The long-rumored Google Pixel 3a and Google Pixel 3a XL were recently announced at Google IO 2019, and officially on sale for far less than their full-priced, more powerful siblings.
The Google Pixel 3a costs $399, while they haven’t released Google Pixel 3a XL’s price yet. Both should be on sale on the company’s website, in Verizon stores and, for the first time, on T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, and of course, on Google Fi.
But there are other tweaks to make the Google Pixel 3a more appealing to a midrange audience, like a 3.5mm headphone jack and “adaptive battery” that extends battery life up to 30 hours, with up to 7 hours on a 15-minute charge using the included 18W battery charger.
The Google Pixel 3a makes sense for Google, in that it’s patterning it’s lineup after Apple and Samsung, who also are releasing a more affordable variant of the flagship line. While the iPhone XR and Samsung Galaxy S10e are simply leaner versions of flagships that still cost well above other midrange phones, the Google Pixel 3a is half the price of its flagship namesake.
It’s no secret that Google Pixel phones haven’t sold terribly well. They’ve climbed in price, pushing the Google Pixel 3 just under iPhone and Samsung top-tier devices. Perhaps the Google Pixel 3a can boost sales by bringing the Pixel name (and camera) to a broader audience.
