I was an early adopter of Google's phones when they came out with the Nexus line. Unfortunately, I never bought a Pixel because Google chose, at first, to compete with the expensive flagship phones that cost $800 or more being put out by Apple and Samsung every year. That has since changed, and I'm a welcome convert back to the Google fold.
My last phone was a Moto Z Play, which I purchased for $400 about three and a half years ago. I loved the battery life, but the bluetooth died almost entirely when the phone was two years old, and the camera was never great. By the time I had had it for three years, I couldn't run more than two or three apps without experiencing issues with crashing. Likewise, if I opened more than 50 or so tabs in the web browser, it would typically crash. It's a relief to no longer have those issues.
COST: I purchased this phone when it was $320, so I already saved $80 over my last phone purchase. This phone does everything you need and looks sharp. It doesn't have 5G, but the amount of features you get for less than $400 more than justifies the price.
CAMERA: Google has really outdone itself with the Pixel 3a's. The camera is fantastic; I no longer need to bring a dedicated digital camera when I'm traveling or attending major celebrations like graduations that need a good camera. It's performance in low-light conditions is fantastic and really something to write home about. Sure, my brother's iPhone 11 Pro has a better camera, but he paid over $1000 for it, so that's not a fair comparison. I'd say that the Pixel 3A's camera and camera software is every bit as good as my wife's Galaxy 10, if not better.
BATTERY LIFE: A full charge doesn't last the 2-3 days that my old Moto Z Play did, but the rapid charging feature makes it not matter as much. In my daily commute of 20-30 minutes to work, I can add about 30-40% to my battery, which means I never have to worry about my phone going dead, even if I forget to charge it at night. A full charge tends to last a little over a day with heavy use. For the record, nearly every day I browse the internet for hours, play Sudoku, listen to Spotify, and post and browse on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
HARDWARE: It's not a flagship phone, so it's not going to hold up to intensive use. That said, nothing I've thrown at it so far as crashed it. Like I said, I'm a heavy phone user. I don't have to close my apps before switching to another one like I did with my last phone to avoid crashes. I also have experienced hangs like I did with my last phone either. This really does everything you need it to do. I don't think that a normal to heavy phone user needs much more power than this unless they're gaming or photo editing on their phone or something. The bluetooth works a lot better than my old phones did. I have an aging 2013 Prius that does not like to play nice with bluetooth in a lot of my devices. I get in the car, and the phone automatically hooks to the bluetooth and brings up my last Spotify podcast without me fussing with it past the initial setup. I forgot how nice it was when things just worked, you know?
LOOK & FEEL: I really like that it's lighter than my last phone even though the screen and the screen's resolution is much larger. It doesn't have a trendy notch, but I don't really care. The fingerprint is located in a nice place in the back that feels very intuitive. There is a feature that lets you squeeze the phone to bring up Google Assistant that I could see some people enjoying, but I never use it because my hands are too small to put enough pressure on the phone to bring it up. Some people may dock a point or two for this, if it's important to you. I don't because I can just shout "hey google" at the phone to the same effect, and perhaps the feature works fine if you don't have tiny baby hands like me and buy a phone that's over 6 inches. The phone itself is mostly metal and glass and doesn't feel cheap. I don't think it looks like you spent less than $400 on it at all. Most importantly, it still has an aux port. Not all of us want the hassle of charging and keeping track of bluetooth earbuds that can cost more than your phone and don't sound any better than a $10 wired headset you can get at the pharmacy. The screen is absolutely huge and the resolution makes everything tiny. I don't have bad eyes and I'm not an old maid, but I had to set the text size to "large" otherwise every website looks like those old Myspace profiles people made back in 2002 with size-6 font. It's very comfortable to read on; I don't feel like someone would need a dedicated tablet with a phone with a screen this big.
SOFTWARE & OS/UI: If you're getting an Android OS, you've probably fine with the OS. That said, Google's UI is so much better than everyone else's (I've used UIs by Asus, Samsung, and Motorola in other phones). The home screen is easier to customize, the app launcher makes sense, and the app switcher is intuitive and quick. Since it's Google, you'll have the newest Android OS's at launch and support for longer than other manufacturers. That was one thing I missed dearly about my old Nexus, and I'm glad Google is finally back in the sub-$500 market again so I can take advantage of it. I think my favorite feature about the UI is that I can turn on "dark mode" 24/7 so that I never have white bars or menus anywhere, just nice black ones. It's really saved my eyes. I also like that the volume and brightness on the phone has a very wide range of levels, much moreso than any other phone I've had before, which always had "silent," "soft-ish" and "extremely loud" with little in between. I can turn down the volume to almost-silent and the brightness to actually quite dark without installing third party apps. Also, there's no bloatware on the phone when you purchase it. That's really nice.
All in all, it's a very solid phone and I'm honestly thrilled with how nice the screen and camera is at this price-point. Everything else I've looked at with comparable specs and features is at least $100 more. I've been using mine for the past couple of weeks, and every day I like it more. Full five stars from me.
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From the manufacturer
Pixel 3a & Pixel 3aXL
Get more done with an extraordinary camera, fast-charging battery, and the helpful Google Assistant built in.
More to love with Pixel 3a
3 years of security and OS updates. Keep your phone protected against the latest threats and performing at its best.*
Keep your data protected. The custom-made Titan M security chip helps secure the operating system and your most sensitive data, like passwords.**
Keep more of what you love. Use the Quick Switch Adapter to transfer your messages, contacts, and photos to your new device.***
*Android version updates for at least 3 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store. See g.co/pixel/updates for details.**See g.co/pixel/security for additional security information.***Some third-party apps and data may not be transferred automatically. Visit g.co/pixel/help for information.
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Night Sight.You’ll never want to use your flash again. Night Sight lets you capture rich detail and color, even in the dark. |
Charges fast. Lasts all day.Get more done with an Adaptive Battery that delivers 7 hours of use on just a 15-minute charge. It’s designed to learn your favorite apps and reduce power to the ones you rarely use.* *Charging rates are based upon the use of the included charger. Actual results may vary. |
Know who’s calling and why.Let the Google Assistant help screen your calls, so you know who’s calling and why before you pick up.* *US and Canada only. English only |
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This Item  Google - Pixel 3a X-Large with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Just Black (G020C) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -61% $189.00 List: $479.00 | $269.99 | $175.99 | -61% $104.99 New Price: $269.99 | $128.90 | $259.00 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | — | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it May 20 - 22 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
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| Fingerprint reader | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Face recognition | ||||||
| Screen quality | ||||||
| Sold By | CrownProducts | Buying Done Right | Deal Depot Plus | CrownProducts | Infitek | DNCL-TECHZONE |
| display size | 6 inches | 6.3 inches | 6.8 inches | 6.3 inches | 6 inches | 6.3 inches |
| memory capacity | 1 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB | 4 GB |
| model name | Pixel 3a XL | Google Pixel 3 XL | Moto G Stylus 5G | Pixel 3 XL | Pixel 2 XL | Google Pixel 3 XL |
| operating system | Android, Chrome OS | Android, Chrome OS | Android 11.0 | Android 9.0 | Android 8.0 | Android, Chrome OS |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Networks + Bands 5G: 2/5/25/26/41/66/71/77/78 4G: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/18/19/20/25/26/29/30/38/39/40/41/48/66/71 3G: 1/2/4/5/8 Bluetooth Technology Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | 2.4GHz & 5GHz | Wi-Fi hotspot Location Services GPS (L1), A-GPS, LTEEP, SUPL, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou SIM Card Single SIM (1 Nano SIM + 1 microSD) | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| display type | LED | OLED | LCD | OLED | OLED | OLED |
Reviews with images
In 2023, this is a good backup or experimental phone
February 6th 2023 - 12:30amAfter some careful research, I decided to purchase a Google Pixel 3a [with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Clearly White] to install the Ubuntu Touch OS on it, so once the UT people get VoLTE (Voice Over LTE or 4G) figured out, I'll have a phone that is completely free of Apple or Google data hoarding.Short Story:Got UT on the phone, but it was a huge pain in the ass to do, and I'm waiting for that VoLTE upgrade. Minus one star for the inconveniences.Long Story:The Pixel 3a is a sweet little phone. Can't upgrade the storage but it has an audio and USB-C ports. The worst part of the phone is that it's married to Google. Hmf. Plus, even though my new 3a came directly from Google, it came installed with Android 10 and the OEM Unlock option greyed out. UGH! This meant before I flash Ubuntu Touch on my phone, I'd have to unlock the OEM unlock and downgrade to Android 9... Google really doesn't want you playing with YOUR electronics...It took a long weekend and a lot of failures, but I finally got Ubuntu Touch on my 3a (no paying a third party to do it either). It's a nice little clutter-free OS, and while most big 3rd party apps are unavailable -- you can download YouTube and Gmail apps if you want; I'm going to try out ProtonMail --the included apps and the ones from the OpenStore give you basic functionality. While I haven't tested a sim or phone service yet (expecting a needed OS update to get VoLTE up an running to work in the US), WiFi works great on the phone and you can manually set up a VPN if you need it.Although the UBPorts website the phone os working 100%, there's that VoLTE issue and my fingerprint reader isn't working, also I had to download the uTorch app to get the phone's flash to work as a flashlight. Still... the ability to have a small private Linux-but-Google-free computer (yes, allegedly you can bluetooth/dock a keyboard and monitor) that can (hopefully) make phone calls is a pretty amazing feat in 2023.I'll update this review when I decide to try my T-Mobile sim on the phone, if only to transfer my contacts.UPDATE Feb 6th, 2023 1:25am:Good news! I switched my T-Mobile sim to my 3a and was able to make phone calls! I had to jump through a hoop or two to move my phone contacts, but they're usable now too. Successfully called a closed pizza place (got voice mail) and called my insurance company (voice mail again). The fingerprint reader seemed to activate and worked after I swapped my sim into the 3a (??). All I need is a new sim from one of the pay-as-you-go companies and I have a more-private phone -- won't call it a burner; I don't think they really exist anymore, but this phone now upsets the data hoarders so I'm happy. :P
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2020
Model Name: Pixel 3a XLColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2019
Model Name: Pixel 3a XLColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Tracy Jones
Older model is fine for basic use - what's a notch?
Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2023Model Name: Google Pixel 3aColor: Purple-ishVerified Purchase
Angelo
Great phone but battery is crippled with Android 12
Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2021Model Name: Google Pixel 3aColor: Clearly WhiteVerified Purchase
boi
Works but something's wrong
Reviewed in Canada on June 3, 2021Model Name: Google Pixel 3a XLColor: Clearly WhiteVerified Purchase
Chris Fortner
Great battery life!
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2020Model Name: Pixel 3a XLColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase
Moisés
Mejor cámara, software y seguridad por el precio
Reviewed in Mexico on January 11, 2020Model Name: Google Pixel 3a XLColor: Clearly WhiteVerified Purchase
Moisés
Reviewed in Mexico on January 11, 2020
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