SAN FRANCISCO, May 12 — On the opening day of the 2019 Google I/O developer's conference, Google announced the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, the more affordable ‘lite' versions of their flagship smartphones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. We take a look at how their specs line up with other brands' “budget-friendly” models.
As flagship devices become less financially accessible to the general public, industry leaders have begun releasing more affordable iterations of their premium devices — how do Google's recently released 3a and 3a XL compare to Apple's, Huawei's, and OnePlus' wallet-friendly flagship alternatives?
Google Pixel 3a vs Google Pixel 3
- Display height: 6.0-inches, 5.7-inches
- Chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 670, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
- Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie, Android 9.0 Pie
- Front camera: 8MP, 8MP
- Rear camera: 12.2MP, 12.2MP
- Storage: 64GB, 64GB
- Battery: 3000 mAh, 2915 mAh
- Water resistance: No, yes
- Price: US$400 (RM1,662), US$800
For half the price of the flagship iteration, the Pixel 3a has virtually all the same specifications as the original Pixel 3. Apart from having a lower grade processor which will cause the phone to function a bit more slowly than the premium version, it actually has a bigger display and bigger battery. Unless you're prone to dropping your phone in puddles or need your device to function at the fastest speeds currently on the market, the ‘lite' Pixel is an impressive and impressively affordable device compared to the flagship.
Huawei P30 Lite
- Display height: 6.0-inches
- Chip: Kirin 710
- Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie
- Front camera: 32MP
- Rear camera: 24MP + 8MP + 2MP
- Storage: 128GB
- Battery: 3340 mAh
- Water resistance: No
- Price: £329 (RM1,535), €369
Apart from the chipset which has lower performance than Qualcomm's Snapdragon 670, Huawei's P30 Lite is a healthy competitor not only to the Pixel 3a, but the flagship device as well. Unfortunately for United States users, the device will be unavailable in the country; however, for the rest of the world, this device certainly has one of the best cameras on a smartphone yet, Lite or not.
iPhone XR
- Display size: 5.9-inches
- Chip: A12 Bionic chip
- Operating system: iOS 12
- Front camera: 7MP
- Rear camera: 12MP
- Memory: 64 GB
- Battery: 2,658 mAh
- Water resistance: Yes
- Price: US$749
Despite the iPhone XR being nearly double the price of the Pixel 3a, its specifications are less impressive: the display is smaller, the quality of the camera is lower, and the battery is weaker. On the other hand, it is moderately water resistant and uses Apple's iOS.
OnePlus 7 rumoured specifications
- Display height: 6.2-inches
- Processor: Snapdragon 855
- Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie
- Front camera: 4MP
- Rear camera: 48MP
- Memory: 128GB
- Battery: 4150 mAh
- Water resistance: Yes
- Price: unknown
Though the OnePlus 7 is not a ‘lite' device, the company has marketed their smartphones as affordable alternatives to leading manufacturer's flagships. Nearly all the circulating specs — the processor, the rear camera MP amount, the memory, the battery capacity — are more impressive than that of the Pixel 3a, but it will likely come at a price tag a bit higher than that of OnePlus 6 which starts at US$529. The OnePlus 7 will launch on May 14.
The Pixel 3a is one of the most affordable ‘lite' smartphones of this group while still boasting premium features shockingly close to that of the Pixel 3. The Pixel 3a is available now starting at US$400, and the 3a XL starts at US$480. — AFP-Relaxnews
