Google just released a new Android beta for all of its currently supported Pixel devices, including a preview of the upcoming June Feature Drop. These devices unfortunately did not include the Pixel 3a series, which came as a surprise initially, but we now know why.

Google through its official Reddit handle revealed that it’s starting to beta test its Pixel Feature Drops, starting with the Android 12 QPR3 Beta 1 released on Wednesday (via Android Police). The update includes improvements to functionality and user experience as well as the latest bug fixes, optimizations, and the March 2022 security patches.

However, this update leaves the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL out. Google says that the duo will be updated to the official public March release SP2A.220305.012 instead. This means if you’re the owner of either of the two devices, then it’s officially the end of the road with beta updates.

The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL debuted with Android 9 Pie, after all, and currently run Android 12, meaning they have (nearly?) completed their three-year update support. The devices have also been omitted from the Android 13 Developer Previews so they look to be joining the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, updates for which ceased last month.

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• Google Pixel 6a chipset gets revealed through Geekbench listing
• Google emails $10 coupons to Pixel 6 owners encouraging them to buy accessories
• Google Pixel 7 Pro render reveals changes for the camera bar design on the back panel

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Yesterday, Google rolled out the December 2021 Pixel feature drop for devices ranging from the Pixel 3a to the Pixel 5a. If you are a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro owner, don’t worry, your devices will also receive these updates with some additional bug fixes and patches later this month.

So, what’s in this feature update? Well, a lot. The update comes with Google’s latest security patch and hundreds of optimization changes and bug fixes. But let’s focus on the new features introduced in this feature update.

• Conversation mode for Sound Amplifier

Pixel devices become the first Android phones to gain a conversation mode for the Sound Amplifier Accessibility tool. This feature helps those who are hard of hearing or with hearing impairments. You can use this feature by pointing your phone using a camera UI at any person you want to have a conversation with. The feature will then allow you to pin that person as a participant in the conversation and will provide you with enhanced audio of whatever they say through your Bluetooth headphones while at the same time tuning out background noise.

• Bass Boost for Pixel Buds A-series

We know that the Pixel Buds A-series TWS earphones have a very neutral sound profile. Now, they finally get the Bass Boost feature allowing them to add a little bit of extra power to their sound output. This feature can be accessed through a slider in the pixel buds app, which allows you to slide the bass levels from -1 to +4.

• Ultrawide band integration in Nearby Share
  

With the Android 12 update, Pixel phones gained the nearby share feature, allowing data to be transferred via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, similar to AirDrop. Now, this feature drop will enable the Pixel 6 Pro to use the wideband chip for directed ‘nearby share’ enabling you to send data in a specific direction.

• Now Playing Search

The enhanced now playing search feature which has been rolling out to devices for the past month is officially coming to more devices with the December Pixel feature drop. The feature previously worked with an on-device database to identify songs being played near you, allowing it to work offline and to maintain user privacy. This caused the problem of many songs not being recognized due to the limited on-device database. With the new update, if the song is not recognized by your device, a new search music icon will appear on your lock screen. Tapping the icon will transmit the audio data to Google search, making for quick identification of the song.

• Car crash detection new feature
  

The Google Pixel’s car crash detection feature has been around since 2019 and has helped save multiple lives. With this update, the detection app gets a new feature that allows it to check if you are ‘OK’ in the event of a crash and if there is no response, the Pixel device can share your location and other relevant details with emergency responders. Additionally, this feature gains support in three new regions namely Taiwan, Italy, and France.

• Google Recorder app update

The much-loved recorder app which features transcription capabilities gains support for more languages including Japanese, French, and German. These additional languages that debuted in the Pixel 6 series phones are now available for other supported Pixel devices through this update.

• Double-tap feature for Snapchat

Google just added Snapchat to the list of apps supported by Android 12’s Quick Tap feature. The photo-sharing app can now be set up to be accessed via a double-tap gesture to the back of your Pixel device. The feature even works with screen lock, enabling you to capture those sudden moments on your devices. The feature is supported on Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, and Pixel 6 series devices. Starting from this month, Pixel phones will also get an exclusive ‘Pixel face lens’ filters, that will get more variety via future feature updates.

• Material You on boot

On your first boot after this update, you will notice that the color of your boot logo has changed. The Google logo itself, which appears first, retains its standard brand-identifying colors. But the animation that turns into the Google G (and the associated loading bar) will both pull from your phone’s Material You background colors.

For those unaware, Google‘s new UI, the Material You, introduced with Android 12, is a dynamic theming engine that extracts colors from the current wallpaper and splashes it across the system UI and supported apps, giving users greater control than ever over what their phone’s software looks like.

Other than these major features, Google has also added back the WiFi and internet quick toggle which was for some reason not available since Android 12 launched. You will be able to access the WiFi and Internet toggle from your lock screen post this Feature update.

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• Google Pixel 6a aluminum dummy reveals design similar to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
• Google Photos ‘Locked Folder’ feature finally comes to non-Pixel users
• Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro users complain about signal drops, but there possible workarounds

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Google recently announced that it will terminate unlimited ‘High-quality‘ backup on Google Photos starting June 1, 2021. While the existing Pixel devices are exempt from this change, new reports suggest that future Pixel devices won’t be able to escape it.

As quoted by Android Authority(source 1, 2), Google has confirmed to Android Police and Android Central that Future Google Pixel smartphones won’t have Free Google Photos backup. In fact, it won’t even get the unlimited ‘high-quality’ option that current pixels(till Pixel 5) are going to get. This totally negates the point of People who basically prefer to buy them for unlimited backup.

Instead, as reported earlier, the company has started emphasizing more on its Paid Cloud Storage, Google One. If you notice at the end of the blog post about Google Photos, it has mentioned Google One subscriptions. Accordingly, it costs $99.99(USA)/₹6,500(India) a year or $9.99/₹650 a month, and includes VPN service for Android as well(2TB Plan).

That said, this confirmation basically means that if you are someone who is planning to buy future pixel devices(after Google Pixel 5), you need to start saving for cloud storage. In case you run out of the free 15GB, Google will constantly alert you. And entice you to get the extra storage. Do note that, if you leave the completed storage unattended for 24 months, Google might delete some content by itself.

Besides, If you track Google’s approach over the years, you can see a trend here. The first Pixel introduced unlimited “original-quality” backup to Google Photos. However, after Pixel 3a, and subsequently 4, the tagline changed to “high-quality” images. Ironically, the same company, which used “unlimited backup” as a marketing tagline earlier, now says that the free 15GB it offers is enough to store three years of memories.

That said, we do understand Google’s concern about maintaining a sustainable App experience in the future. And catering to the insane demand for cloud storage every day. However, it needs to find a way to lure future Pixel buyers by giving plans similar to “three months of Google One(100GB)” with Pixel 5.

UP NEXT: Older Google Pixels are getting revamped Camera UI

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Google Pixel 4 series of flagship smartphones from the company was not a success but that has not stopped the company from growing its presence in the smartphone market. The Google Pixel series smartphones have reported its best performance yet in terms of sales in the year 2019.

According to the numbers released by IDC, Google managed to ship 7.2 million units of Pixel smartphones last year, i.e. in 2019. This represents a 52 percent year-on-year growth for Google in the market.

However, since the sale of Pixel 4 is low, it’s safe to assume that the sale of Pixel 3a could be the reason for the higher shipments of the series last year. In an earnings call this year, the company had said that Pixel 3a is selling well.

EDITOR’S PICK: TSMC announces its new 4nm node process, an enhanced version of the 5nm process

The company has reportedly seen strong performance for its smartphones in Western Europe, Japan, and the United States. The good performance in the U.S. was probably because of the company expanding its carrier partnerships.

The IDC report claims that with shipments of 7.2 million, Google has surpassed OnePlus but the company hasn’t yet managed to be in the Top 10 brands. It does not reveal how much is the gap between the shipments from Google and OnePlus.

To put the numbers in perspective, the 7.2 million units are nowhere near what the leading smartphone brands are achieving. OPPO for instance, which is the world’s fifth-largest smartphone company, is shipping 147 million units a year.

UP NEXT: Rumored upcoming Samsung Galaxy A01 variant with removable battery spotted on Geekbench

(Source)

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Google and Apple releasing affordable smartphones: a very rare event. But this year we have both choices. The affordable smartphone released by Google is the Pixel 3a, while the one by Apple is the iPhone SE 2020. For those who want a stock Android experience and the fastest updates at a modest price, as well as developers who want to save some money, there is no better option than Pixel 3a. On the other hand, iPhone SE 2020 is for all those people who want to enter Apple’s ecosystem and desire a device with the best performance without the need for a high budget. Further, both are compact devices. For all these reasons and more, we decided to make a specs comparison between the new iPhone SE and Google Pixel 3a.

Apple iPhone SE 2020 vs Google Pixel 3a

Design

As mentioned above, both iPhone SE and Google Pixel 3a are compact phones. But iPhone SE 2020 is the most compact one. It is the last-generation flagship with the smallest display and body available in the market. Both the devices come with pretty outdated aesthetics, including thick bezels around the screen. You get narrower bezels with the Pixel 3a, but it has a full plastic body. The iPhone SE 2020 has thicker bezels but it comes with more premium materials, including a glass back and an aluminum frame. Further, unlike the Pixel 3a, it is water resistant with the IP67 certification. Note that the iPhone SE has almost the same design as the iPhone 8 released in 2017.

Display

Google Pixel 3a sports an OLED display providing more vivid colors, while iPhone SE 2020 comes with an IPS panel delivering high color accuracy and the True Tone technology. With a 4.7-inch diagonal, iPhone SE 2020 has a very small panel, so it is not for everyone. It is extremely compact, but not the most suitable device for productivity users. Google Pixel 3a sports a bigger 5.6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio (iPhone SE 2020 has a 16:9 aspect ratio).

Specs & Software

When it comes to the hardware department, there is no challenge: iPhone SE 2020 is superior thanks to its Apple A13 Bionic chipset. Despite its affordable price, the iPhone SE 2020 is one of the most performing smartphones out there since it boasts the same chipset as the iPhone 11 lineup and the excellently-optimized iOS operating system. Google Pixel 3a still provides pretty nice performances, but with its Snapdragon 670 SoC, it is just a mid-ranger. Both the devices come with an operating system that will get updates for several years. The iPhone SE ships with iOS 13, while Pixel 3a has Android 9 Pie, already updated to Android 10.

Camera

Both iPhone SE and Pixel 3a are great camera phones and they should be very close in most of the scenarios. However, they come with just one single sensor on the rear side, so they can not shoot ultrawide photos and they do not come with a telephoto sensor for optical zoom. Both support OIS and 4K video recording, but only iPhone SE can record videos in 4K at 60 fps. The iPhone SE is better at videos, while in terms of photo quality the two handsets should be more or less at the same level.

• Read More: iPhone SE 2020 Boots using Motherboard of iPhone 8

Battery

The weakest point of these handsets is the battery life. They are compact, but they also come with a below-average battery. The Google Pixel 3a has a battery with a 3000 mAh capacity, while iPhone SE provides just 1821 mAh. Unfortunately, the iPhone SE is a bit disappointing compared to all the other handsets launched in 2020. The Pixel 3a is definitely better, but not amazing as well. Note that the iPhone SE charges faster due to its smaller capacity and, unlike the Pixel 3a, it supports Qi wireless charging.

Price

In this period, you can find the Google Pixel 3a for less than €350/$300 globally, while the iPhone SE 2020 starts from €499/$399 in its base variant with 64 GB of internal storage. Each of these handsets has its pros and cons. Google Pixel 3a has no chance to reach the level of performance of the iPhone SE, but it has a better battery and a camera providing a similar quality. But at the end of the day, if we exclude the battery, iPhone SE is a superior device. On the other hand, Google Pixel 3a has a higher value for money, as well as a wider display which would let a lot of people go for it. Which one would you prefer?

Apple iPhone SE 2020 vs Google Pixel 3a: PRO and CONS

Apple iPhone SE 2020

PRO

• More compact
• Best performance
• Touch ID
• More internal storage inside
• eSIM

CONS

• Higher price

Google Pixel 3a

PRO

• Bigger battery
• More affordable
• Great camera for the price

CONS

• Inferior hardware

The post Apple iPhone SE 2020 vs Google Pixel 3a: Specs Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.

Google is set to launch its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 4 lineup at the “Made By Google” event which is scheduled for the 15th of October. A day before their announcement, tipster Ishan Agarwal has shared a Tweet claiming that the company will discontinue the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL after the launch of its latest high-end devices.

This is the Google Pixel line-up for this year and a comparison image for the same: Pixel 4, 4XL, 3a and 3a XL. Found the same marketing image as well. Looks like Pixel 3 will be discontinued after all. #Pixel4 #madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/XJDDCbkCFa

— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) October 12, 2019

Noteworthy, this would be the first time that Google adopts this strategy. After the launch of the Pixel 2 in the October of 2017, Google continued selling its predecessor, the original Pixel at a discounted price. A similar policy was adopted last year when Google Pixel 3 was launched, as the company continued selling the Pixel 2 at a lowered price to entice customers looking for an economical handset.

In 2018, Google has launched two affordable siblings of the Pixel 3, dubbed the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL, they naturally have watered down specs in comparison original handset. Nonetheless, they retain the same camera sensors and exceptional photography performance that Pixel 3 is known for.

Editor’s Pick: Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A launched in China; Specifications, features and price

Therefore, Google no longer needs to sell the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL at a lowered price after the launch the of Pixel 4 lineup as it isn’t a very profitable scheme for the company. Moreover, due to poor sales of Pixel 3 lineup, the company has already slashed its price permanently by $ 300. Consequently, the difference between the price of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a lineup is just $ 100. Henceforth, it won’t make much sense to reduce their price any further.

UP NEXT: Vivo V1934A/T full specifications leaked on TENAA

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In a world in which phablets are dominating the scene, it is becoming every day harder to find valid smartphones with compact dimensions. In 2019, mobile phones even passed the 7-inch display diagonal and, with foldable phones, they are becoming even bigger. But there are still a few compact phones out there and we decided to write a specs comparison between three of them. We are talking about the Sony Xperia Ace which is the successor of the XZ Compact line-up, the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE that is an affordable variant of the Mi 9 and the Pixel 3a which is currently the most affordable Google phone. All of them are compact and lightweight, but which one is worth your money? Here you should find it out.

Sony Xperia Ace vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE vs Google Pixel 3a

Design

When it comes to compact phones, dimensions are more important than design, especially in a comparison like this. Sony Xperia Ace is the most compact phone here and it measures only 140 x 67 mm. That is amazing if you want a phone that is easy to use with one hand or to keep in a pocket all the time. While the Xperia Ace is the most compact one, the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is definitely the most beautiful due to its suggestive glass back and the narrow bezels around its waterdrop display. Unlike its rivals, it has a real premium design just like flagship phones. But it is much bigger than Xperia Ace.

Display

The best display experience is provided by the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE as it is the only to be HDR-compliant, so it is able to reproduce colors better, especially in multimedia content. The Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is also the only to have a Super AMOLED panel by Samsung and an in-display fingerprint reader. At the second place, we got the Google Pixel 3a which still got an OLED display but no HDR technology. On the other hand, it has louder stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm audio jack which are not present on the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. Sony Xperia Ace has the smallest display with a diagonal of just 5 inches, but it is just an average IPS panel. Stereo speakers and 3.5 mm jack are present on the Xperia Ace as well.

Specs & Software

The hardware comparison leaves no doubts: Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is stronger thanks to its better Snapdragon 712 chipset. Further, unlike its two opponents, it features 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of internal storage. Google Pixel 3a and Sony Xperia Ace are only available in the 4/64 GB configuration. On the other hand, the Google Pixel 3a comes with stock Android and, given that it is a Google phone, it is more secure and it will be updated faster and in a more constant way with the latest major Android versions and security patches. That is why Pixel 3a is the perfect phone for developers.

Camera

Google Pixel 3a borrows its rear camera sensor from the vanilla Pixel 3 and this means that it provides a flagship-class camera experience. Despite it has just a single camera on its rear side, it wins the camera comparison thanks to a higher-end sensor and a more advanced algorithm, as well as optical stabilization and astonishing performances in low-light conditions. Right after, we got the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE with its versatile triple camera including a 48 MP high-end sensor, a telephoto lens, and an ultrawide sensor.

Battery

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is not so incredible when it comes to battery life, while Google Pixel 3a and Sony Xperia Ace are much better thanks to their better software optimization, with just marginal differences in most of the scenarios. Overall, Google Pixel 3a is the most convincing one and it also features a very fast charging technology.

Price

While Google Pixel 3a starts from €400/$443 and Sony Xperia Ace costs €396/$440, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE carries a starting price of just €280/$310. At the end of the day, I would personally go for the Google Pixel 3a because of its flagship-class camera, better Android experience, but Xiaomi Mi 9 SE has a higher value for money. You should choose the Sony Xperia Ace only if you want a real compact phone with a very small size, otherwise, its rivals are better devices in terms of specifications and potentialities.

• Read More: Sony Xperia Ace launched sporting a compact 5-inch screen, water and dust proof body

Sony Xperia Ace vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE vs Google Pixel 3a: PROs and CONS

Sony Xperia Ace

PROs

• The most compact
• Stereo speakers
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner

CONS

• Bezels

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE

PROs

• Great design
• Higher performance
• Good display
• Thinner
• UD fingerprint scanner

CONS

• Nothing particular

Google Pixel 3a

PROs

• Amazing camera
• Stock and updated Android
• Stereo speakers
• The most affordable Google phone

CONS

• Bezels

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Earlier this year, Google launched its first comparatively budget smartphones under its Pixel series — Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL and it seems that the gamble of the search engine giant is paying off.

As per the earnings report for the second quarter of the year posted by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, the company reported about 40 percent increase year-on-year in the “Other Revenue” segment, which includes Google’s hardware business as well as cloud computing division.

During the earnings call, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that “with the launch of Pixel 3A in May, overall Pixel unit sales in Q2 grew more than two times year over year.” It’s noteworthy that Google has never revealed concrete Pixel sales numbers before, so we don’t exactly know how many more units this increase involves.

Also, the company doesn’t separate out its Other Revenues segment into different categories. So it can’t be said certainly that the 40 percent jump is mostly attributable to those extra Pixel sales but it’s fair to say that it likely contributed significantly.

Overall, Google’s parent company Alphabet posted its second-quarter earnings for 2019 beating Wall Street expectations with revenue of $38.9 billion and a profit of $9.9 billion. The profit dwarfs that of the second quarter of 2018 when Google had to dock its net income by a record $5 billion over the antitrust settlement.

Both the smartphones, Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL comes with an OLED display with Asahi’s Dragontrail glass protection. The devices are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

The smartphones feature a 12.2MP Sony IMX363 primary rear camera and an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera. All the camera features you love on the Pixel 3 such as Night Sight, Top Shot, HDR+, and Super Res Zoom are present on both devices.

The devices come with a 3.5mm audio jack, support for USB-C audio, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and Active Edge. The 3a has a 3000mAh battery while the 3a XL has a 3700mAh and both supports 18W fast charging.

Up Next: Vivo Z5 hands-on images leaked online ahead of the phone’s launch next week

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Ahead of schedule, Google mistakenly started rolling out July 2019 Android security patch to some Pixel 3a units. Several users took to Reddit to share the experience of getting the July Security patch ahead of schedule. The update with the build PQ3B.190705.003 included July 5 Security Patch and weighed at 79.8 MB.

According to the sources, it appears to be the “Googler-only” build aimed for internal testing. It was scheduled to release precisely after ten days from now. These “dogfood” or “Googler-only” builds prerelease versions are not meant for public use. The images shared also depicts “Confidential Internal Only” heading, which confirms the mistaken rollout by Google.

Google rolls out the security patch update at the beginning of each month. It first sends the security patch to its hardware partners before the official rollout on Pixel devices.

As far as the changes are concerned, the new OTA update carries the latest security patch and general bugfixes. There are no significant changes as according to the changelog appeared along with the update.

However, this is not for the first time that Google made such a mistake. A similar update was rolled out for Google Pixel XL in 2017.

Up Next: Google Pixel 3a Durability test shows there’s nothing to worry about the plastic body

(via)

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Google‘s latest Pixel 3a and 3a XL were supposed to be affordable variants of the Pixel 3. However, nothing prepared fans for what is perceived to be an inferior build quality as a result of the use of plastic for the body as against the premium glass build of the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. JerryRigEverything has got his hands on the Pixel 3a and indeed, the durability test shows some impressive details.

The Pixel 3a coming in plastic did not in any way reduce the build quality, going by the durability test. The test also saw the display glass going under the radar. The Pixel 3a models come with Asahi Dragontrail glass protection and the test shows it is as much as strong as Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Thus, there won’t be much damage if the phone’s display should get in contact with keys and other metal in your pocket. The front and rear cameras are also protected with glass to protect from daily scratches. The same can’ be said of the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which could scratch easily but that won’t affect the normal functioning of the scanner.

The bend test also reveals the plastic fuselage with a gloss finish on the sides are very hard and won’t bulk easily under severe pressure. Even though it has some flexibility, the handset is quick to return to its original state when the pressure is removed.

Thus, the durability test has proven that there is absolutely nothing to be worried about the Pixel 3a plastic build. You can check out the full video from below.

UP NEXT: Samsung launches promotional activity to lure Huawei smartphone users

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After much anticipation, Google finally launched its mid-range Pixel series smartphones at an event on 7th May — Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. Now, both the smartphones are available for purchase.

The team at iFixit decided to teardown the phone to see how the device is manufactured. In the rapairability score, the Pixel 3a series scored 6 points out of 10, which means that it’s fairly easy to repair. For those not aware, 10 points mean the phone is easiest to repair.

Most of the smartphones getting launched nowadays are not easy to get reapird and it’s a welcome move from Google for the Pixel 3a series, which scored 6 points in terms of repairability. The teardown of the phone showed that most of the components are modular and can be easily replaced once you remove the display assembly.

However, the iFixit team says that the display has foam adhesive that makes the opening process not very involved. It also added that while the display does come off first, it’s quite thin and poorly supported.

Then comes the battery, which is secured using the stretch-release adhesive and is said to be very repair-friendly. The only screws inside the new Pixel smartphones are standard T3 Torx fasteners, so there’s need for any weird screwdrivers.

The report points out that the main issue is that there are myriad long and thin ribbon cables that are connecting the phone’s internal components, and these can be hard to work around without accidental tears.

Read More: Google confirms that it is working on foldable smartphone prototypes

It reveals that the display panel on the both the phones — Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL comes from Samsung. The flash storage and RAM come from Micron. The phones also come with Google’s Titan M security chip, as well as a modular USB-C port.

(Source)

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There are two categories of phones that is every day more impossible to find in the actual market. We are talking about compact phones and affordable phones with flagship-class cameras. With people searching for big phablets with huge displays and due to the high costs of high-end camera modules and R&D, a lot of people struggle to find such devices. But it seems some companies understood it and they released two models which fit this kind of demand perfectly. We are referring to the atypical Google Pixel 3a which is the first affordable device from the Pixel series, and the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE which comes as an affordable variant of the Mi 9 flagship. Through this specs comparison, we will try to let you know which one fits your needs the most.

Google Pixel 3a vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE

Design

Just like its older sibling Pixel 3, the Google Pixel 3a shows a very original design, especially on its rear side composed of two pieces of slightly different colors. Despite that, it is not among the devices with the most premium look and builds quality, and it has a cheap polycarbonate body as well as a display with pretty thick bezels. On the other hand, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE has a premium and flagship-like design, it is hard to distinguish it from the vanilla Mi 9. It is equipped with a glass back, it has a very high screen-to-body ratio and it comes in stunning gradient color variants. Further, it is even more compact, despite Google Pixel 3a has a smaller display.

Display

While there are big differences in build quality between the Google Pixel 3a and Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, it is not the same with their displays. They both feature compact AMOLED panels which are easier to use with one hand than most of the smartphones out there. Further, they even come with the OLED technology providing brilliant colors and deep blacks. I personally prefer the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE for its more narrow bezels, a great color reproduction thanks to the HDR10 standard, and its in-display fingerprint reader. On the other hand, Google Pixel 3a is a better handset for music lovers as it features stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Specs & Software

Both Google Pixel 3a and Xiaomi Mi 9 SE are equipped with an upper-midrange hardware department, but Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is superior. Indeed, it has a more powerful chipset (Snapdragon 712 vs Snapdragon 670) boasting a better GPU (so better graphics performance), as well as a higher amount of RAM (6 GB) and internal storage (128 GB) in its most expensive variant. Last but not least, it has expandable storage. Google Pixel 3a is better only when it comes to software, as its stock Android version will get updated quicker by Google and will make it a safer device.

Camera

On the camera side, there is a very hard battle. Google Pixel 3a has just a single camera on its rear side, but it is the same sensor as the vanilla Pixel 3 which is one of the best camera phones actually in the market, especially in low light conditions thanks to its advanced algorithm. It even has optical stabilization and it can record 4K videos. Xiaomi Mi 9 SE has a triple camera setup which includes the same 48 MP main sensor found on the Mi 9, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens. And it can shoot awesome photos as well in every light condition. I personally prefer the Google Pixel 3a due to its main camera and algorithm allowing to shoot amazing photos with low light, as well as its astonishing 8 MP selfie camera.

• Read More: Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL brings the Pixel 3’s camera game at a cheaper price

Battery

Unfortunately, we still had no chance to test the battery life of the Google Pixel 3a. And given that it comes with more or less the same capacity of the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, it is hard to understand which one will last more on a single charge. If we base on previous Google device, Pixel 3a might be optimized better and it may last more in most of the scenarios, but we can not give a verdict right now.

Price

In the global market, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE has a starting price tag of €350/$392, while Google Pixel 3a starts from €399/$399. Whatever you choose it will be a very good choice, but the Xiaomi Mi 9 SE is my favorite one due to its more beautiful aesthetics, higher-end hardware, UD fingerprint scanner, and micro SD support.

Google Pixel 3a vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE: PRO and CONS

Google Pixel 3a

PRO

• Amazing cameras
• Stereo speakers
• Software gets updated quicker
• Original rear design

CONS

• No dual SIM

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE

PRO

• Bigger display
• Better design and build quality
• Higher performance
• More affordable
• Awesome cameras
• UD fingerprint scanner

CONS

• Nothing particular

The post Google Pixel 3a vs Xiaomi Mi 9 SE: Specs Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.

It is certainly beyond doubt at the moment that Google will soon launch the much-anticipated Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL at the organization’s 2019 I/O event holding on May 7. We’ve seen essentially everything there is about these new gadgets going from cases to pricing and as of late, observed the two models spring up on Geekbench itemizing the key specs.

Today, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL got their Bluetooth certifications as we inch nearer to the launch date. An aggregate of eight variations went through SIG – four for the Pixel 3a and another four for its bigger sibling the Pixel 3a XL. Alongside the model numbers, we likewise discovered that the two mobile phones will highlight Bluetooth 5.0 and will keep running on Android Pie from the go.

Read Also: Google Pixel 3a appears on GeekBench ahead of official launch

However, neither of those is news. Previous leaks showed the Pixel 3a will pack a 5.6-inch FHD+ screen combined with a mid-range Snapdragon 670 and 4GB RAM. The bigger Pixel 3a XL will feature a 6-inch FHD+ display with the slightly improved Snapdragon 710 chipset paired with 4GB RAM. Both phones will come with 64GB internal storage. The 3a packs an 8MP selfie camera and a solitary 12MP main sensor around the back. Regarding the estimated pricing, the 3a is said to go for $500/€450 while the 3a XL should start at $600/€530.The two phones will come in White, Black, and Purple with accents on the power buttons.

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Google is expected to finally unveil the much-talked-about Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL during its annual developer conference, I/O holding on May 7. As the date draws closer, it is just expected that more leaks will continue to emerge around the models. Recently, the press renders of the Pixel 3a adorning while and purple paint jobs were spotted online. No, the Pixel 3a has appeared on the database of Geekbench.

As usual, GeekBench listing reveals just scanty details of the listed model. However, the leaked specs confirm some of the rumoured details we had seen in the past. The device is listed to be powered by a Qualcomm processor but the motherboard isn’t listed. However, turning to previous rumours, the Pixel 3a XL will pack a Snapdragon 710 chipset so the Pixel 3a will likely have a lesser SoC. There are speculation of a Snapdragon 670 chipset onboard. The  device will also come with a 4GB RAM variant. Further, it runs on Android 9.0 Pie which isn’t much of a surprise inclusion.

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According to a past leak that originated from Google itself, the Pixel 3a’s screen resolution will be 1080×2220 pixels and it will have a display size of around 5.6″. We’ll get the full details in a week’s time.

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Google is all set to launch its all-new mid-range smartphones — Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL next month. The company recently shared a teaser online which says that something new is coming on May 7th.

As the teaser was for the hardware store, it’s pretty clear that the company is hinting about the launch of its much-awaited Pixel-series mid-range smartphones. Now, ahead of the launch of these smartphones, renders of both the devices — Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL have surfaced online.

The render shows that the device will come with large bezels surrounding the display. The display doesn’t feature any kind of notch. Also, the devices will come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is placed on top of the phone.

In terms of design, both smartphones — Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are almost similar. They both also seem to contain the same-sized bottom bezel (chin), which houses a single speaker.

As per the previous leaks, the Google Pixel 3a will be coming with a 5.6-inch display having 2220 x 1080 pixels screen resolution while the Google Pixel 3a XL will feature a 6-inch display with 2160 x 1080 pixels screen resolution.

Both the smartphones are expected to come packed with 4 GB of RAM — same as the standard Pixel 3 series phones, and will come with 64 GB of internal storage. The Pixel 3a is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 670 SoC, the XL variant is expected to have Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset.

Reports indicate that the mid-range devices will also come with the same 12.2 MP dual-pixel rear camera found on the premium Pixel 3 lineup. The overall camera experience is likely to be what Google mostly focuses on its smartphones.

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With multiple leaks of both the devices revealing design, specifications, and features, the only thing left to know about the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL is the pricing and availability details. And it seems that we’ll come to know that on 7th May.

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Google is preparing to launch new mid-range smartphones – Pixel 3a or Pixel 3a XL. Already plenty of rumours and leaks have revealed a lot about both the devices. Recently, Google Senior Vice President of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer showed off a few photos from an “unreleased phone” on Twitter.

He claims to have used the phone to snap some pictures of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard office from the 60s. Further, it’s being speculated that the “unreleased phone” would be the upcoming mid-ranger Pixel 3a. However, he didn’t share the photos due to obvious reasons.

I got to see Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard's office from the 60s yesterday, it was super cool! But…

I took pictures with an unreleased phone so I probably shouldn't share them here.

The offices looked like this https://t.co/fPE7um3gyv

— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) March 30, 2019

We expect the company to launch new smartphones at the upcoming Google IO 2019 conference scheduled from May 7 to May 9 in Mountain View, California.

An affordable version of the Pixel 3 series – Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL will launch without any notch. Unlike the metal and glass material on Pixel 3 models, the Pixel 3a series is said to debut with polycarbonate plastic. Moreover, a lower-quality display and a slower processor will find its way on the Pixel 3a series.

Further, it is speculated to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 chipset coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Whereas its elder sibling Pixel 3a XL is rumored to debut with Snapdragon 710 processor. There will be a 5.6 inch OLED display with full HD+ resolution on Pixel 3a, while the Pixel 3a XL will feature a 6-inch display with the resolution of 1080 x 2220 pixels. Both the devices will sport a single 12-megapixel sensor on the rear side and an 8 MP camera on the front side.

• Read More: New Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL details: Storage, Colors and Price

The new devices won’t be dust or water-resistant but allege to include a 3.5 mm headset jack. The Pixel 3a could be sold for $450 whereas the Pixel 3a XL may be priced at $550.

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