Google Pixel 3a XL: Features | Pricing | Specs

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The larger of Google's new, more affordable Pixel phones is the Google Pixel 3a XL. Like the fancier Google Pixel 3 XL, it's largely a case of taking a phone recipe, in this case for the Google Pixel 3a, and upscaling the display and battery for those who prefer a larger phone handset.

Design

• 6-inch display
• Plastic body
• Clearly White, Just Black, Purple-ish colours

• Read more on the Google Pixel 3a XL's design

  In keeping with the idea that the Google Pixel 3a XL is just a supersized Google Pixel 3a, it features the same plastic body build as the smaller unit and the same colour range. That means you can get the Google Pixel 3a XL in Clearly White, Just Black and Purple-ish finishes, but there's more of it.

  That's because the Google Pixel 3a XL has to accommodate a 6-inch display where the regular model has a 5.6-inch screen. As always, screen measurements are in the diagonal, so that's actually a much larger device. The one slight downside is a slight resolution drop relative to the smaller model. The Google Pixel 3a XL has a resolution of 1,080x2,160 for a total PPI of 402. Comparatively, the Pixel 3a has 441ppi, so it will be ever so slightly sharper.

  The design of the Pixel 3a XL is broadly similar to that of the Pixel 3, which means there's a fingerprint sensor at the rear and no microSD storage expansion.

  What you do get with the Pixel 3a XL that we've not seen on any Pixel phones previously is a 3.5mm headphone jack. That hasn't been a feature on an in-house Google phone for quite some time, dating back to the Nexus generation of phones.

  The Google Pixel 3a XL also supports a feature Google more or less purchased from HTC when it gobbled up a load of its engineers and intellectual property. A quick squeeze of the sides enables the Google Assistant without requiring a spoken command. On HTC phones you can define individual tasks at squeeze sensitivity settings, but Google's only interested in letting you access the Google Assistant this way.

Camera

• Single front 8MP camera
• Rear AI-assisted 12.2MP camera

• Read more on the Google Pixel 3a's camera

  Google made a point of offering up the same cameras on the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3XL, and it's employing the same strategy for its more affordable "a" series handsets.

  What that gives you is a single 12.2MP rear-facing camera, which runs Google's own AI-assisted app for better overall photo quality, including the exceptional Night Sight mode for low-light photography. On paper, there's not much difference here between the cheaper Pixels and their more expensive siblings, which means they could well be among the best mid-range camera phones available.

  You don't quite get the same generosity at the front though. Where the more premium Pixels feature two front-facing cameras for ultra-wide group selfies, the Pixel 3a XL has just one. An 8MP f/2.2 sensor to be precise, but one that again should benefit from Google's smart approach to camera photo processing.

Performance

• Snapdragon 670 on board
• The fastest way to get Android updates
• Clean Android interface

• Read more on the Google Pixel 3a's performance

  The Google Pixel 3a XL mimics its smaller sibling under the hood, with Qualcomm's relatively new Snapdragon 670 processor. It's the higher-end of Qualcomm's more affordable 600-series processor families and only a small step under the Snapdragon 710, for example. That's still placing it below the Snapdragon 845 found in the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL, but you'd expect that.

  Where the Pixel 3a XL should be able to outpace its mid-range competition lies in the fact that Google ships its Pixel phones with very little in the way of clutter, installed apps or fancy launch environments.

  It's often called a "clean" Google interface, because it's very Google-centric, but being Android, you can then customise it to suit your tastes. We've certainly seen the Pixel 3 devices run very well for the most part because of this fact, although the use of only 4GB of RAM has seen them slip somewhat behind the premium pack. For a mid-range device, 4GB of RAM is about right.

  Google provides its Pixel phones with one advantage that no other Android device has, because they're always first to see new Google Android releases. The Google Pixel 3a XL will ship with Android 9 ("Pie") on board, but should see Android Q later this year when it appears and Android R in 2020 seems likely too.

  The Pixel 3a XL will ship in with just 64GB storage onboard and as has been the case for every Pixel generation, there's no microSD storage card expansion on offer. However, you do get access to Google Cloud backup for your photos at full resolution.

Battery

• 3,700mAh battery
• Fast wired charging

• Read more on the Google Pixel 3a XL's battery

  The reality of building a slightly larger handset is you've got more space behind the glass for additional features. What most manufacturers use that space for is additional battery capacity and Google's no different in this aspect. The Google Pixel 3a XL features a 3,700mAh battery, just slightly above the average for a phone of this size.

  What does that mean in terms of daily usage? It should be able to handle a full day's usage with relative ease and maybe into a second day if you're a light touch user.

  When the time comes to recharge the Google Pixel 3a XL, you'll be able to do so via fast wired charging with USB-C connectivity.

  The one feature found in the full Pixel 3 series phones you won't find in the Google Pixel 3a XL is wireless charging. It's not a common feature for mid-range phones just yet, sadly.

Pricing and availability

• Price: RRP $799
• Where to buy: Amazon Australia | eBay | Kogan | JB Hi-Fi | Harvey Norman | Officeworks

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