Google Pixel 3A

At a glance

• 5.6 inch Full HD+ OLED screen
• 12 mpx camera
• Up to 32 hours of talk time
• 64GB internal storage
• Headphone jack – so only partially water resistant

Highlights

Fast-charging battery – using a 18W charge, the Pixel 3A will give you up to seven hours of battery life from just fifteen minutes of charge.

Headphone jack – a hot topic when it comes to phone releases, the 3A still has a headphone jack, so you can use your favourite pair with your device.

Pixel Imprint – rear-finger print sensor for additional security.

Design & appearance

The dimensions of the 3A are 6.0in x 2.8in x 0.3 inches and it weighs 147g, so it’s lighter than the Pixel 3. That’s because it’s a less-premium item, so the back and frame are made from plastic instead; however, this doesn’t affect user experience at all and the front screen protection is still made from damage-resistant Asahi Dragontail glass.

On the whole, the 3A looks almost identical to the Pixel 3: sleek and slim, but similarly without a notch. If you’re keen on a Pixel 3A, it comes in Just Black, Clearly White and Purple-ish.

Camera

The 3A sports a 12.2mpx rear camera, with dual LED flash, HDR and Panorama features. Essentially, all the stuff we love about Pixel cameras: Night Sight, Top Shot and Portrait mode, so your snaps will always look their best.

Unlike the Pixel 3, there’s just the one 8 mpx front camera, but it still has HDR features.

Display

The Pixel 3A’s screen itself is a 5.6 inch Full HD+ OLED display, with about a 75% screen-to-body ratio. It’s got a resolution of 2220 x 1080, so that’s a 441 ppi density. For an inexpensive phone, the clarity is great and similar to that of top-tier models.

Software & features

The Pixel 3A runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) and is upgradable to Android 11. Google promises at least three years of software and security when you buy your phone.

It’s got all the features we love from the Pixel 3, but the Google Assistant feature feels particularly organic. It also has Optical Image Stabilisation and Electronic Image Stabilisation – gyroscopic sensors to detect vibrations of the camera.

Rear fingerprint scanning, DNLA certification and a multi-user operating system also deserve a mention, as do the AR in Maps feature and timelapse video shooting.

Performance

The Pixel 3A has the slightly lesser Snapdragon 670 processor, but it’s paired with the Adreno 615 GPU so is super responsive even when it comes to gaming. Like the Pixel 3, it uses a Titan M security chip to protect your phone from threats. Because of the less intensive processor, the 3000 mAh battery will last you all day, with the handset boasting supposedly up to 32 hours of talk time.