Ever since the launch of the original OnePlus One, the recipe for a killer mid-range smartphone was very simple: flagship specs coupled with a modest camera hardware setup for nearly half the price of a fully fledged flagship. Things like decent software support and build quality were the icing on the cake, but they were never a guarantee. Over time, as prices kept creeping up, these two factors started to become a bigger part of the picture, even putting some of the bigger names to the sword—OnePlus is talking about updating the OnePlus 5/5T to Android Q while Samsung is yet to roll out the Android Pie update to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Of course, this incredibly saturated segment of the market features a lot of the endeavors of other companies. But ultimately, they all share the same recipe. Google, on the other hand, had the guts to stray away from that route and create their own recipe for a worthy mid-range smartphone. In this article, we will discuss why Google’s new recipe will pay huge dividends to the Mountain View tech giant.
Camera
We begin with one of the biggest reasons people often shell out a lot of their hard earned money on a flagship smartphone. In order to save some costs, companies usually resort to camera setups that are far from the best out there. Lack of OIS and/or smaller camera sensors have been a common trait for a while in this tier. And to make things worse, they don’t have the best post-processing algorithms employed either. While that won’t have an impact on daylight photos nearly at all, things start to look much worse once there isn’t plenty of light around. Snapping a good photo of you with your friends in a dimly lit pub will prove to be a big challenge when relying on a mid-range phone to get the job done.
Well, this couldn’t be more wrong if you have a Pixel 3a in your pocket. This phone shares the exact same camera system its more premium siblings use, featuring the same sensor, lens aperture, and retains the same awesome stabilization and HDR+ processing algorithm. However, there is a small caveat. While the Pixel 3 and 3XL rely on an auxiliary chip, specifically designed for post-processing the image data, the Pixel 3a relies on the onboard ISPs that come with the processor to do the job. And if we are being honest, the Pixel 3a takes more than a beat to apply Google’s proprietary HDR+ processing. Still, it’s not like you will need to capture multiple photos in succession to get a good picture though; the Pixel 3a always hits the nail on its head from the get-go.
Software support
Another area where mid-range phones lose the battle to the flagship ones is software, particularly how frequently they get updated with the latest security patch and Android version. In fact, a good software update record is considered a rare breed even amongst the much more expensive high-end smartphones — the LG G7 ThinQ from last year just got updated to Android Pie today. And when you buy a mid-range smartphone from the likes of Samsung, LG, and Huawei, these phones fall down the pecking order when it comes to the priority of updating the software on these phones.
Clearly, some of the cost cutting comes from spending less time on updating this tier of smartphones. The only exception would be companies that only sell one or two mid-tier models over the year, which was the case with OnePlus in 2016 when they only sold the OnePlus 3/3T. Since there is less overhead on the company, it is much easier to get software updates out for these phones quick enough. And even so, it will still take the company a couple of months.
With the Pixel 3a though, this is far from the case. Google has been renowned for sending out updates to all of its Pixel phones on Day 1. From major Android version upgrades to security patches, Pixel phones are always guaranteed to get updated on time. At the time this was written, the Pixel 3a received its first security patch update on the same day as the other Pixel phones, including the original Pixel. This means that, no matter how old your Pixel 3a is going to be, it will be updated on the same day as its forthcoming newer siblings for 3 years. And that is a very rare feat in the world of Android smartphones.
Price
Having 3 years of guaranteed day-one software updates is something no other company was able to achieve other than Google itself and Essential, a company founded by the Godfather of Android himself. Coupling that with an amazing camera setup in one package still remains exclusive to Google’s Pixel lineup. And if that’s what floats your boat, then you’ll have to shell out more than just a few hundred dollars. Well, that could have been the case if the Pixel 3a wasn’t around. For $399, you could put a brand new Pixel 3a in your pocket. This makes it the most affordable brand new Pixel phone you can buy. And if a bigger screen is your cup of tea, the Pixel 3a XL is available to purchase for just $80 more. A year ago, one could only dream of getting a mid-range phone without settling with a camera that is decent at most. Now though, with the Pixel 3a, this dream has become a reality.
But how did Google achieve this?
Clearly, Google must have cut some corners to reach this price tag. For starters, this phone is not going to win the hearts of the geeky ones. Google has decidedly gone for the mid-tier Snapdragon 670 processor instead of Qualcomm’s flagship offering, something which has become a trademark of nearly all mid-range phones in this price range. That doesn’t mean the phone is that much slower though. In fact, the limitations this processor has is only noticeable in the camera department. The ISPs responsible for processing the captured photos are no match to the Visual Core chip on the Pixel 3. Also, you are only limited to recording 4K-res videos at 30fps instead of 60fps. Speaking of the camera, the dual-lens selfie camera system has been swapped for a single kinda/sorta wide lens one.
Not only those who have a quick glance at the spec sheet will notice the differences as well. As soon as you pick up a demo unit to check out, you will quickly notice how light this phone is. That is because the Pixel 3a’s back is made of plastic rather than glass. To Google’s credit, the phone does not feel as cheap as you might think at first. However, this also means that the Pixel 3a lacks the luxury of wireless charging and an IP rating. And unlike OnePlus, Google didn’t dump the Pixel 3a in a bucket of water in any of its ads.
The display on the front is also a tad behind that of the Pixel 3, though it is not that much behind in terms of color accuracy and white point accuracy. Essentially, you are trading a B grade display for a B- one. And while the resolution is nothing bizarre at this price range, it was still a bit weird to see Google going for DragonTrails instead of Gorilla Glass for scratch and impact protection. Still, on Moh’s scale of hardness, the screen scratches at level 6 with deeper grooves at level 7, according to JerryRigEverything. Whether it is as resilient to drops as Gorilla Glass though is yet to be tested.
Bonus round!
It’s not all that grim aside of the exceptional camera and software support. Google has paid attention to some of the small details that can have a big impact on the user experience. For starters, the Pixel 3a retains the same impressive haptic feedback and squeeze sensors on the sides from its older siblings. It also features dual stereo speakers, though one of the speakers is tucked in the bottom side next to the USB-C port. Speaking of audio, Google has paid the ultimate tribute to audiophiles on a budget and, against all the odds, brought back the beloved headphone jack. Nuff said!
Bottom line
There is no denying the Pixel 3a is mainly marketed around its camera. And in a world where mid-range phones are mainly characterized by their compromises in this area, this was enough to draw a lot of attention. Not only does it offer a flagship-grade camera experience, but also bests them out when it comes to software support.
In the greater scheme of things, Google has cleverly cut the right corners to the point where it almost feels noticeable. A quality display, stereo speakers and great haptics at this price point are very scarce. Some might argue Google should have gone with a slightly faster processor instead. But in my opinion, we have reached the point where we don’t necessarily need the latest processor to be ensured of good enough performance. It may not boast the highest frame rates in most high-end mobile games, but it will pull through your casual day-to-day tasks with ease. And while you won’t spend most of your time using your camera, you will always want the best photos once you launch the camera app on your phone. And for me, I would take a top-notch camera over a top-notch processor any day.
