Google Google Pixel 3 (I think I'm done with "traditional" cameras)

The new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL phones have been announced.

In short, they're cheaper models using a lower processor and have plastic bodys instead of metal. They do, though, have the same cameras as the original pixels.

I'm torn on them... I was looking at the Pixel 3 line as a replacement for when my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge finally dies and a plastic body instead of metal doesn't both me much since I always use Otterbox cases but having a slower processor in there wouldn't make me happy.

 
The new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL phones have been announced.

In short, they're cheaper models using a lower processor and have plastic bodys instead of metal. They do, though, have the same cameras as the original pixels.

I'm torn on them... I was looking at the Pixel 3 line as a replacement for when my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge finally dies and a plastic body instead of metal doesn't both me much since I always use Otterbox cases but having a slower processor in there wouldn't make me happy.


I'm honestly waiting to see what the Pixel 4 has to offer. Very happy with the performance of the Pixel 2 XL right now...so my next upgrade cycle may not be until the Pixel 5!
 
I WANT a Pixel 3 because of that camera, but my old, original Pixel does everything I ask of it. I'll wait until it dies to get a new one. And I think I may lean more towards a 3A to save a few hundred bucks. Although I think being on an every three years upgrade path, I could certainly justify a few hundred more bucks for the 3.

:daz:
 
I love the 3, no complaints. But the 3a harkens to the Nexus days where you could have a Manufacturer Reference phone without paying an arm and a leg.

@Kevin wait a month or two to see how the launch shakes out bug wise. There were many horror stories (as there always are in product launches) that I needed to see what really had a true trend before I plunked down on the 3. I think this will be a good one. Besides the headphone jack fiasco, Google should have lessons learned from the 3/3XL that ideally they shouldn't make here.

If I was still on 1, I'd have to tie myself down not clicking on Buy at the Google Store.
 
What would sell the 3a is the improvements in battery life. I carry a big-butt Anker just in case I'm away from an AC outlet for an extended period. It's enough to recharge the 3 about 2x from a low state, but dang it's heavy.
 
How do the pixel 3 owners see the subject masking when it's applying a blur effect? I like the idea of a phone with big camera image quality, but I also like to print big... And masking errors really do show up on big prints. So even if the masking is just slightly off, that would be a reason for me to still use a dedicated large sensor camera...
 
It's visual only, no zebra stripes or overlay. It works pretty decently on the rear camera, a little less optimal for selfies. Also, there is a menu setting with sliders for overall blur, foreground and background.
 
According to the GSM Arena the selfie camera on the Pixel 3a is significantly worse than the one on the Pixel 3. Maybe that matters to some.
I for one would prefer if it wasn't there at all, so I'm glad they didn't spend extra money on it :)

Very tempting piece of kit, it might make the perfect companion to my Sigma DP2 Merrill.
 
According to the GSM Arena the selfie camera on the Pixel 3a is significantly worse than the one on the Pixel 3. Maybe that matters to some.
I for one would prefer if it wasn't there at all, so I'm glad they didn't spend extra money on it :)

Very tempting piece of kit, it might make the perfect companion to my Sigma DP2 Merrill.
I honestly didn't even look at the specs of the front-facing camera, only the rear camera. As you point out, that could be an issue for others though so thanks for pointing that out.

I'm not a "selfie" kind of guy and may have used the front-facing camera on my Galaxy twice. I'm with you... if they offered a model with no front-facing camera at all in order to keep costs down while giving me a great rear camera then I'd be okay with that as I'd never miss it. The plastic body doesn't bother me either, I just wish that they hadn't chosen to go with a lower-end processor. In our household the Pixel 3a might actually be a perfect fit for my wife but for me I'd have to consider the original Pixel 3 XL yet.
 
Ooooohhhh, something I haven't seen elsewhere... besides a lower-end processor, neither the Pixel 3a nor the Pixel 3a XL have Google's "Pixel Visual Core" chip in them.

I was comparing the models over on Google's site (https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel) and noticed it wasn't listed for the new phones. The Pixel Visual Core is a dedicated "Image Processing Unit (IPU)" chip and it helps with HDR processing among other things. It was introduced with the Pixel 2 and is also in the Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL.


So it looks like the rear camera hardware might be the same but the in-camera processing of the image likely is not. Also buried in the fine print is that Pixel owners in the past have gotten free unlimited storage in Google Photos of the original image but Pixel 3a & 3a XL owners are limited to the resized "High Quality" versions. I don't know if that supersedes the ability of specifying in your Google account to store the originals but limited in space (it's a setting that shows for me in my Google Photos settings; either store the originals & be limited in storage space or get unlimited for the resized "High Quality" versions).

 
One feature that really makes the 3a stand out positively: the smaller phone has a larger battery than the premium 3XL! I watched the Pixel segment at I/O 2019, they stated a 30 hour maximum life between chargings. Heck, if I could get even 22 hours it would be a big win on the 3.
 
One feature that really makes the 3a stand out positively: the smaller phone has a larger battery than the premium 3XL! I watched the Pixel segment at I/O 2019, they stated a 30 hour maximum life between chargings. Heck, if I could get even 22 hours it would be a big win on the 3.
That's one thing holding me back from switching phone, I've really gotten used to getting 3-4 days of use per charge on my Lenovo P2.
 
I can't really complain - with a full charge and on Battery Saver mode, I can get 16h with nominal usage. It's not like I'm away from a charger for more than an hour at a time. I have a charger at the office, in the car, at home. I practice what I tell my kids - don't turn down any chances to top-off the battery! :whistle:


198480
 
Oh, dang it, Google, you're making it hard to love you for this one. Cheaper unit, physical headphone jack, latest version of Android, looking good. I was on the verge of replacing both my sisters' Galaxy S5 phones with Pixel 3a phones (yeah, we're all 50'ish+ but I got designated as the "phone tech guy" in the family).

But... they could've lived with the plastic case, Otterbox cases go on everything anyway. They could've lived with the lower-end processor and likely would not have even noticed anything compared to the S5. They could've lived with the "Pixel Visual Core" chip missing, neither are into cameras. Taking out the wireless charging coils? That's a deal breaker. 😞

 
I have never charged anything wirelessly.

I'm glad I don't obsess about phones. I can't imagine how hard it would be to find "the right one".

I'm going to try setting aside $100 a month to save up for the 3.....I think the 3A is fine, but I know I'd just wish I had the next model up....and I'll keep my eyes open for deals.
 
I have never charged anything wirelessly.
Once you do, you'll end up grumbling every time you need to plug a wire in. One of my sisters is rough on phones and, besides killing a few USB connectors on cords, figured out a way of killing the port on the phone itself to the point where plugging a cord into it to charge no longer worked. At some point I'll be switching all of the cars to be wireless as well, I'm just haven't been accepting of the cost of replacing the various holders yet.
 
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