is to know about the "budget" Pixel handset.

Shared by the YouTube channel Andro News, the clip of a minute and a minute confirms the handset's LCD screen, which measures 5.56 inches, its 1220×1080 format, its 12MP rear camera that takes "the same quality photos "as the Pixel 3 and its Snapdragon 670. processor, refuting recent discussions on a SoC Snapdragon 710.

According to the detailed leak, the Pixel 3 Lite XL will also feature 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 2,915 battery, an 8MP front camera, and more. a 3.5mm headphone jack and, of course, the Android operating system 9.0 from Google Pie.

01/15/19: The long rumor of Google, Pixel 3 XL Lite, has been compared, confirming the mediocrity of its Snapdragon 710 processor. On the Geekbench, the handset is listed as "Foxconn Pixel 3 XL" with a chipset "SDM710", a reference to SoC Snapdragon 710 from Qualcomm clocked at 1.71 GHz. The list shows that the phone will pair this chip with 6GB of RAM, more than what you will find in the Pixel 3 XL, the flagship product of Google.

However, in terms of performance, the alleged Pixel 3 XL Lite recorded a score of 1,805 in the Geekbench single-score test and 5,790 in the multi-core test, well below those obtained by Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.

12/10/18: Google would be preparing a heavier version of its Pixel 3 Lite, according to leaks renditions shared by OnLeaks and 91mobiles. The so-called Pixel 3 XL Lite – assuming the images are legitimate – will abandon the notch found on its flagship brother and will retain the 3.5mm headphone jack. Elsewhere, the handset will feature a full HD + 6-inch screen surrounded by large frames, a rear-facing camera and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, as well as a full-size camera. a polycarbonate frame rather than glass and metal.

28/11/18: Just days after being broken against the Pixel 3 flagship, Google's mid-range Pixel 3 Lite was stacked against the iPhone XR. Russian blog Wylsa posted pictures (below) of the handset posing next to Apple's "mid-range" offering, confirming in turn that the Pixel 3 Lite, with its 5.56-inch screen and its upper and lower frames, will be slightly larger than the iPhone XR 6.1 inches.

25/11/18: The rumor that Google Pixel 3 Lite would have been spotted in the wild again, joining this time his sister Pixel 3. The Russian user of Twitter, @jc_ru, shared the image, which seems to display the largest 5.56-inch screen of the Pixel 3 Lite with an aspect ratio of 18.5: 9 next to the 5.5-inch screen of the Pixel 3 with a ratio of 18: 9 .

Sargo and Pixel 3 pic.twitter.com/FOJQY7qp1k

– kzkv (@jc_ru) November 23, 2018

According to previous rumors, the Pixel 3 Lite – codenamed "Sargo" – has a Snapdragon 670 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, a 12.2MP main camera and the same battery of 2 915 mAh as the Pixel 3.

22/11/18: Some Pixel 3 owners complain that their brand new smartphone can not be unlocked, even if it's purchased directly from Google. More precisely, on the XDA developers On the forum, Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners complain that the "OEM Unlock" switch in Developer Options is grayed out.

Although Google has not yet commented, some speculate that the Google Store could send Verizon models by mistake. Typically, devices purchased directly from the company are easily unlockable, unlike those purchased from Verizon – the exclusive US carrier for all Pixel models -.

It is likely that Google will offer a hotfix. a similar problem affected the Pixel 2 handsets last year, but users had to perform a factory reset.

20/11/18: Owners of Pixel 3 report yet another software problem, and this one disables the "world class" camera of the smartphone. On the forums of Google and Reddit, users complain that a bug prevents them from using the camera application. some see a "fatal error," while others receive a "I can not connect to the camera" message in third-party applications. Users say that restarting the device only temporarily fixes the problem, and others say that it persists even if you reset the Pixel 3. Google does not. has not yet indicated if a fix is ​​forthcoming.

19/11/18: According to the photos obtained by Google, Google is currently preparing a mid-range version of the Pixel 3, featuring a plastic chassis and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Rozetked. The leak suggests that the so-called Pixel 3 Lite, nicknamed "Sargo", will sport a 5.5-inch 2.220×1080 LCD, a Snapdragon SoC 670, 4GB RAM and 32GB of built-in storage, starting from 64GB included with the flagship Pixel 3

The photo also appears to show that the lower front speaker has been removed and replaced with a lower-shooting speaker. However, Rozetked says the handset will present the same camera configuration as the classic Pixel 3; and the added bonus of a headphone jack.

14/11/18: Another bug irritates the owners of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. After reporting photos that are disappearing, users are now complaining about the disappearance of text messages after the installation of the latest Google security patch. According to a Reddit user, via Android font, two years of messages have been deleted after installing the update, and it seems that Google still has no answer.

according to Android font and several Reddit users, text messages began to disappear from the user inbox soon after the security patch was installed. One of the Redditors would have lost more than two years of messages, but only the newly created message threads appear. When they contacted the support, several users were informed that Google was aware of the problem and that they were working on it. It is unlikely that the Messages application is involved, since the old pixels and the XL variant are exempt from the problem.

12/11/18: The Pixels 3 and 3 XL suffer from a problem of overheating causing the complete shutdown of the handsets being charged. As reported by 9to5Google, users have turned to social media to complain about these problems, complaining that the problem occurs when the phone performs an action while it is being played.

Users receive a notification informing them that the "phone is warming up" and that some features will be "limited during the cooling of the phone", followed by a slower charging speed. For some, the device stops completely, with the message "Phone turned off due to heat" that appears once it restarts.

Google has not commented on the problem yet.

30/10/18: A strange bug, but also hilarious, equips the handsets Pixel 3 XL with, uh, two notches (below).

As reported by Android fontSeveral users have noticed a bug that randomly adds a side notch to the Pixel 3 XL display. Fortunately, according to Reddit users having experienced the same problem, the virtual notch disappears after a device reboot.

Google is also aware of the problem, telling the Android police that the problem is "soon available".

24/10/18: The Pixels 3 and 3 XL only support wireless fast charging on Google-approved accessories, it was revealed. Android font indicates that only the official Google Pixel Stand supports the fast 10W wireless charging, while third party products remain stuck at lower load speeds of 5W, even if they are compatible with the latter.

He received the scoop from a humiliated Pixel 3 owner who recently bought an Anker 10W charger that only counted 5W. Anker confirmed the bad news, claiming that their tests attributed the downgraded capabilities to a restriction put in place by Google.

"The official Google wireless charger can provide 10W for the new Pixel 3 and Pixel XL 3 models. However, according to our quality engineer, Pixel imposes a limit on third-party charging accessories and we are concerned that even our wireless fast charger does not 5W for these devices 2x ", said the manufacturer of accessories.

Subsequently, Google also confirmed it, but said in a statement that he was working with parents to get 10W fast chargers certified for use with the Pixel 3.

23/10/18: Just days after discovering that Google's Pixel 3 smartphones were suffering from a photo removal bug (below), users complain that the 3 XL's speakers produce a buzzing or distorted sound. The question, which seems confined to Google's flagship group, concerns a large number of users, who suggest that frequencies between low and mid-range are particularly problematic.

"So, I love my new 3 XL pixel, but the speakers seem blurry," wrote a Reddit user. "It sounds like an almost electric distortion, notice it from the first day."

Another moaned: "My loudspeaker sounds like shit at low volume, almost like a buzzing sound at the bottom and the sound is different depending on how I touch the rear window."

Google has not commented yet, but users speculate that the problem is hardware-related, which means that a replacement device might be the only solution.

22/10/18: Early users of Google's pixels 3 and 3 XL complain that the camera application does not hide the problem of saving images. The problem – which also affected Pixel 2 and 2 XL devices, according to a Reddit thread – occurs when a user takes a photo with Google Camera and switches to another application or locks the handset immediately afterwards. Some users speculate that the bug is related to the battery saving feature of Android Doze, because disabling it seems to have solved the problem for a few people. Google has not commented on the bug yet.

18/10/18: Google talked about the new security chip Titan M in its smartphones Pixel 3 and 3 XL. In an article on his blog, the company explains that the chip is derived from the Titan chip used in data centers Google Cloud, in order to provide its latest flagship products of a security "inviolable".

Google explains that the Titan M is integrated with the verified boot process, which prevents malicious attacks from moving your device to an outdated version of Android that is trying to unlock the boot loader. It also secures the lock screen and it is only after a successful check that the Titan M will allow decryption. Titan M is also used to secure transactions in third-party applications.

In the case of third-party applications, Titan M, applications can now leverage StrongBox KeyStore APIs to generate and store private keys in Titan M.

"The Google Pay team is actively testing these new APIs to secure transactions," said Google, noting that Titan M allowed Android 9 to have a secure user interaction, making it the first device to do so.

17/10/18: The Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL were announced last week and, of course, iFixit did not delay in tearing them apart. Even more interesting, the dismantling reveals that Google's flagship product includes a Samsung AMOLED display, which confirms that LG was unsurprisingly abandoned as the company's display provider. Elsewhere, I fix it The team discovered the new Google Titan M Security chip, the same Visual Core pixel as the Pixel 2 XL. Overall, the dismantling team slapped the construction of Pixel 3 – which included "large amounts of glue" with a poor repairability score of four out of ten.

09/10/18: Google has not surprised anyone with the launch of Pixel 3 and XL 3, which are, uh, exactly what you expected.

The Android Pie Sport duo displays respectively 5.5 inches 1080×2160 and 6.3 inches 1440×2960 ​​OLED, against the 5-inch and 6-inch screens found on Google's flagship products of last year. The Pixel 3 XL also sports for the first time a bulky iPhone X-a-like, while the Pixel 3 opts for a backlit display in the old.

The notch has been introduced to house the two front cameras of the handsets, which include standard and wide-angle lenses. On the back end, however, Google has been content with a single 12.2-megapixel camera, going against the industry's trend of using dual-lens configurations and, in some cases, triple-objective.

While this may sound a bit drab on paper, Google says its new "Night Sight" feature – which will come in the form of a software update later this year – will capture natural photos in the dark without flash and will be deployed as part of a software update later this year.

Under the hood, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 10nm processor, coupled with Google's new Titan M security chip, 4GB of RAM and an integrated storage choice of 64GB or 128GB. two handsets also support wireless charging for the first time and Google introduces its own charging bracket, Pixel Support, as an optional accessory.

From a design point of view, the new pixels are not so different from last year's models and both offer the same IP68 certification as the 2 and 2 XL pixels. However, Google has introduced a new "Not Pink" model for its new pink color handset. This will be offered alongside the "Just Black" and "Clearly White" models.

Further reading