Google put the Pixel 3's camera into a $649 phone

Google is trying its hand at more affordable smartphones with two new midrange devices: the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. Starting at $649, the pair take some of the best features from last year's flagship Pixel 3 and shove them into a cheaper package.

Notably, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL both have the same rear-facing camera as the Pixel 3, which is still one of the best cameras you can get in a flagship smartphone. It excels in lowlight performance, and is only truly bested by Huawei's P30 Pro. Camera quality has traditionally been intrinsically tied to price, so putting a camera of that calibre into a mid-range phone could be a game changer. Of course, actual photography performance could be affected by the fact the Pixel 3a series are powered by a different processor to the Pixel 3 and don't have a dedicated image co-processor. Initial hands-on reports from Google's Developer conference have been very positive, however. 

The pair inherit the Pixel 3's headlining photography features including Night Sight (for improved low light photography), Portrait Mode, and Super Res Zoom (enhanced digital zoom using a single lens). There's also a new time lapse mode for, well, creating time lapse videos. This feature will be added to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL too.

As with the Pixel 3 devices, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL will both get a minimum of three years of security patches and operating system updates.

The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are fairly similar devices in terms of specs; the main differences come down to screen-size and battery capacity. Here's a full hardware rundown:

When compared to the standard Pixel 3, there's only really a few compromises made by the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. The bezels are a little bigger, the processor isn't flagship grade, the back is plastic rather than glass, the pair aren't water-resistant, and there's only one front-facing camera. Notably, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL both have a headphone jack, which is missing from their pricier siblings.

The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are both available from today, priced at $649 and $799 respectively. You'll be able to get them through JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, and the Google Store. The Pixel 3a will also be available through Vodafone on a plan.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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