Google Pixel 3A XL: The Best Phone You Can Buy Under $500

The last time hardware was announced at Google I/O back at I/O 2012 w/ the Nexus 7 and the Nexus Q. 2019 marks the 1st time Google dropping hardware since then w/ the Pixel 3A and the Pixel 3A XL. Remember when Google spent $1.1 billion for an HTC team? Well, this is the 1st device as results of that new acquisition. So the more you know.

For press attending Google I/O 2019, we had the option to pick the Pixel 3A or the 3A XL. We opted for the larger 3A XL to test out. We just revisited the Pixel 3 XL after 6 months so of course there will be questions on how it compares to each other as well as how well does it fair as a budget Pixel. We tackle all of that and more in our review of the Pixel 3A XL.

Kicking things off, let’s dive into a few of the things that the new mid-range Pixel is lacking compared to the regular Pixel 3. The Pixel 3A line has no:

Daydream VR support
Unlimited photo storage at full resolution for Google Photos
Wireless charging
Separate Pixel Visual Core image processing chip
Wide-Angle selfie lens

FYI: the Pixel 3A/3A XL won’t be eligible for Android Q Beta until June despite being an option to opt-in.

Instead of metal and glass, you got a lot of plastic involved. It feels lighter by the touch but there isn’t a massive difference in its feel only by weight. The squeezable Active Edge is still present – for those of you who use it. No Gorilla Glass on the front but something called Dragontrail Glass. Which is the pretty good thus far but I haven’t dropped it face down yet though. It still has a stereo speaker setup but instead dual front-facing but one in front and one bottom firing one. They sound great but I am gonna miss out on the speakers facing the front.

With the standard Pixel 3s, LG handled the smaller OLED panels and Samsung handled the larger OLED panels. This time around, Samsung is doing double duty handling both versions of the Pixel 3As. So you can think of it as going from QHD+ down to HD+ but while still on a beautiful OLED panel. Think of it as a slight downgrade in resolution but not in quality. Still a great panel for viewing w/ bright colors, deep Blacks, and pretty good viewing angles. A bit of a scale down but not too much though.

6inch 2160 x 1080 resolution
Snapdragon 670 CPU
4GB of RAM + 64GB of storage
Rear-facing f/1.8 12.2MP dual-pixel sensor w/ OIS + EIS
Front-facing f/2.0 8MP sensor
fingerprint reader
stereo speakers
headphone jack
3700 mAh battery
Android 9.0 Pie

Now everyone probably wants to know how well the Snapdragon 670 processor inside handles. Especially w/ the 4GB of RAM inside since the Pixel 3 has and still has memory issues. It surprisingly performs quite well despite being a mid-range CPU and not a flagship-level one. It does take an extra second to open apps and process HDR+ photos but still does well outside of that. It can handle multitasking, gaming, and much more w/ ease.

On the battery side of things, you’re definitely getting an upgrade. The Pixel 3A has a larger 3700 mAh battery as opposed to the 3430 mAh battery in the Pixel 3 XL. With light to moderate usage, I got over 24 hours on a single charge. Stepping things up to the heavier side of emailing, tweeting, phone calls, and over 7 hours of streaming (podcasts, YouTube, Netflix, etc.); I got around 20 hours of juice before approaching death. This might be a slight upgrade from the standard Pixel 3 XL.

When it comes to the shooters, the end results are pretty much the same from the Pixel 3 line. So the rear-facing 12.2MP camera is still the same quality w/ great dynamic range, accurate colors, superb low-light performance, the beloved Night Sight mode, and great HDR sharpness.

This also includes one of the better Portrait modes on a smartphone as well. The same applies for the selfie camera as well. However, w/o that separate Pixel Visual Core image chip, it will take an extra second to process your photos properly. And you lose the ability to back up your pics at full resolution on Google Photos. Well, there had to be some sort of trade-off for the camera I guess.

A great smartphone starting at $400 didn't exist, until now.

So how is it as a daily driver? Pretty damn great. The mid-range chipset isn’t even noticeable for the most part. Compared to the Pixel 3 XL, the 3A XL isn’t a massive difference in daily usage. The only thing I truly missed was wireless charging. Other than that, I’d be fine converting over to the 3A XL as my new daily driver and put my 3XL back in its box.

The Pixel 3A line won’t be a one-off as there will be more A versions of the Pixel moving forward so get ready for more in the years to come – for now. I think this is a great budget option that defies the atypical stigma of sub-$500 devices having a shitty camera. Now the question is would you be more inclined to get the Pixel 3A line or wait for the 4th-generation Pixel of it?