The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are now official, having been unveiled at the Google I/O keynote Tuesday. While many details about the budget devices were revealed in leaks ahead of its official launch, Google had a lot to confirm about its latest smartphone models, in particular, their availability and Android Q status.
The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are on sale as of Tuesday with a starting price of $399 in Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish color options. In addition to Verizon, consumers can purchase the Pixel 3a devices through T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and the Google Store. The devices also run on the Google Fi network and AT&T, though subscribers cannot purchase the models through the latter carrier. Meanwhile, Google has also announced Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL availability to several international markets.
Having also announced Android Q beta 3 at the I/O keynote, Google detailed that the tester software is available for all of its Pixel smartphones, as well as devices for 12 manufacturers as of Tuesday. While the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL devices released with Android 9 Pie on board, registered developers can onboard the latest Android Q beta and test out upcoming features, including Dark Mode, live captions and transcriptions, an overhaul to permissions and privacy settings, and improvements to sharing. Android Q released officially this summer, likely in late-August.
Some onboard Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL features include a heavy camera focus, adopted from the original Pixel 3 devices. The new models feature the Night Sight low light imaging mechanism, Portrait Mode for both front and rear cameras, Super hi-res zoom, and unlimited free storage in Google Photos. The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL also adopt the Squeeze to activate Google Assistant function from older Pixel models.
For audio, the Pixel 3a devices feature Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C digital audio, and the return of the 3.5mm audio jack.
For power, the devices utilize Adaptive Battery, which uses machine learning to optimize a handset based on how owners use their smartphone. Users can expect up to 30-hours of battery life in a single charge and up to 7-hours of increased battery life in a 15-minute charge with the Pixel 3a’s 18 W charger.
For security, the Pixel 3a models feature the Titan M security chip on the hardware side, securing login credentials and app data, and allowing onboard disc encryption and defense against OS hacking. On the software side, the devices will support three years of major updates and security patches
Google is also testing out some features on the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL that are not quite ready for an official release. These include call screening that can identify robotic voice patterns to filter out spam and live directions feature in Google Maps that will show real-time pointing and turning for walking directions instead of the little blue map bubble that can easily disorient a user.
