- [Michael] This is the Google Pixel 3,
and this is the Pixel 3A.
What's the difference?
A few specs, a couple features,
and hundreds of dollars. (upbeat music)
The Pixel 3A might look almost exactly like the Pixel 3,
but it has the potential to be a turning point
for smartphones in the U.S.
See, while my fellow phone geeks, of course,
know what a Pixel is and why it's important,
the majority of regular folks don't.
Because it doesn't matter how great it is
to have guaranteed software updates
or even a camera that kicks out the most striking photos,
if the phone is only sold on one carrier
at the same price as iPhones and Galaxy's
with much more eye-catching designs,
people aren't gonna buy the thing.
When I was building this video,
the seven-month-old Pixel 3 was on sale for $200 off,
but even so, it started at a buck shy of $600.
Well, with the Pixel 3A, Google is changing the game.
The camera is nearly identical to that of the Pixel 3,
right down to the censor.
The software is the same too,
including the squeeze shortcut for Google Assistant
with guaranteed three years of updates.
The phone comes in two sizes, just like before,
but instead of being available only on Verizon
or Google Fi, the Pixel 3A will hit the shelves
of almost every U.S. carrier.
And it will start at $399.
That's just over half the price of the cheapest
Samsung Galaxy S10, over $100 cheaper
than the most recent OnePlus phone.
Until now, the best value in mobile for U.S. shoppers.
If it delivers on its promises,
the Pixel 3A will become the new go-to
for Android users on a budget.
It won't even be close. (upbeat music)
Now, look, Google had to make compromises to hit that price.
The Pixel 3A is polycarbonate instead of glass,
and while it's only a gram lighter than the 3,
you can definitely tell you're holding a plastic phone.
Beneath that skin, there's no wireless charging coil,
as there is on the Pixel 3.
Up front, the glass is Dragontrail
instead of Gorilla Glass 5.
There's no dust or water resistance rating,
and the Pixel 3's double selfie cameras
with their 75 and 97 degree lenses have been condensed
to a single 84 degree front-facer.
Meanwhile, beneath the casing, the top shelf processor
of the Pixel 3 has been replaced with the mid-tier
Snapdragon 670 backed up by just 4 gigs of RAM
and 64 gigs of storage with no micro-SD card.
Now, after just a day of using the phone,
it's impossible for me to say how much
that Snapdragon downgrade will affect the speed over time.
Right now, the only place I can see a slowdown
is in photo processing, which takes about two
to three seconds longer on the Pixel 3A in Night Sight mode.
It's also too soon to say how the battery will hold up.
Its capacity is almost identical to that of the Pixel 3,
and that's not great news.
The latter has never been an endurance champion.
In fact, about the only spec change most will be happy
to see is the return of the headphone jack.
But I keep coming back to those pillars of the Pixel.
The features like call screening,
the Titan M security chip, the guaranteed updates.
Then, there's the crazy video stabilization,
and those very, very good portrait shots.
Those Night Sight low-light photos
that are some kind of magic.
Folks, this is the camera that's kept the Pixel 3
in my pocket for seven months.
It's a photographic force, and now, you can get it
for $400, that's crazy. (upbeat music)
You fellow phone geeks I talked about before
might see this as a return to the halcyon days of Android
when phones like the Nexus 5 walked the edge
between quality and value.
Well, the Nexus family never broke into the mainstream
because Google wasn't really trying to make that happen,
and the Pixel hasn't made it big
because it's been relatively rare and also overpriced.
Well, the 3A solves the pricing problems,
and Google's renewed hardware ambition
might just do the rest.
And now, again, it's only been a day,
and I never recommend you run out and buy a product
based solely on first impressions,
especially a product like this, which comes on the heels
of the Pixel 3's spotty reputation.
But if the Pixel 3A does what it's designed to do,
does it well, I really believe
that it's about to change everything.
(upbeat music)
Folks, if you don't dig the just black, clearly white,
and new purple-ish paint jobs, use some of the money
you saved on a Pixel 3A to grab yourself
a skin from today's sponsor.
With premium vinyl skins in every finish
from concrete to carbon fiber to black marble,
dbrand is the perfect way to spice up the Pixel 3A's
low-key look, hit the link in the description
for yours and thanks to dbrand for sponsoring this video.
(upbeat music)
My friends, this is just day one of Google I/O,
and if you wanna see a ton of behind-the-scenes fun
from the show, including me baking cookies
with some familiar faces, I'm sharing it on Instagram,
@theMrMobile, follow me there, subscribe at the same handle
on YouTube, and just my typical disclosure
for press events, Google provided travel and lodging
to attend Google I/O, no other compensation
was requested or provided, and Google was not granted
copy approval, they're seeing this video
at the same time you are.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile, my friends.