Google Pixel 3a XL
A keenly priced mid-market alternative to do-it-all flagships that almost manages to make a bigger splash than they do
In a market dominated by Samsung and Apple, Google’s Pixel smartphones may not top the class but, since their arrival in 2014, they have unquestionably offered the best and purest Android user experience.
No bloatware, no over-the-top Android skins, just pure Google OS. And the latest Pixel 3 and 3 XL flagships didn’t buck that trend when they arrived last October, offering typically impressive screen and camera performances.
But at a usually quiet time of the year, Google surprised everyone with the introduction of mid-tier models for the first time. The newest additions are the 3a (£399) and, tested here, the 3a XL (£469) – both reasonably priced in an age where smartphones have smashed through the four-figure barrier.
The 3a XL has more modest specs than its flagship sibling, the most obvious of which relates to brainpower. It is run by Qualcomm’s mid-tier Snapdragon 670 processor rather than the top-tier chipset (the Snapdragon 845) found inside the 3 XL. It replaces a glass body with a plastic one, sports a slightly smaller, lower-res and non-hdr OLED screen, and swaps a dual front camera for a solo snapper. There is no 128GB storage option, just a single 64GB model instead, although that feels less of a blow when you consider there’s unlimited cloud storage through Google Photos.
But there are also areas where the Pixel 3a XL rubs shoulders with its flagship sibling – and even where it surpasses it. The 3a XL shares its 4GB RAM, 12.2MP rear camera and Android 9.0 Pie OS, boasts a bigger battery (3700mah compared with 3430mah) and sees the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Google’s accurate Pixel Imprint fingerprint scanner has also been carried into the more affordable models, and the distinctive two-tone finish lives on. Dimensions are more in sync, too, with the 3a XL only 2mm taller and slightly narrower ( by 0.6mm).
Design-wise, that’s where the similarities end. Physically, the 3a XL certainly feels like a cheaper handset, largely due to its plastic body. But it’s nicely lightweight without feeling flimsy or easy to spoil and, of course, there’s the 3.5mm jack that’s absent on the flagship devices.
Snaps that crackle and pop
The 3a XL reiterates Pixel phones’ reputation for photographic skills. The 12.2MP snapper is capable of capturing clear, natural, colour-balanced shots and, in both bright and low-lit environments they square up pretty well to those taken on the 3 XL.
There’s everything from the usual panorama, time-lapse and slow-motion options to the more gimmicky ‘Playground’ and ‘Photobooth’ modes. Worth a mention is ‘ Top Shot’, which captures up to 90 images from 1.5 seconds before and after the shutter press, enabling it to choose the best one from that moment.
Pixel’s ‘Night Sight’ mode for low-light conditions means snaps taken during a gig, for example, have much more exposure, the photos being clearer, brighter and visibly noise-free.
A Lens that puts more into focus
The Google Lens feature, which was previewed for Pixel users last year, is starting to live up to its potential. Now you can point your camera over a menu and it will detect the words and translate them into your chosen language. It allows you to copy text or numbers too, as well as identify landmarks, plants and animals, open up shopping suggestions for similar items detected in a frame, and scan barcodes.
Google’s Pixel USB-C earbuds, which come in the box of the Pixel 3s, are unsurprisingly, not bundled in the box here. We plug our Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 in-ears straight into the Pixel – no dongle required, of course – and as we fire up Tidal we are met with a clean, clear sound that’s well balanced and reasonably detailed.
The flagship Pixel 3 lacks the refinement, excitement and class-leading subtlety of Samsung and Apple rivals, and we can’t help but feel a little shortchanged here with the 3a XL too. As we compare it with the 3 XL, we’re essentially listening to a familiar presentation but with slightly less clarity and insight.
The National’s Quiet Light is full and lush, with a twang to the strings and heft to the drumbeat, but expectations regarding dynamics and punch, and therefore attention-grabbing engagement, should be tempered. It times like a dodgy, market-bought wristwatch, too, which does nothing to help its grasp of rhythms. Compared with Oneplus and Apple phones
(including the iphone SE) the 3a XL comes second each time.
That isn’t the case with the 3a XL’S screen, whose 6in OLED display with an above-full-hd 2220 x 1080 resolution is very much a winner. The size means it’s ideal for watching Netflix, and the crispness and colour punch on offer only reiterate that. It is similar in balance to the Pixel 3 XL, just without quite the same detail nuance and colour accuracy.
We watch football highlights on Youtube and players’ shirts are a touch overcooked in comparison, while crowds are more sharply outlined through the 3 XL. Head over to Netflix to stream Grace & Frankie in HDR though, and the benefit of the 3 XL’S HDR support shines through.
It feels slick to navigate and the Android 9.0 Pie OS is its familiarly clean, less-is-more self. Even as we juggle tasks such as streaming, internet browsing and social media apps, and fill the home screen with downloaded apps, operation runs smoothly and efficiently. As for battery life, a day of medium-to-heavy usage still leaves us with around 30 per cent battery remaining.
Price vs features
The Pixel 3a XL is significantly cheaper than the 3 XL. For just over half the price of the Pixel 3 XL (and other flagship smartphones) you get many of its features – an OLED display, a first-rate camera and a seamless Android experience, plus the 3.5mm jack and a decent battery life. If only Google could improve the Pixel sound, we’d have a flawless mid-market marvel.
“Now you can point your camera over a menu and it will translate it into your chosen language. It allows you identify landmarks, plants and animals too”