Google unveiled the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL at I/O 2019 keynote, and the phones come with a Snapdragon 670 processor, 4GB RAM, a single 12.2-megapixel Dual-Pixel rear sensor with OIS, and the latest Android Pie software. The Pixel 3a is priced aggressively at Rs. 39,999 and will pit against the likes of OnePlus 6T and the Samsung Galaxy S10e in the Indian market. The OnePlus 6T is currently listed on Amazon.in at a reduced price, and the Galaxy S10e was unveiled this year in February as the most affordable variant in the Galaxy S10 series.
We pit the Google Pixel 3a against the OnePlus 6T and the Samsung Galaxy S10e to see how the Google variant fares on paper.
The Google Pixel 3a price in India is set at Rs. 39,999 for only in 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant. Its release date in India is May 15, with the smartphone going up for registration from 12:30pm IST on Wednesday, May 8 via Flipkart. It will be available in Clearly White and Just Black colour options. Buyers in India will also get a free 3-month YouTube Music Premium subscription, if they activate a Pixel 3a smartphone before September 30.
Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL First Impressions
On Amazon.in, the OnePlus 6T is currently selling at Rs. 32,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, and at Rs. 36,999 for 8GB + 256GB model. The McLaren Edition is retailing for Rs. 46,999. The OnePlus.in website, on the other hand, is selling the OnePlus 6T at its original price of of Rs 37,999 for the 6GB + 128GB version, Rs. 41,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, and Rs. 45,999 for 8GB + 256GB model.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is priced in India at Rs. 55,900 for the 6GB + 128GB variant in India. It is available in Prism Black and Prism White colour options. The phone will go on sale via Samsung's own site, Amazon India, Paytm Mall, Flipkart, Tata CliQ, and select offline stores.
The Pixel 3a sports a 5.6-inch full-HD+ (1080x2220 pixels at 18.5:9) gOLED display, runs on the latest version of Android Pie, and supports Single-SIM (Nano). It offers secondary eSIM card support for Airtel and Jio subscribers in India. The Samsung Galaxy S10e, on the other hand, features a slightly larger 5.8-inch full-HD+ Flat Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O Display with a pixel density of 522ppi. It runs on Android Pie based on One UI and supports dual-SIM slot. Lastly, the OnePlus 6T features the largest 6.41-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The phone runs on Android 9 Pie-based OxygenOS, and supports dual-SIM slots.
The Pixel 3a is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor (two cores clocked at 2GHz and six cores clocked at 1.7GHz), packing 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Comparatively, the OnePlus 6T is powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor paired with up to 10GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. In India, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is powered by the 8nm octa-core Samsung Exynos 9820 SoC (2.7GHz+2.3GHz+1.9GHz) in India, with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The latter two phones have support for microSD card expansion, but the Google Pixel 3a doesn't.
Coming to the camera, the Pixel 3a sports a single 12.2-megapixel Dual-Pixel Sony IMX363 sensor with f/1.8 aperture, OIS, EIS, 76-degree field of view, 1/2.55-inch sensor, and 1.4-micron pixels. Features include Night Sight, 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.
Meanwhile, the OnePlus 6T comes with a dual rear camera setup, which houses a 16-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.7 lens and a secondary 20-megapixel sensor with an f/1.7 lens. There is also a 16-megapixel front shooter on the phone with an f/2.0 lens.
Lastly, the Samsung Galaxy S10e features a dual rear camera setup - the first is a 12-megapixel camera with 77-degree wide-angle lens, 2PD autofocus, a variable aperture of f/1.5 to f/2.4, and OIS; the second is a 16-megapixel fixed focus camera with a 123-degree ultra-wide lens, and an f/2.2 aperture. The setup is capable of providing 0.5x optical zoom, and up to 8x digital zoom. On the front, the Samsung Galaxy S10e uses a single selfie camera - a 10-megapixel sensor coupled with 2PD autofocus, an f/1.9 aperture, and 80-degree lens.
The Pixel 3a bears a 3,000mAh battery (delivering up to 12 hours of video playback time), and comes with an 18-watt charger that claims can deliver up to 7 hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge. There is a bigger 3,700mAh battery on board the OnePlus 6T with fast charge support (5V, 4A) that's said to deliver a full day of power in 30 minutes of charge. Samsung Galaxy S10e, on the other hand, packs a 3,100mAh battery, and is said to be due to receive 25W fast charging support soon, though it already features Quick Charge 2.0 and Adaptive Fast Charging.
The OnePlus 6T is the heaviest at 185 grams, Samsung Galaxy S10e coming in second at 150 grams, and the Pixel 3a is the lightest at 147 grams. The Pixel 3a measures 151.30x70.10x8.20mm, OnePlus 6T measures 157.50x74.80x8.20mm, and the Samsung Galaxy S10e measures 142.20x69.90x7.90mm. The Galaxy S10e and the Pixel 3a support 3.5mm audio jack slot, while the OnePlus 6T lacks support. The OnePlus 6T sports an in-display fingerprint scanner, the Galaxy S10e houses it under the power button on the side, and the Pixel 3a has a rear fingerprint 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.
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