Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Google - Pixel 3a with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked)

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

After having this phone for 4 months I thought I should at least post my impressions on using this phone on a daily basis. I can say I’ve been really happy with it.

Coming into this phone knowing about the lack of water resistance and questionable physical durability I knew that I would have to treat it very gingerly if it was going to hold up at all, which has not been an issue after 4 months of use. I have been very proactive in not doing anything to challenge it’s physical limitations. Although I’m curious how well this phone could survive a significant drop unto a hard surface, such as concrete, I’ve been very protective of this device and very careful in how I’ve handled it and that’s been no problem for me.

What’s really blown me away about the Pixel 3a is something very few have mentioned which is how well wifi-calling works with it. My provider, Mint Mobile, which is a T-Mobile reseller supports wifi-calling but it has to be configured on the phone you are using in addition to enabling it on the provider. No problem with Mint Mobile and an unlocked Pixel 3a. So, the cellular signal in my house is not the greatest. It’s ok but nothing to write home about so call quality is not always the greatest. That’s where wifi calling comes in and the beauty of it is that it’s totally transparent, coming on at home and at other places where the cellular signal is poor or non-existent. Since wifi is available where I need it, most everywhere these days, call quality is not an issue, even in an environment with a poor quality cellular signal. What strikes me the most is the phone’s ability to transition to and from wifi calling without call interruption or loss. So, when I leave my house while in a call, I don’t lose the call as the phone transitions from wifi calling to cellular. For me, this has been the biggest plus of the phone.

Of course the quality of the camera is the one outstanding feature that is most often talked about and I have to admit it can take incredible pictures. I also like the display and battery life is more than sufficient for my purposes. I’m not a game enthusiast so game performance is of no importance. The phone is very responsive and I really haven’t experienced any performance issues. YouTube, YouTube TV and Pluto work wonderfully on this device. I think the sound, both on speakers and bluetooth is very good.

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Tony Flores

Pixel 3a best all around phone at the best price.

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2019

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

So much has been said about this phone, so I will try to boil it down. I have waited over three weeks before posting my thoughts.

1. In December 2019 for $299 pre Black Friday limited time offer, no phone has a better camera and software combo. If you double the price, still can’t name a new phone at this writing that can beat it. Google just added the ability to photograph the stars like the pixel 4. This mode is automatic. The phone needs to be on a tripod or otherwise completely still for the long exposure mode be enabled.

2. Less talked about, this particular version G020G US version has band 71 for TMOBILE, their new 600mhz band. This band will do more to make sure you get actual coverage rather than try to get you some high speed. Yes this phone supports all the major carriers, and having that rare (at this time) band 71 is nice.

3. So other positives, Oled screen, always on display, be the first in line along with the essential phone to get bug fixes, security patches at the newest version of android.

4. Headphone jack, let’s all say that one more time headphone jack.

5. Dual speakers, one bottom firing the other is the ear piece.

6. Stock android, no skin just the basics.

7. Battery. Not in the pros or cons. It’s fine, not the crazy 14 hour heavy use champ, but it has never come up short for me.

Some cons.

1. Screen is that tall skinny aspect ratio. No my favorite. On the plus side easier to hold and reach all of the screen without issues.

2. Because this budget budget phone is missing the dedicated image processing chip it takes longer to process images. You can still fire off as many as you feel the need to but to see the finished image, there will be a short wait. The lower the light level, the longer the wait. Not a deal breaker because the images are usually just so good.

3. Screen is just a hair warmer than I’m used to. I have adjusted to it, but I mention it because you cannot adjust warmth.

4. Speakers are on the weak side. Sound is even, good quality just not very loud.

5. Notification sounds are too soft.

6. Camera has no manual controls or any real controls. When the camera chooses the wrong white balance I cannot do anything really. Sometimes changing my aim slightly will cause the camera to choose something better but that doesn’t always work. Also a big pain. There is a big crop in video mode to aid stabilization so your field of view will get really tight. I don’t like this all all. It’s one of those things that isn’t mentioned often. I looked at lots of reviews both written and video and don’t recall any mentions.

I’m sure I missed a lot, these are just some things that come to mind over the past few weeks.

37 people found this helpful

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Cowboy

Don’t get ripped off on other phones, get the Pixel 3a!

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2020

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

Let me start off my review by putting it in proper context. I use the phone to make calls/texts, take family pictures, browse the internet, use about ten apps regularly, and of course write Amazon reviews. I’m not too interested in fancy features and I prefer function and value over having the latest and greatest, which is why I waited over a year to purchase this phone after it was released.

I purchased this phone after extensive research, mostly based on favorable reviews and the price. I am well aware there is a reason this phone is less expensive than the Google Pixel 3 or Pixel 4. I also didn’t want to finance another $800 phone from Verizon so I wanted an unlocked phone that I could purchase and connect to their network. Verizon was pushing the Google Pixel 4 and other expensive phones and didn’t even offer the 3a models. The price is right on Amazon for this phone at $378, which would break down to $15.75 per month if it was under one of those Verizon financing plans for 24 months. Most of their phones are going for $30-$45 per month to finance so this is a bargain.

The Good: Besides winning on price, this phone was a breeze to set up. The SIM card easily inserted into the phone and it quickly connected to the Verizon network without issue. The set up instructions were easy to follow to get the phone up and running quickly. The Pixel 3a also transferred all data, apps, and pictures from my old Galaxy S7. It used a USB cable to connect and download everything. Even texts, voicemails, and everything else transferred over so I never felt lost. Google Chrome and Gmail are my primary browser and email so browsing history and saved passwords also transferred over.

Once connected this phone operates smoothly and it is easy to navigate. The camera is outstanding and surpasses my iPhone 7 Plus, except for the fact it doesn’t offer the panoramic photo option which I’ve come to appreciate on the iPhones. Another bonus with this phone is the battery life which ranks high on my list of important features. This battery lasts all day long even with regular use, which is something I wasn’t used to on the Samsung Galaxy or iPhone even when they were new phones. It also charges very quickly with the provided charger and I estimate a full charge took less than 90 minutes.

The Bad: The bad really isn’t all that bad when taken in proper context. There is a reason this phone is half the price of other models since it’s missing some luxury features. Apparently this phone isn’t waterproof, which comes as a surprise to me since I’ve never known any phone to be waterproof and am always careful with my phones around water. Wireless charging capability is also missing from this phone so you may miss that feature if wireless charging is your thing.

The most impactful thing that I experienced was this Pixel takes a different charger cable than I was accustomed to. We have a ton of micro USB cables in the house for older Android and Kindle devices, along with Apple charging cables. This phone takes a USB-C cable. It comes with a charger and battery life is excellent so this isn’t a huge issue either.

Summary: This is an outstanding phone and should work well for the vast majority of users. It operates and looks far more expensive than it really is, making me realize how much the phone companies are ripping us off selling overpriced phones. It wins in value, setup, camera, operating speed and battery life. Minor points are lost for missing some of the fancier features like wireless charging and being a different charging cable than most people already have, but those don’t weigh heavily on my opinion of this Google Pixel 3a so I am giving this a strong four stars.

5 people found this helpful

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T..NY

Pixel 3A from Moto G. Smart Move

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

Received the Pixel 3A from Amazon just under a week ago for the $279 promotion. Awesome. Especially now that Google has discontinued the Pixel 3A. I replaced my Moto G6 Plus mainly because the charge was not holding and the sound was inconsistent. The phone flexed and it affected the speaker. The Moto G6 was an intl' model; which I regret getting.
The Pixel 3A booted up relatively quick with a USB-C connection cord to my existing phone. It transferred my apps and ~ 30 gbs of data in about 5 minutes. The phone's sound is good (contrary to some reviews-maybe those are older phones/software). The camera is great as advertised including the night sight. Admittedly, many of the features that are appealing deal with the Android 10 software (which my Moto G likely would have never received). The 3A doesn't have the flip for the camera but it has the double click on the power button that turns the camera on (Moto G fans know). Keeping the phone jack is a big plus. I have wireless buds but it is a hassle to worry about charging them. The Amoled screen is really clear. The screen size is a bit of adjustment from the larger 6.2" G but it is noticeably easier to navigate with one hand. Not having an expandable SD slot isn't a deal breaker since Google offers the unlimited storage for photos and videos (less than actual size) but still high res so likely never will notice since we're not talking professional photos. The phone build is plastic but you really wouldn't know it by holding. Plus as soon as you put a cover on, non issue. Finger print reader on the back is quick and accurate. I've had numerous Moto G phones so never ventured out of the budget / mid tier. My wife uses an iPhone 8 and I can tell this Pixel is comparable if not better. Don't know if I will miss the Moto G line; especially with the deal I got. Anyone that doesn't need a flagship phone will not be dissatisfied by this Pixel.

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Michael D.

Great phone. Amazing camera. No microSD slot. Boo. Still, great value.

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2019

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

A really good mid price phone. The phone does what is should, the camera is amazing. Especially the night mode. The photos in this mode are almost better than live viewing. Great image processing. Almost unbelievable.

Size is good...I don't want to carry a TV around with me. This fits my pocket. I protect it with an Otterbox Symmetry and a tempered glass screen protector. The Symmetry is not size imposing and gives the phone something to hang on to.

Charge time is very fast. Battery life is OK...but I get nervous when it drops below 60% anyway, so maybe it's just me. The screen, when bright, seems to suck a lot of juice, so it's always a balance to be able to view, and also go easy on the battery.

The camera is, as advertised, way out of the budget class. I've compared low light pictures to phone/camera costing double and the 3a is clearly FAR superior. The image processing is superior.

The most lacking feature is that there is no optional external microSD slot. Really? That should be a requirement. My guess is that since it's a Google phone, and since Google is cloud based, and since Google makes money by charging for cloud storage, well, you can see where that's going. But this feature is something they REALLY should reconsider. Not everyone wants everything in the cloud. It was almost a deal breaker for me. Heck, I use an offline GPS that has 6G of maps! that's almost 10% of the available space. Shame.

Recommend buying this phone if you're interested in a mid-price phone with an excellent camera. Doesn't replace a good SLR, but a whole lot handier to carry!

2 people found this helpful

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John "in the Poconos"

Photos are great - contact software not so great

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2020

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

All contact information from samsung phone transferred to Pixel with First name first instead of last name first - phone assigned large randomly colored letter to each contact that corresponded with the first letter of the first name of contact. Then when "reset" the contacts in alphabetic order with last name first - like phone book - the assigned colored letter stayed with the contact - so the "J" for Jane Doe - stayed with the contact - only now Doe is under the "D's" - but still carries the "J" in front ?? Confusing - When doing look-up for Jane Doe - if she has 4 contact numbers - instead of bringing up just her main heading and letting me to "drill down" and find the number I want - it displays all 4 numbers - takes forever to find Mike Smith !! The texting dialogue bubble is extremely small - the keyboard letters are too small for a normal human hand (might be cute for a teeny-bopper) - and when trying to add multiple persons to a text message - searching for the additional party takes you back to their convoluted crazy first letter alpha listing again - so when looking for Francis and Mary Witherspoon - all you see is Francis and Mary . . . - Witherspoon is never shown - have to know that this is the Francis and Mary you are looking for. Crazy set - up - and the new contact format is very confusing - need an explanatory sheet to list what goes where for each of the lines - In short - as soon as we can - will be going back to Samsumg S series - Would recomnmend getting printout of how Pixel handles contact listings - texting - and more - before buying this phone. Cameras are great - but photos aren't everything.

One person found this helpful

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richard

Great phone for the price

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

This is my third Google Pixel 3. I am a simple need my phone to cruise internet, take pictures, text and call. This phone has accomplished for many years. The photos are the best out of all the phone I have ever had. My son has the Pixel 7 and can not compare. Wish manufacturers would leave things alone. The only issue I have is the charging port. Seems to wear out and have replaced a couple of times on older phones. Will continue to use happily, but knowing the charge port wears out after 2 -3 years.

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garkin

A very good cell phone with a bit of a charging issue

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2019

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

I have had my Pixel 3a for a couple of weeks now it it works well and is fast. I actually would like it to be a little thicker and not as big, since I am not a large phone fan and have trouble with using any phone that is over 5" with one hand. The battery life is actually excellent for how thin the phone is. It lasts for at least 6 hours under heavy usage while texting and playing games like Pokemon Go or Wizards Unite and it will last all day as long as I play games for less than 4 hours. The only drawback I have found is that it refuses to charge very fast except when hooked to a few specific USB chargers that support the Power Delivery standard.

4 people found this helpful

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Sahar

BEST PICTURES I have ever taken were on this phone.

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

Oh Google. I am usually a Galaxy Girl. Had three of the same class consecutively for some years. Then I got tired of the high pricetag.

Enter Google Pixel 3.... I like it overall. It doesn't brush your hair or make you richer looking... but for significantly less than iPhone which charges an arm, a leg and your dogs teeth....I think it's an alright phone.

I am young...early thirties with children. I am not a photographer but boy, does this phone have some nice shots. I walk around telling people I am a self-made photographer. Don't be fooled by the advertisements surrounding other megalodon-type mobiles. This phone has some of the best picture quality of any phone I've had before.

PHOTOS
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If you are into having beautiful crisp and sharp images, this phone has the best quality and for me... beats the other two and any other phone I've researched. I am a lunatic when it comes to researching...i.e. I use my Google pixel to split screens and look at multiple phones side by side and compare every little detail. Lol

I digress. Just an example to explain my theory better: we took a trip to Colorado, by far one of the most beautiful landscapes the eyes could see. I don't have the ability to go to Colorado every year and so I really wanted pictures that would capture that moment with my family. At the time it was 2017 and I had a different random phone. Now that I look back at my thousands of photos in Google photos, I realize the quality was somewhat grainy and didn't capture the light the way I wanted it to.

I am a lover of everything beautiful and nature. I love to capture the simple moments in life and the memorable ones with crisp, sharp and alluring photos and to relive those moments with nostalgia. This phone has hands down the best photo quality. I have researched it to be true (since a few months ago) and I can wholeheartedly say that the evidence speaks for itself. If you want to see every blade of grass, this phone will get you pretty close.

I attached some pictures. I wrote Google/Samsung/iPhone on the pictures to show the difference in quality. The picture of my 🌹 rose from my rose bush has won alot of recognition from a gardening photography group. They couldn't believe it wasn't an expensive phone or DSLR camera.

Now the bad.......

I gave it four stars yes....it does have some issues but I can say with experience that it is due to my own errors.

GAMING ABILITIES
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I am an avid gamer. I play sometimes for hours on end, on this phone. In terms of ease of play, Google Pixel is easy to use, handling is fair and the brightness/ visuals are absolutely fine. Maybe not perfect but for the price it's pretty powerful. But if you're into gaming for eSports and making a living playing video games, maybe find a more gamer-friendly phone. You know, one that doesn't take fine pictures. ;)

The bad issue with this phone which I knowingly blame on myself is that my screen has a somewhat faint shadow on the background that never goes away. I know from experience that my last non-google phone had it too. This is not due to the phone being bad quality but is just a natural cause of the phone keeping one screen on for a long time and in essence that image being burned into the screen. I am not aware of the term for this but hubby is a computer science/math background and explained this to me.

In my case, I had left this notoriously large sized game running in the background a whole entire night. The image burned into the retina display and is forever a part of the phone.

CAPABILITIES & MISCELLANEOUS
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I will not go into detail about GB/ram, storage, battery, chargers, or anything else which can be easily compared online. If I did my review would be a novel. But overall, it is fairly decent in these other important departments. The battery is akin to my other phones I've had. Pretty strong. The storage is true to size. The chargers I had no issue with but I have a horrible habit of using my phone while it's charging.

Don't do this.

There are some cool functions which other phones didn't have from my experience.
This phone let's you choose and set times for the night light...which is a blue light filter. There is of course an option for a dark theme, an option to invert colors, to save your battery by shutting off other apps, there's a lot of ability to choose what you want to see or don't. You can of course split the screen which makes a world of difference when listening to music while texting or typing or reading an important article. Security works really well and is helpful to bundle with ease for Google play, Gmail, and other Google office apps. Just perfect.

Mind you, there's a lot that other companies i.e., Samsung or iPhone or other competitors might be able to match or excel and some which they cannot. But the main reason this phone stands out is due to its affordability and the superior pictures, the no- nonsense ease of use, it's matching power to the more expensive phones. It is clutter free, allows you more control with your apps and interface.

Overall, this phone has not let me down and if you are like me, and can do without the frilly and minute yet unnecessary extras that come with the more popular phones, this phone will truly be a joy to use.

The fact that this phone still runs and works with my notoriously bad behaviors should speak volumes. As well as the fact that my more careful significant other has his phone in pristine condition when he bought his months before mine.....this too should sway you into giving the more affordable phone a chance. And stop following crowds or false advertisement. Do your research before making a large purchase and remember most phones all do the same things. The small differences are about what you want to give and take for your own needs in a phone.

The pictures I put are of landscapes and food and whatnot just to show you the difference in quality as well as similarities. In the end price becomes a factor. I tried to post all three popular phones in similar settings captured over the past 7 years to better show the differences.
The photos with this phone are absolutely clearer and more defined. There's more options with focusing the pictures as well. Blurring the background...you can make that an automatic feature and much much more.

I have had the phone almost two years now. Will buy another one of these when its' time runs out. It's so not worth the extra money to buy more expensive phones especially when you prefer to have beautiful and crisp photos to remember your photos by and can do without the extra filler "features".

Good luck in life whatever your choices!!!!

19 people found this helpful

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Paul T. Maack

Great phone, great camera, decent battery. EDIT: Unless something goes wrong.

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020

Model Name: Pixel 3aColor: Just BlackVerified Purchase

I upgraded from a cheaper phone (J3 Prime), which was just... awful. I had used the Pixel, and Pixel XL as well as the Pixel 3 prior to this. I loved all of them. I was hesitant because this phone was so much less expensive than the Pixel 3, so I figured it must have serious drawbacks. I'm pleasantly surprised.

Pros:
- Awesome camera. Really, truly awesome. It's fast, clear, and takes photos with good color fidelity. I'm not a pro photographer, so keep that in mind. For your average person who just wants to take photos of some stuff sometimes, and have pretty good detail: It's perfect.
- Powerful processor, and great system resources all around. With my previous phone I'd notice a major slowdown if I had more than one app open, and it just made life miserable. I showed my sister that it took about 1.5 minutes to open maps, and put in her address, then hit navigate. First thing I did after I got this Pixel 3a set up was open every single app, and sign in, then hit home, close the screen and perform the same test. With 25 apps all open and signed in I was able to open Maps, select my sister's address, and hit navigate (and turn on the GPS, because it was off) in about 10 seconds. System showed NO signs of slowdown when I had 25 apps open, and was searching around on the internet.
- Good screen. I like the resolution, because I don't notice the individual pixels when looking at the phone, so that's a huge step up for me. It's capable of displaying high definition (1080), and has a decent refresh rate so nothing seems particularly jittery to me. Display gets bright enough that I have no trouble with it when outside in broad daylight, and gets dim enough that I don't have to worry about checking emails at night in bed and disturbing the other person in the bed.
- Lots of features. I like the fingerprint reader, even though it's probably considered a vulnerability by the most tinfoil-hat-wearing security folks. It makes life so much easier. The squeeze function to access your assistant is pretty neat, too. I mean... You can always just say "OK Google" and access it, but it's nice to have options.
- Standard headphone jack. I'm oldschool, so I use an old 3.5mm jack (I think that's the right size. Don't hate me if I'm wrong!) for listening to music, as my truck doesn't have bluetooth.
- Battery Life is decent. Lots of folks are complaining about the battery draining super fast. I don't get it. If you're permanently attached to your phone, sure. It'll probably run out somewhat quickly. I get about 2 days charge on it if I'm using it a lot. 3 days if I'm not. I let it get down to about 20% then charge it. With the included charger it takes about 30 minutes to go from 20-80%, so... I'm good with that.

Cons:
- The phone feels like they cut cost on the case materials (they probably did, and I'm ok with that!). First phone where I actually decided to buy a case for protection.
- That's it. Really. I haven't had any issues with this phone whatsoever. It's about double what my previous phone cost, but it's 100% worth it.

Other thoughts:
- Perfect phone for someone who needs to use their phone for more than just placing and receiving phone calls, and text messages, and cares about how long it takes. If you're into super premium phones with every single bell, whistle, and feature/function under the sun... This phone's not for you. If you're a person who uses a phone to look stuff up on the internet, and maybe use some apps... You're gonna have a great experience.
- If you bought a bottom level phone because you're cheap (like me) and regret the decision, but REALLY don't want to overspend because now you're buying TWO phones (your cheap phone, and the one to replace it)... Buy this one. You won't regret it.

EDIT: After only owning the phone for a short while, I noticed the phone was having issues with charging. It would take a while to acknowledge it was charging, and would sometimes start and stop. No longer getting fast charge. So I submit a warranty repair claim, and Google search says it'll be like $60 to repair a charging port. The RMA says it'll be free, so neat. I get an update today saying it'll cost more to fix the phone than a new one, so they "recommend" I just buy a new one (actually a refurbished one, for a higher price than I initially paid). Phone was decent while it lasted, and I'm going to drive it until it completely fails, but I can no longer recommend this phone.

One person found this helpful

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