Google Pixel 3a XL 64 GB
 | Expecting restock £138.62 An XL version of a simplified 3rd generation Googlephone with flagship photographic ambitions. Despite the “one-eyed” camera from the rear, the smartphone occupies the top lines of the podium in the category of camera phones. The secret of its success lies in the use of the top Sony IMX363 image sensor with a large pixel size (1.4 microns), an optical stub and a fast f/1.8 optics. The Google Pixel 3a XL 64GB is especially good at night shots and portraits with spectacular background blur. The front camera of the device is built on an 8 MP image sensor. As a screen, the light Googlephone uses a 6-inch diagonal OLED matrix in FullHD + format (2160x1080 pixels) without annoying “bangs”. The hardware of the device is based on the 670th "dragon" from Qualcomm, in combination with which "under t...he hood" of the smartphone you can see 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of non-expandable permanent memory. The list of advantages of the device continues with an NFC chip, a USB-C port through which an 18-watt battery is charged with a capacity of 3700 mAh, a rear fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm audio jack. |
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An XL version of a simplified 3rd generation Googlephone with flagship photographic ambitions. Despite the “one-eyed” camera from the rear, the smartphone occupies the top lines of the podium in the category of camera phones. The secret of its success lies in the use of the top Sony IMX363 image sensor with a large pixel size (1.4 microns), an optical stub and a fast f/1.8 optics.
The Google Pixel 3a XL 64GB is especially good at night shots and portraits with spectacular background blur. The front camera of the device is built on an 8 MP image sensor. As a screen, the light Googlephone uses a 6-inch diagonal OLED matrix in FullHD + format (2160x1080 pixels) without annoying “bangs”. The hardware of the device is based on the 670th "dragon" from Qualcomm, in combination with which "under the hood" of the smartphone you can see 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of non-expandable permanent memory. The list of advantages of the device continues with an NFC chip, a USB-C port through which an 18-watt battery is charged with a capacity of 3700 mAh, a rear fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Pixel Reimagined
The rigidity of thinking led the line of Pixel smartphones somewhere in the wrong place — it all started with a perfect smartphone on paper, and ended with an ambiguous flagship with chronic diseases. And so the company decided to feint with their ears and release an unusual Google Pixel 3a XL model — a kind of “semi-flagship” with most of the Pixel 3 XL goodies, but a price tag at the level of a Chinese smartphone.
Still a great camera
The first thing to start with is, of course, the camera. Like the older model Pixel 3 XL, here we have a 12.2-megapixel Sony IMX363 (f / 1.8) sensor with optical and electronic image stabilization systems. The features are the same: Top Shot, Super Res Zoom, and the chic Night Sight mode, plus unlimited storage on Google Photos. As a reminder, this is the best single camera in the DxOMark ranking and still one of the best cameras in the sub-$600 price range.
Quality OLED display
The Pixel 3a XL has a 6-inch Full HD+ OLED display. Unlike the older model, the diagonal has slightly decreased here and the resolution has decreased. The image quality displayed by the matrix is subjectively just as cool. But with iron, everything is not so clear. The smartphone received a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor with an Adreno 615 graphics accelerator, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. The processor is quite average and it is clearly inferior to the Snapdragon 845 that was in the Google Pixel 3 XL. "RAM" is also back-to-back — 4 GB has now become the norm for smartphones in the $ 300-400, and now they put 6 or even 8 GB in more expensive handsets.
Improved battery life
But the Pixel 3a XL has increased battery capacity, which now stands at 3700 mAh. It also has 18W fast charging. Of the additional goodies, we note the presence of NFC, a fingerprint scanner and support for Active Edge technology, which can recognize pressing on the side faces. But protection from dust and moisture, like the older model, is not here.
Not the most modern design
However, in the matter of manufacturing smartphones, Google still lacks flexibility. For example, the company decided that it was no longer fashionable to make bangs, but for some reason they abandoned fashionable options like a teardrop-shaped cutout or a screen cutout. Instead, the smartphone just got wide old-school frames that look like hello from 2017. The frame-to-body ratio of 76% is unusually high.
Well, the price of almost $600 is still too big for a smartphone of this level. Chinese flagships from Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi have taught that for this money the buyer gets a full hardware, and not a single (albeit excellent) camera and an average processor. Yes, the same Pixel 3 XL has fallen in price a lot since the announcement and now costs $ 50 — 100 more.
