Google Pixel 3A in review, the best camera in the world?

The Google Pixel 3A was launched last summer of 2019, being a kind of "light" version of the Pixel 3, cutting in some aspects to reduce costs and be able to present it as a mid-range with certain premium features typical of a top of the range. During the last few days we have been lucky enough to try it, and then we bring you our impressions about it.

Google Pixel 3A in analysis, the best Android experience and a camera that makes no sense

In today's review we take a look at the Google Pixel 3A, a terminal with SoC Snapdragon 670, 4GB of RAM and what is probably the best camera in the world at the moment. Let's see what it has to offer!

Design and display

The Pixel 3A rides a 5.6-inch OLED screen with a FullHD + resolution of 2220x1080p and a density of 441 dpi. The panel has an 18.5: 9 aspect ratio, which means it's slightly longer than typical 16: 9 widescreen displays. Without a doubt this is a screen that looks incredibly good, with really deep blacks and idem whites.

Of course, the terminal does not have the typical tactile navigation buttons, which means that all navigation is done directly from the virtual navigation bar on the screen. Regarding the design of the device, it has a matte finish casing except for the upper rear area which is made of black glass and gives it a pretty cool touch.

We could say that the design is one of its weak points, and that is that if we look at it from the front it seems that we are facing a device from a couple of years ago: there is no notch and the frames are much more pronounced than in the rest of mobiles trendy of the moment. Here everything depends on the tastes of each one, but if we are looking for a futuristic-looking mobile, we should definitely look elsewhere.

Power and performance

The Google Pixel 3A equips the hardware of a premium mid-range, with a processor Snapdragon 670 Octa Core 2.0GHz with Adreno 615 GPU, 4GB of RAM LPDDR4x and 64GB of non-expandable internal storage. All with Android 10 as operating system in command.

While the components are nothing to write home about, this is all enhanced on the software side. Not only do we have the best Android experience of the moment, with a clean system of all kinds of unnecessary applications, but the fact of being a device manufactured by Google itself ensures a wide train of updates and online assistance, until May 2022 .

On the other hand, the performance it offers is also commendable, working like clockwork in most situations, although it can be weighed down at some point if we pull a really demanding game in the graphic section, although so far not We have had no problem in that regard (if you want me to try a game or app you can ask for it in the comments area).

To finish, also comment that the Pixel 3A includes unlimited storage in Google Photos to be able to save all our photos in high resolution and a Google app similar to Shazam –but it works offline- called “It is sounding”, which identifies the songs that are playing around us and shows us the name of the song and the artist in the lock screen. They are still small details, but they help to elevate the user experience in the global set.

Camera

We come to the strong point of the Pixel 3A, the photographic section. The great attraction of this terminal is that equips the same camera as the Pixel 3, a mobile that costs 850 euros and that we can have here for a little less than half that price.

On the technical side, this translates into a 12.2MP Dual Pixel rear lens with a 1.4 μm pixel width, f / 1.8 aperture, and electronic and optical image stabilization. On the front, the chosen camera has a resolution of 8MP with 1.12 μm and aperture f / 2.0. The good thing about this camera is not the physical components but the incredible software that manages to work on the data collected by the camera to deliver simply incredible photographs, with special emphasis on photos at night or in low light. This is what Google has called the HDR + mode and it is the standard with which all photos are taken (there is also a mode called "HDR + Enhanced" that provides even better results).

To give us an idea of ​​how the camera works at night, we have taken the same photo with the camera of a standard mid-range (Xiaomi Mi A1) and the Pixel 3A.

When it comes to taking portraits, it also looks pretty, applying a certainly eye-catching blur effect.

In general lines we can say that the colors that are captured are very vivid and often appear slightly enhanced, creating the right and necessary contrast to enhance the image.

Battery

As for the battery, the Pixel 3A equips a 3,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging and a USB C port. We don't have much complaint in this regard either. It is not a very powerful battery, but it charges quite quickly and we can say that it moves more or less in the usual average of any mobile: a day or so between charges.

On the other hand, this also has an indirect advantage, and that is that since it is not a too large battery, the weight of the terminal is considerably reduced, reaching a weight in hand of less than 150 grams, being very comfortable to carry in your pocket.

Connectivity

Finally, also mention that it has Dual WiFi 2.4G + 5G (802.11 a / b / g / n / ac 2 × 2 MIMO), Bluetooth 5.0 + LE (AptX and AptX HD codecs), as well as NFC and Google Cast.

Price and availability

The Google Pixel 3A is available through the official Google store at a price of 399 euros. An XL version with a 6-inch screen is also available for 479 euros.

Conclusions

There is no doubt that this is a great phone, although it is also clear that it is not for everyone. If we do not give too much importance to the camera it is possible that it falls a little short, since for the price it has we can get more powerful terminals with a better processor for much less money. However, if we are looking for a mobile capable of taking photos at the same level as a 1000 euro phone and also offers a clean and seamless Android experience, the Google Pixel 3A is the best we can currently find on the market.