With the Google Pixel 3a now discontinued and the rumored Pixel 4a still a no-show, Google is showing us once again it’s not a traditional hardware company.
The Google Pixel 3a is no more. Google has confirmed the phone has been discontinued from its range. It unavailable through the Google Store, and once the remaining devices out in the world have been purchased, that’s it.
This is just the way of the world. The Pixel 3a is more than a year old, and while it’s still a good phone, very few manufacturers continue producing and selling devices for longer than that before retiring them. The only problem is that the budget darling of the Android community leaves without a replacement, as the rumored Pixel 4a remains exactly that, a rumor.
It is odd to see a phone depart before its replacement appears, but it’s yet more evidence that Google sees hardware as a means to an end.
The $400 Google Pixel 3a was an important phone, and not just because it offered a good camera and excellent software. It was important because it introduced many U. S. buyers to the idea that a budget smartphone didn’t have to come with tough compromises.
Many cheap smartphones available in the U. S. before the Pixel 3a were cheap for a reason. They served up old software, limited updates, substandard cameras, and disappointing design.
Google kicked that trend to the curb with the Pixel 3a, finally letting the U. S. catch up to Europe, India, and China, where great low-cost phones were (and still are) relatively commonplace.
This was good news for Google. IDC reported that Google shipped 7.2 million phones in 2019, up by 52% over the year before. That growth was no doubt helped by the Pixel 3a’s existence.
The Pixel 3a’s success — at least from a critical point of view, as any fraction of 7.
