Android was intended to make smartphones easier to build and more accessible to consumers. That has largely failed, but the Pixel 3a is an affordable, ubiquitous smartphone finally realized.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
To borrow a phrase: smartphone prices are too damn high. I’ve known this for a while, but it didn’t become real to me until a few weeks ago when my old phone came apart at the seams. When Google announced the Pixel 3a and its larger cousin, the 3a XL, at the Google I/O developer conference, it spearheaded a badly needed course-correction on the out-of-control smartphone market. The Grand Illusion
The whole point of Android was to make smartphones easier to build and more accessible to consumers. In that way, Android failed. There were always going to be expensive smartphones, but it’s become increasingly clear that if you want a good, unlocked phone, you’ll have to pay through the nose for it.
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« But what about the Nexus?! » I hear you cry. Well, not you but the legion of Android enthusiasts and tech journalists behind you. Yes, the Nexus was an affordable line of top-quality smartphones, but they were never really targeted at consumers. More importantly, they’re dead and never coming back.
If you need an unlocked smartphone for cheap, you’ll have to completely abandon the flagship brands. I’m not talking about the ultra-luxe gadgetry like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, I mean the names people actually know: iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy. The Pixel 3 retails for $799 and the 3 XL is $899, though both are currently $200 cheaper. The Galaxy S10e starts at $749, as does the iPhone XR, and the iPhone XS at $999, unless you have an old phone to trade in. Even the three-year-old iPhone 7 starts at $449.
(Samsung Galaxy S10e)
It’s possible to live without a smartphone, but it’s not easy. There are practical considerations, like being able to send and receive the wide array of messages we take for granted now, or getting accurate directions through a maps app in real time. There’s also the fact that we use a phone for just about everything now, from paying bills to wishing grandma a happy birthday on Facebook.
