Pixel 3a price, release date and specs: Google mid-ranger shows off on Geekbench
GOOGLE HAS OFFICIALLY introduced the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, both of which had precisely zero surprises in store.
Given the huge number of leaks building up to Google’s launch, there was little left for the firm to unveil. As expected, the flagship duo sport larger displays than last year’s models at 5.5in and 6.3in, respectively, run Google’s Android 9.0 OS and offer dual front-facing cameras and wireless charging for the first time.
We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL below.
You can also check out our full Google Pixel 3 XL review.
Release dateThe Pixel 3 and 3 XL are available to pre-order now and will start shipping in Blighty on 1 November.
At the time of writing, some Pixel 3 XL models have sold out, with shipping dates now listed as “three to four weeks”. This includes all configurations of the new ‘Not Pink’ model, and 128GB variants of the Black and White versions.
PriceHere in the UK, the Pixel 3 costs £739 with 64GB storage and £839 with 128GB of storage. The Pixel 3 XL will cost £869 and £969 with 64GB and 128GB of storage, respectively.
O2 is offering the Pixel 3 from £43 per month and the Pixel 3 XL from £45 per month, both with £30 upfront costs.
Over on the EE website, the Pixel 3 can be picked up for £10 on a £58 per month contract, while the Pixel 3 XL will set you back £20 on a £63 tariff.
Three is flogging the Pixel 3 from £41 per month with a £99 upfront cost, and the larger Pixel 3 XL from £47 per month with the same upfront cost.
Over at Sky Mobile, pricing for the Pixel 3 starts at £35 per month, and from £40 per month for the Pixel 3 XL.
Vodafone is offering the Pixel 3 from £58 per month with a £49 upfront cost, and the larger Pixel 3 XL for £62 per month with the same £49 upfront fee.
Latest news30/4/19: Google’s mid-range Pixel 3a has cropped up on Geekbench just days ahead of its official launch. The premature listing, spotted by MySmartPrice, reveals that the handset, unsurprisingly, runs Android 9 Pie and packs 4GB RAM alongside a Qualcomm chipset; speculation suggests it’ll use a Snapdragon 670 SoC.
In terms of benchmarking results, the Pixel 3a earned a single-core score of 1,625 and a multi-core score of 5,206, putting it a way behind the current crop of flagship Androids. However, the Pixel 3a is expected to arrive as a cut-price alternative to high-end devices, with rumours pointing to a sub-£400 price tag.
24/4/19: Google’s Pixel 3a has been shown off in all its glory ahead of its 7 May unveiling. Twitter tipster Evleaks shared a high-res image of the incoming mid-ranger (below), confirming that it’ll be a fairly standard-looking device complete with chunky bezels and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Thanks to an earlier leak from Google, we also know what to expect specs-wise; a 5.6in 2220×1080 screen, a Snapdragon 670 CPU paired with 4GB RAM, and the same Pixel Visual Core that powers the cameras on Google’s current Pixel 3 devices.
16/4/19: Google will show off the Pixel 3a and 3a XL at its I/O conference on 7 May. A teaser on the Google Store (below) promises that “something big is coming to the Pixel universe,” all-but-confirming that the mid-range duo will debut in less than a month’s time.
8/4/19: Google’s long-rumoured Pixel 3a and 3a XL have made an official appearance, both at the Google Store and the Google Play Developer Console’s device catalogue.
The Store leak, spotted by 9to5Google, doesn’t tell us much beyond the fact that the devices will likely go on sale soon, but the listing at Google’s device catalogue confirms some more details about the mid-range devices.
The Pixel 3a, codenamed ‘Bonito’, will sport a 2,160×1080 display, while the larger 3a XL, or ‘Sargo’, will sport a taller 2,220×1080 screen. Both handsets will also pack 4GB RAM alongside Google’s Pixel Visual Core, which according to earlier rumours will be paired with a Snapdragon 670 chip in the 3a and a Snapdragon 710 processor in the Pixel 3a XL.
The listings hint at a “midyear experience,” all but confirming that the devices will make an appearance during Google’s I/O keynote next month.
28/3/19: Google’s long-rumoured ‘budget’ Pixel, the so-called Pixel 3a, will reportedly cost €450 (around £380) when it arrives in May.
So says WinFuture, which has heard from sources at European online retailers than the standard-sized Pixel 3a will be flogged for around half the price of the flagship Pixel 3. However, the site notes that the price quoted is “anything but reliable” and is to be treated with “extreme caution.”
WinFuture has also heard that the Pixel 3 will be available in a violet-hued “iris” model, alongside more modest black and white variants.
17/1/19: There’s officially nothing left for Google to tell us about the Pixel 3 Lite, as an extensive hands-on video (below) has revealed all there is to know about the “budget” Pixel handset.
Shared by YouTube channel Andro News, the three-and-a-bit-minute clip confirms the handset’s 5.56in 2,220×1080 LCD screen, its 12MP rear-facing camera that takes “the same quality photos” as the Pixel 3 and its Snapdragon 670 processor, debunking recent talk of a Snapdragon 710 SoC.
According to the detailed leak, the Pixel 3 Lite XL will also feature 4GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a 2,915 battery, an 8MP front-facing camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack and, naturally, Google’s Android 9.0 Pie OS.
15/1/19: Google’s long-rumoured Pixel 3 XL Lite has been benchmarked, confirming its middling Snapdragon 710 CPU. Over on Geekbench, the handset is listed as the “Foxconn Pixel 3 XL” with an “SDM710” chipset, a reference to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 SoC clocked at 1.
