Google Pixel 3a XL vs Pixel 3a: What’s Different?

Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL were finally unveiled during Google's I/O 2019 keynote address on Tuesday. The two phones are stripped down versions of Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, and have been priced aggressively to compete better in the premium smartphone market. The most obvious difference between the two phones is their size, with the Pixel 3a XL being taller and heavier than the Pixel 3a. However, the two phones have several other differences as well, like the battery size, price, and the screen size. 

We pit the Google Pixel 3a against its bigger sibling, the Google Pixel 3a XL, to figure out the basic differences between the two on paper.

Pixel 3a vs Pixel 3a XL price

The Google Pixel 3a has been priced in India at Rs. 39,999 for the lone 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option. It will be available on Flipkart in Clearly White and Just Black colour options. In the US, the Pixel 3a price starts at $399 (roughly Rs. 28,000).

The Google Pixel 3a XL, on the other hand, is priced in India at Rs. 44,999 for the same 4GB RAM + 64GB storage configuration. The larger variant will also be available on Flipkart and will be listed in the above mentioned colour options. The Pixel 3a XL price starts at $479 (roughly Rs. 33,500) in the US.

The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL release date in India is May 15, with the smartphones going up for registrations from 12:30pm IST on Wednesday, May 8 via Flipkart. Buyers in India will also get a free 3-month YouTube Music Premium subscription, if they activate a Pixel 3a smartphone before September 30.

Pixel 3a vs Pixel 3a XL specifications

Both the phones run on the latest version of Android Pie, and offer single-SIM (Nano) support. Additional eSIM support will be offered in India for Airtel and Jio customers. Google notes that the phones will get a minimum of 3 years of OS and security updates. The phones sport a polycarbonate unibody, identical design, and support the company's AR Core framework for augmented reality applications.

Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL First Impressions

The Pixel 3a sports a 5.6-inch full-HD+ (1080x2220 pixels) gOLED display with at 18.5:9 aspect ratio, while the Pixel 3a XL sports a larger 6-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) gOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Both the phones are protected by Dragon Trail glass and offer 24-bit colour depth (16 million colours).

The duo is powered by the Snapdragon 670 SoC (two cores clocked at 2GHz and six cores clocked at 1.7GHz), paired with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM. Internal storage is set at 64GB for both the phones. There's no microSD card slot provided for expansion of storage.

As for camera, both the Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL have identical front and back sensors. The two phones sport a single 12.2-megapixel Dual-Pixel Sony IMX363 sensor on the back, with f/1.8 aperture, 76-degree field of view, OIS, EIS, 1/2.55-inch sensor, and 1.4-micron pixels. Features include Night Sight low-light photography feature, HDR+, Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom, and Top Shot. The rear camera is capable of 120fps video recording at 1080p, 240fps at 720p, and 30fps at 4K. On the front, Google has used an 8-megapixel sensor with 1.12-micron pixels, an f/2.0 aperture, and an 84-degree field of view for the two phones.

The other big difference between the two phones is battery. The Pixel 3a bears a 3,000mAh battery (delivering up to 12 hours of video playback time), while the Pixel 3a XL bears a 3,700mAh battery (delivering up to 14 hours of video playback time). Both the phones are bundled with an 18-watt charger, which the company claims can deliver up to 7 hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge, while the phones themselves can deliver up to 30 hours on a full charge.

As for the dimensions, the Pixel 3a measures in at 151.3x70.1x8.2mm, and weighs 147 grams, while the Pixel 3a XL measures in at 160.1x76.1x8.2mm and weighs 167 grams.

Connectivity options on the duo include 4G VoLTE, Wi-FI 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, a 3.5mm headphone jack on top, and more. The phones offer stereo speakers support, Active Edge sensor support, and come with a rear fingerprint sensor. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and a proximity sensor.

Has Google Pixel 3a's pricing ruined its prospects in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.