Are the Google Pixel 3a/3a XL worth the hype?

Google launched the Pixel series sometime back in 2016 expecting to create a super-premium segment of Androids with top of the line specs and some seriously quick software updates, but have not been able to garner the kind of response they expected out of the Pixel series.

So after three generations, Google decided to let their hair down a bit and decided to offer a similar kind of premium experience at a somewhat lower price point with a mixed bag of goodies

Come 2019, Google introduced the Pixel 3a/ 3a XL carrying a price tag of $399/ $479 respectively. The new line pixels comes with a mid-tier Snapdragon 670 processor paired with 4 gigs of memory and 64 GB of non-expandable storage, and have borrowed the all amazing camera setup form its costlier siblings to give to an experience that no other device could offer at this price point. And then there are the super quick updates so that you don’t miss out even a bit on the latest and greatest flavours of Android.

But here is a catch, although the device was launched at $399/ $479 for the US markets, the Pixel 3a/ 3a XL costs ₹ 39,999/ ₹ 54,999 for the Indian market which roughly translates to ~$570/ $785, a difference of almost $170 (₹11,875)/ $300 (₹20,955), which is huge by any standards.

So what does that mean for an Indian buyer? Do the new pixels make any sense for them? Are they worth the cost they demand?

Although they offer a camera experience like no other phone in this category, the absence of a dedicated image processor and mid-tier processor makes you feel that you are missing out on something. And in addition to that, the Google camera modules are now readily available for devices from major manufacturers, which can be easily side-loaded without rooting the devices.

As far as the software experience goes, you do get quicker updates in comparison to other devices, but still is it worth spending that extra amount which could actually fetch you a mid to top end device with a top of the line processor like the Snapdragon 8xx series which offers you a much smoother overall experience.

So all in all, the all-new Pixel 3a/3a XL make much more sense, for a person buying the device in the US, but doesn’t seem to make any sense for an Indian buyer.

#Google #Pixel #Pixel3a #Pixel3aXL