Google Pixel 3A 64GB

60 reviews for Google Pixel 3A 64GB

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Larry N. KendrickLarry N. Kendrick – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Better than expected

   Let me start by saying that I’ve never used an iPhone. I have had a couple of the Galaxy S series phones but that was several years back (3&4). I have been buying unlocked phones online for the last few purchases.I really like the Motorola/Lenovo line of unlocked mid-level hardware phones. The phones work well but the hardware was uninspiring.My last three unlocked phones were an Essential PH-1, Honor 7+ and a OnePlus 6T. Of those 3 it’s hard to beat the 6T. Hardware is premium and the phone works well. The Essential phone felt great but the camera was average. I dropped the phone a few times and although the screen never cracked (it was in a case) the digitizer stopped responding. So, this was my replacement option.I really like this phone. The camera is pretty amazing for a 300 dollar phone. I challenge anyone to show me a phone at this price point with a better camera experience. I will say that I’ve noticed a ‘processing’ message in the bottom left corner of the camera interface when taking pictures under less than ideal conditions. I can only assume that is the software processing the images through whatever algorithm the Google engineers have come up with to create such strong results from a single camera. I assume that the top line Pixel phones with their higher end processors will be a little quicker in performing this function. I haven’t found it to be an issue though.Although this is the cheaper of the pixel line of phones, it actually feels pretty solid. I’ll try to update the review with a couple of non personal photos soon.I find the battery life to be adequate. It’s not the best but I feel like it’s good enough.If you want a phone with a pure Android experience, solid financial value and an amazing camera experience, you would be hard pressed to find a better deal than the Pixel 3A.

   5 people found this helpful

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   C. Okamuro – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   I have a full Pixel 3 XL for work, and was excited for the 3a XL hit the market. Highly Recommended

   After several years of growing tired of my Samsung Galaxy work phones getting slower and more bloated with the Samsung UI, I was convinced by coworkers to go to a Pixel. I got the Pixel 3 XL and instantly loved it. Seconds, rather than minutes, to boot. A fast UI experience. Frequent and comprehensive OS updates that aren’t lagging months behind the Android updates. A fantastic camera. What’s not to love?Even though I refer to my Pixel 3 XL as my work phone, the truth is that I haven’t had a personal phone in over a decade… who wants to carry two phones? Then again, there is something to be said about having a healthy work/life balance. With that in mind, I was curious when I heard about the 3a coming to the market… as much as I love the 3 XL, I can’t say that I was super excited to spend $900 on a phone. When the 3a XL dropped below $300 (after the deal that gave you a $100 GC), it seemed like a no brainer.As someone that has both a 3XL and a 3a XL, here’s what I can tell you:SCREENUnlike the 3 XL, the 3a XL has no screen “notch”. Where there are some parts of the UI that take advantage of the notch, there are just as many applications that leave an annoying color (non-black) artifact in the notch area when watching landscape full-screen video – it’s SUPER annoying. The 3a XL’s screen is slightly smaller than the 3 XL, and while it’s also a little lower resolution, the density (as a result of the smaller diagonal measurement) doesn’t drop that much. In general usage I don’t notice any difference. The 3a’s screen is OLED, but it appears to be a quality tier below the 3 XL’s… you can see it if they are side-by-side, but you wouldn’t notice it if you were going from memory.CAMERAPixel phones are renown for their camera performance. While the raw specs tend to be behind other flagship phones’ optics and CCDs, the actual picture quality tends to be at or near the top of the heap. The Pixel 3a XL is no different, as the rear camera is the same as the one on the 3 XL. The front camera (which I really don’t care as much about) goes with a single, rather than a dual, camera setup. It’s not the same as either front-facing camera on the Pixel 3 XL, but the software (which is largely responsible for the picture quality), is the same. Both cameras appear to be excellent.FORM FACTORThe Pixel 3a XL is slightly larger than the Pixel 3 XL. Some of it may be due to the notch-less screen causing the speaker and camera to be mounted above the screen. Some may be due to the larger capacity battery. Perhaps it’s also influenced by the case material on the back being made of plastic, rather than glass. Regardless, the phone is about 10% lighter, which is enough to be noticable. An omission that I don’t love is that the 3a XL does not support wireless chaging… it’s not the end of the world, but it is missed.PERFORMANCEThe 3a XL does have a significantly slower CPU than the 3 XL. The layout of both processors is to have 4 high speed cores, and 4 slower cores. The general idea is that the system workloads can be managed by the OS’es thread scheduler, and be placed on to the lowest power consuming core that is still adequate for the job. Both phones are fine with multitasking. I didn’t actually notice any performance difference is the UI or in application speeds, but I also am not a mobile gamer… I would expect for the difference to be most obvious there (assuming there is one). I was a little surprised when the 3 XL came out with 4GB of RAM (since I didn’t know if that would be enough), but that worked out well. The 3a XL has the same 4GB of RAM and therefore has similar performance.NOTABLE DIFFERENCES NOT ALEADY MENTIONEDOddly, the Pixel 3a XL has a headphone jack. That’s noteworthy because the 3 XL does NOT have a headphone jack. I know there are some “purists” that are anti-bluetooth, but I’d say that a phone is not an audiophile platform anyway. Even if you have awesome $1500 headphones, I can still tell you that the DAC in your sub-170 gram phone is junk (comparatively). One of the really nice features of the Pixel 3 XL is that it’s waterproof… the 3a XL is not. It’s not a dealbreaker for me, but I can see where this would affect some peoples’ choices.In conclusion, I thought the deal I got on Amazon when I bought my 3a XL was so good that I bought the phone without even knowing if I’d get a service plan for it. Now that the 3a XL is at its “normal” price I still think it’s an incredible deal, and I really question anyone who would buy a different phone at this device’s price point. Highly Recommended.

   7 people found this helpful

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   RachelRachel – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Hits and exceeds the mark on nearly everything

   First of all, the camera is top notch and makes me wonder why all these new phones need 3-4 lenses to do half the job this phone does. I’ve attached some photos – note that none of these were a real attempt to catch anything spectacular but I was really impressed, especially with the one of my dog, Marley. I took that picture after 8pm; typically a photo after dark or in low light is pointless and looks terrible, even with a fantastic flash on most phones. Here, you can see my girl’s beautiful eyes and the textured sky wonderfully. Portrait mode is snazzy; I used it on the pumpkin cake. Zero complaints and nothing but praise for the camera!Fingerprint unlock is the most responsive and quick of any phone I’ve had.Wifi picks up wonderfully and scrolling is fluid with no lag on any app.Storage could be better at 64GB but I have tons of apps loaded on mine and still have plenty of space. For heavy picture-takers, just use the Google Cloud storage rather than downloading a gallery and you’ll be set.Call quality is fantastic! I’m in rural Alabama and typically am lucky to get one bar on my phone; I could barely send a text on my previous android. On my Pixel 3a, I can make a call from anywhere in my house – rather than going outside and standing on my tippy-toes. :)Battery life is not anything to brag on but isn’t terrible, I guess. I’m coming from a Blu Life One X3, which on average lasted a solid 2.5-3 days with average use. To be fair, it was running a 5,000 mAh battery while the Pixel is only 3,000. That said, this phone taps out in about a day. If you disable the always on display, that’ll save you some energy. It’s really just about finding what works with your needs. I’ve had this one running from a 100% charge to 63% in 5 hours, but that’s with running Pandora some and several apps using push notification. On the plus, the phone does charge in an hour and a half as advertised.It came with a transfer thingydo that made transferring every-single-item from my previous phone a dream. Within like 30 minutes, I had every text, photo, app, and even my recent call list moved over seamlessly.I’ve not messed with the Google Assistant features much but I can already tell they’re very sensitive and work wonderfully. It’ll help you with about any task you need and has spot-on GPS for hard to find spots on the map.9/10 for a grand score, only because the battery is meh. Otherwise, the Pixel 3a is a must-buy. I’m a week in and convinced.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   High Views – June 3, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Wi-fi calling should work, but doesn’t for me so far. The new version is completely unlocked.

   Note I am reviewing the new version of the Pixel 3a XL. As I read in another review the battery charge indicator was strange in the beginning but seems to become more accurate with time. First thing I did was charge it. When I plugged it in, it said 78%. I changed it with the fast charger it came with for about 45 minutes, after which it said 68% charge. Used it for about a half an hour and it was about 45% which seemed like a fast drain. But after a few charge cycles it seemed to last about a day and half before getting from 100% to 40%. The battery seems like new even though it may have been on a shelf for years.Wi-fi calling: (which was the main reason I got the phone) should be on the phone. I use PureTalk MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that Uses AT&T towers. So I call their tech support and give them my phone’s IMEI # (a must for wi-fi calling to work), and they activated wi-fi calling for my IMEI and sim. They reset the phone which is the same as taking out the sim and putting it back in. No wi-fi calling shows up. I check for system updates: none. I remove the sim and put it back: no change. I download the wi-fi calling Webjet from the play store: nothing. I reset my network settings: no change. I haven’t tried I third party app work around yet– maybe that would work.I am used to cheep $150 unlocked phones. I was never able to stream news video while driving with those cheep phones: audio only, yes, but never video. This phone can stream video news through an MVNO which is a second class mobile LTE connection. I don’t know why, but it just downloads faster than my old Samsung Galaxy J6+ on the same LTE network. Everything works grate. Supper fast 5gig wi-fi, finger print reader, starting apps, and connecting apps to the internet either through wi-fi or mobile. The speakers sound richer and deeper than my old phone. The camera is spectacular.If anyone has any suggestions about how to get wi-fi calling to work please reply to my review.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Amazon Customer – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Update

   Well , after just a month of using this phone, a loudspeaker problem just developed, distorted noisy sounds over calls or anything media. Really sad, I thought I could like this phone. After reading reviews, this seems to be a common problem with no fix. So am stuck. I asked for a replacement but what’s to say I won’t have the same problem. If I knew this, I wouldnt purchase so if you considering buying wl reconsider…..I really do like this phone and it would this will be the first time I will be using a google pixel phone. Have not being one to want to join the craze that comes with new phones , I like something that’s not too out there and this phone seems to be it, meets standard and at an affordable price. I know many people use it too but well…it’s just unique.The features are great, it fits my hand well, the camera is Soo good too and for the price because other budget phones tend to lag on camera. I am really satisfied with my purchase.I really do hope it stands the test of time as am tired of changing phones…would love to use this one for a good time. My only worry is the storage, it’s 64gb and no SD card slot but I want to believe it’s enough at least, am a basic phone user so not much apart from pictures and a few apps so I hope I don’t have to deal with memory card full popups in the future like my last iPhone… whew!!! I was so over iphones at that point, switched to Android and used a couple but wasn’t really satisfied with the last Samsung I used.Did I say I love the phone, oh yes I did. I rarely review anything I buy but I had to on this one…so far so good am satisfied. If ever , I have to change my phone again which I don’t want to at least for a good while, I will definitely be getting another pixel so I hope google keeps us the good work and keep making phones that meet standards to a good level and at a good budget price.You know that saying that goes like good things don’t really need to be advertised to proof the worth, this is an example because I never knew about this phone or saw adverts on it or maybe it’s just me but well….this phone is a good buy.I really hope I don’t have to come back and say something negative about this purchase, I just want to continue loving it. Well, I hope they would produce more pretty cases that fit this phone, not like they aren’t good ones but am a bit picky with phone case, I don’t like them too feminine and all shiny or pinkish but I also don’t like them too masculine and dark so well that’s on me but I was able to find one or two that am willing to use.

   3 people found this helpful

6. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Fatemeh Mehrabi – June 3, 2024

   1.0 out of 5 stars

   Great Phone Until It Doesn’t Work – Horrible Google Customer Service

   I don’t usually write reviews but I promised Google I would write one so here it is: This phone worked great for the first 3 months I had it. It took beautiful pictures and was very convenient (although I did find Google’s incessant “suggestion” to use the Google Assistant and constant attempts to get into my personal info very annoying). It’s a good size and light weight. Coming from an iPhone 6s, it was a seamless transition and the price was reasonable. After 3 months, the speaker started to cackle. A couple of weeks later, it completely died. With it went my ringer, which essentially meant there went my alarms. I couldn’t put the phone on speaker for calls anymore and so there went my Skype calls for the family to join in on my side. I contacted Google through the phone’s chat feature. They told me to reboot in Safe Mode because another application was causing the speakers not to work. Red flag: if your phone’s hardware is disabled because another application is running in the background, that’s an issue. I tried and it didn’t work. Google Support then told me to wipe the phone clean. This was the very reason I no longer wanted an iPhone; I lost a lot of data when I had to wipe the phone clean. Only then, it was after 3 years whereas here, it was after 3 months. At this point, the phone was getting slow and the screen wouldn’t rotate. Their suggestion was to take it to a store (UBreakIFix) where it can be physically looked at. Took time off of work, went there and was told I had to wipe the phone clean. Red flag #2: A phone that has to be wiped clean and hard reset after only 3 months. I begrudgingly agreed. Nope, didn’t fix the problem. The speaker didn’t work (although the screen rotate did). The store told me I would have to leave my phone for 2 business days so they can fix it. I don’t have extra phones laying around the house and I need my phone to be on call so this wasn’t an option for me. I called Google Support again. Here’s the kicker: their solution was to send the phone into Google and they would look at it to fix it. It would be 5-10 BUSINESS days before I found out what was wrong with my phone. I asked them to send me a phone and I would immediately send this back. I even offered my credit card number so they could charge me for the new phone if I didn’t send the old one back. Nope. Their only solution, for a brand new phone that has hardware issues after 3 months, was that I would be without it for at least two weeks. When I told them I couldn’t be without a phone for that long, they suggested that I contact Amazon since my phone was under warranty. For a multi-billion dollar company to not offer a replacement phone ASAP or to have a store where I can actually take my phone and get a new one is ridiculous. After an hour on the phone with Amazon, they agreed to authorize a return since Google gave me an email saying the item had to be returned via Amazon for the warranty. Then I had to spend another hour on the phone to convince them to waive the restocking fee, which the customer service manager kindly agreed to do. I now have a phone I’ve borrowed from someone else to cover the 3 days between returning the phone and getting a new one. So if you want a phone that works great for 3 months and then is a month of headaches and frustration, get this phone. My suggestion: save yourself the trouble and buy something else. I wish I had,.

   14 people found this helpful

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   James – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Has annoyances, but no actual problems

   Everyone wants to know about the bad before they it so I’ll start with my complains.Finger Print reader works about 80% of the time, and it’s in mind of an awkward place. I had a 2013 Moto X before switching to the Pixel 3a XL in December of 2019. Moving up to such a large phone in comparison, to stabilize the phone in my hand my finger often bumps into the finger print reader and can be a bit obnoxious in I’ll unlock my phone when just picking it up to put it in my pocket and start accidently pocket-hitting apps on my screen. I got around this by being more careful about how I picked up the phone and just moved all my apps into the screen over from the home screen.The phone is large and can cramp my hand to hold for too long, even though I have very large hands and dextrous fingers (I play instruments).The touch-calibration feels significantly off sometimes especially when it comes to hitting the B key instead of the top of the spacebar. I’m also a big keyboard enthusiast and Google doesn’t stagger the bottom row of keys on the touch screen so that’s why it often happens, there’s no staggered gap in that common spot to prevent mis-reads by the touch screen when you hit both keys at once or tap in the zone between them.The lack of decent cases is a little obnoxious but it’s whatever, this isn’t a very common phone so I can’t genuinely complain without being petty.The camera focus is really obnoxious sometimes. The default flash also does multiple lights before the flash and is jarring because people don’t often encounter that in 2020.–+But the good parts of this phone is everything else. Good UI, good battery life, good internals for the two games I do play on it, and a very good screen size for reading articles or websites. This is by no means a gaming phone. Also it’s compatibility with the Google ecosystem is great and I love it. I personally disabled the Google Assistant, I don’t need it to help me keep track of my life, that’s what I have prescription drugs for.Lock button is in a good place, has a headphone jack despite I don’t like wired headphones and despite people hated Apple for ditching the jack five years ago, it really doesn’t do anything. It’s just a port that collects lint for me but for anyone who likes wired headphones it’s there.I love type-c charging and the Pixel is great because of that. Comes with a rapid charger, even though it degrades battery usage over time, I got this phone for $400, and in three years I’d imagine I can make another $400 to get the a new phone with a bigger battery anyways, so I’m honestly not worried about it. The fast charge now outweighs the thought of device longevity to me.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Julia – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   All those reviews aren’t wrong – good solid phone for the next 3+ years

   FYI: You don’t have to use the fingerprint reader or Google Assistant if you don’t want to. Simply disable them. There are a couple of options the OS gives you off the bat on how you want to use 3a. Easy to customize, to a point. Not much bloatware to think of since most of android software are from Google. You can’t uninstall, but you can disable them and get it out of your view.Pros:1. Camera/video – Night Sight = GOOD. It WORKS. An upgrade for those coming from Android 8 and below. If you want a decent camera for your vacations without buying yourself a DSLR, 3a has a solid camera for all your vacation needs.2. Battery life – decent. Can last 1 full day and more. Charges very quickly within ~15 mins. “Slowly charging” ~30 mins. The phone won’t die if you forget to charge it when sleeping; it will still have plenty of % left in the morning. I have yet to get a black screen of death from this phone or have it run out of juice.3. Screen – good screen. Looks nice to watch YT.4. Bluetooth, audio, speaker – decent speaker. No crackling. It has an audio jack = perk in itself. Now I use it as a cell phone charm holder and primarily use Bluetooth headphone.5. Aesthetics – Color : not too bold with its “purple-ish”; no tacky color scheme. Clearly plastic, but looks solid and hefty. You can feel the weight, but if you are looking for a slimmer design, this might not be it.6. OS (updates) – was able to immediately upgrade to 10. Easy to update toward latest patch. Straight from Google. I don’t have to wait or have it fail to update for whatever reason. Should I want to upgrade, I can foresee 3a as an easy trade-in for the latest model, especially with how Google phones have made a mark with 3a.Cons/Meh:1. Internal storage – only 64 GB. No microSD port to increase storage, so bummer : But you do have cloud storage with Google Drive and Photo.2. Aesthetics – I actually like how it looks; it just how it feels to hold on your hand. Many have noted its slippery texture. I did not buy a Google Pixel case, but 3a will benefit from being in a case.This is a good, solid phone for a lot of people in different age groups. It even has various accessibility features for those who need to use their phone is a specific way. Good for teens, young adults, working people, and elderly. Pixel 3a will cover general everyday needs for everyone. All the reviews on the web are pretty accurate for recommending 3a for those who want a better phone for the general today.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jenn T. – June 3, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Best features in an Android for under $400

   I was an early adopter of Google’s phones when they came out with the Nexus line. Unfortunately, I never bought a Pixel because Google chose, at first, to compete with the expensive flagship phones that cost $800 or more being put out by Apple and Samsung every year. That has since changed, and I’m a welcome convert back to the Google fold.My last phone was a Moto Z Play, which I purchased for $400 about three and a half years ago. I loved the battery life, but the bluetooth died almost entirely when the phone was two years old, and the camera was never great. By the time I had had it for three years, I couldn’t run more than two or three apps without experiencing issues with crashing. Likewise, if I opened more than 50 or so tabs in the web browser, it would typically crash. It’s a relief to no longer have those issues.COST: I purchased this phone when it was $320, so I already saved $80 over my last phone purchase. This phone does everything you need and looks sharp. It doesn’t have 5G, but the amount of features you get for less than $400 more than justifies the price.CAMERA: Google has really outdone itself with the Pixel 3a’s. The camera is fantastic; I no longer need to bring a dedicated digital camera when I’m traveling or attending major celebrations like graduations that need a good camera. It’s performance in low-light conditions is fantastic and really something to write home about. Sure, my brother’s iPhone 11 Pro has a better camera, but he paid over $1000 for it, so that’s not a fair comparison. I’d say that the Pixel 3A’s camera and camera software is every bit as good as my wife’s Galaxy 10, if not better.BATTERY LIFE: A full charge doesn’t last the 2-3 days that my old Moto Z Play did, but the rapid charging feature makes it not matter as much. In my daily commute of 20-30 minutes to work, I can add about 30-40% to my battery, which means I never have to worry about my phone going dead, even if I forget to charge it at night. A full charge tends to last a little over a day with heavy use. For the record, nearly every day I browse the internet for hours, play Sudoku, listen to Spotify, and post and browse on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.HARDWARE: It’s not a flagship phone, so it’s not going to hold up to intensive use. That said, nothing I’ve thrown at it so far as crashed it. Like I said, I’m a heavy phone user. I don’t have to close my apps before switching to another one like I did with my last phone to avoid crashes. I also have experienced hangs like I did with my last phone either. This really does everything you need it to do. I don’t think that a normal to heavy phone user needs much more power than this unless they’re gaming or photo editing on their phone or something. The bluetooth works a lot better than my old phones did. I have an aging 2013 Prius that does not like to play nice with bluetooth in a lot of my devices. I get in the car, and the phone automatically hooks to the bluetooth and brings up my last Spotify podcast without me fussing with it past the initial setup. I forgot how nice it was when things just worked, you know?LOOK & FEEL: I really like that it’s lighter than my last phone even though the screen and the screen’s resolution is much larger. It doesn’t have a trendy notch, but I don’t really care. The fingerprint is located in a nice place in the back that feels very intuitive. There is a feature that lets you squeeze the phone to bring up Google Assistant that I could see some people enjoying, but I never use it because my hands are too small to put enough pressure on the phone to bring it up. Some people may dock a point or two for this, if it’s important to you. I don’t because I can just shout “hey google” at the phone to the same effect, and perhaps the feature works fine if you don’t have tiny baby hands like me and buy a phone that’s over 6 inches. The phone itself is mostly metal and glass and doesn’t feel cheap. I don’t think it looks like you spent less than $400 on it at all. Most importantly, it still has an aux port. Not all of us want the hassle of charging and keeping track of bluetooth earbuds that can cost more than your phone and don’t sound any better than a $10 wired headset you can get at the pharmacy. The screen is absolutely huge and the resolution makes everything tiny. I don’t have bad eyes and I’m not an old maid, but I had to set the text size to “large” otherwise every website looks like those old Myspace profiles people made back in 2002 with size-6 font. It’s very comfortable to read on; I don’t feel like someone would need a dedicated tablet with a phone with a screen this big.SOFTWARE & OS/UI: If you’re getting an Android OS, you’ve probably fine with the OS. That said, Google’s UI is so much better than everyone else’s (I’ve used UIs by Asus, Samsung, and Motorola in other phones). The home screen is easier to customize, the app launcher makes sense, and the app switcher is intuitive and quick. Since it’s Google, you’ll have the newest Android OS’s at launch and support for longer than other manufacturers. That was one thing I missed dearly about my old Nexus, and I’m glad Google is finally back in the sub-$500 market again so I can take advantage of it. I think my favorite feature about the UI is that I can turn on “dark mode” 24/7 so that I never have white bars or menus anywhere, just nice black ones. It’s really saved my eyes. I also like that the volume and brightness on the phone has a very wide range of levels, much moreso than any other phone I’ve had before, which always had “silent,” “soft-ish” and “extremely loud” with little in between. I can turn down the volume to almost-silent and the brightness to actually quite dark without installing third party apps. Also, there’s no bloatware on the phone when you purchase it. That’s really nice.All in all, it’s a very solid phone and I’m honestly thrilled with how nice the screen and camera is at this price-point. Everything else I’ve looked at with comparable specs and features is at least $100 more. I’ve been using mine for the past couple of weeks, and every day I like it more. Full five stars from me.

   20 people found this helpful

10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    ScoobyScooby – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    In 2023, this is a good backup or experimental phone

    February 6th 2023 – 12:30amAfter some careful research, I decided to purchase a Google Pixel 3a [with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) – Clearly White] to install the Ubuntu Touch OS on it, so once the UT people get VoLTE (Voice Over LTE or 4G) figured out, I’ll have a phone that is completely free of Apple or Google data hoarding.Short Story:Got UT on the phone, but it was a huge pain in the ass to do, and I’m waiting for that VoLTE upgrade. Minus one star for the inconveniences.Long Story:The Pixel 3a is a sweet little phone. Can’t upgrade the storage but it has an audio and USB-C ports. The worst part of the phone is that it’s married to Google. Hmf. Plus, even though my new 3a came directly from Google, it came installed with Android 10 and the OEM Unlock option greyed out. UGH! This meant before I flash Ubuntu Touch on my phone, I’d have to unlock the OEM unlock and downgrade to Android 9… Google really doesn’t want you playing with YOUR electronics…It took a long weekend and a lot of failures, but I finally got Ubuntu Touch on my 3a (no paying a third party to do it either). It’s a nice little clutter-free OS, and while most big 3rd party apps are unavailable — you can download YouTube and Gmail apps if you want; I’m going to try out ProtonMail –the included apps and the ones from the OpenStore give you basic functionality. While I haven’t tested a sim or phone service yet (expecting a needed OS update to get VoLTE up an running to work in the US), WiFi works great on the phone and you can manually set up a VPN if you need it.Although the UBPorts website the phone os working 100%, there’s that VoLTE issue and my fingerprint reader isn’t working, also I had to download the uTorch app to get the phone’s flash to work as a flashlight. Still… the ability to have a small private Linux-but-Google-free computer (yes, allegedly you can bluetooth/dock a keyboard and monitor) that can (hopefully) make phone calls is a pretty amazing feat in 2023.I’ll update this review when I decide to try my T-Mobile sim on the phone, if only to transfer my contacts.UPDATE Feb 6th, 2023 1:25am:Good news! I switched my T-Mobile sim to my 3a and was able to make phone calls! I had to jump through a hoop or two to move my phone contacts, but they’re usable now too. Successfully called a closed pizza place (got voice mail) and called my insurance company (voice mail again). The fingerprint reader seemed to activate and worked after I swapped my sim into the 3a (??). All I need is a new sim from one of the pay-as-you-go companies and I have a more-private phone — won’t call it a burner; I don’t think they really exist anymore, but this phone now upsets the data hoarders so I’m happy. 😛

    7 people found this helpful

11. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    stevefoobar – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Happy with the build quality and the built in camera app

    This phone seems to be of very high quality. The built in camera app is very highly rated and does a great job in very low, night light and in portrait mode where it tries to blur the background. The images are sharp and crisp and well saturated in color.Be aware, however that if you are a photographer, you will likely be disappointed in the portrait mode software algorithm, especially if you use Photoshop to manipulate your photos. Overall, it does a good job of masking out the subject and blurring the background, but it will get confused with “fly-away” hair against a “busy” background. This will show up as a very bad mask with bad digital artifacts around the hair. This is especially a problem if the person’s hair is brown for example, and the background directly behind them (and their hair) has brown or brown sections in it. Still better than not having this portrait algorithm but just realize that it’s doing this background blurring in software, not by using multiple lenses on the camera. This phone has only one lens.The nice thing though (thank goodness) is that if you take a picture in Portrait mode, the camera will actually take two pictures–the original and the version with the algorithm to blur the background. You can then decide later which you want to keep or if you want to use the original version and manipulate it in Photoshop yourself.Lastly, it supports the industry standard DNG Raw image files so you can manipulate them later with software. I wish is supported Canon’s CR2 but it does not. Perhaps that’s proprietary to Canon. I had no difficulty manipulating the DNG Raw files in Photoshop though.

12. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    naval_power – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Received within 1 day of ordering

    Given all the problems I’ve faced with Google’s phones the past couple of years, I was extremely reluctant to buy this one. My Google phones have never lasted more than 2 years before issues arose. With my Nexus 5x, I only had it a little over a year before it started shutting on/off at random times, a common complaint from other users. When Google decided to switch phone manufacturers, I told myself, “Maybe things will get better,” but it turned out, only barely — my Google Pixel only lasted a little over 2 years before the battery gave up. I was able to get a refurbished one as a replacement under my Google store warranty, but it too exhibited battery drainage issues within 2-3 months.So why did I decide to get a Google Pixel 3a in spite of all these issues? Well, first, I just couldn’t find a better android than this one at this price point. The camera, speed, and lack of bloatware — it’s just hard to give up luxuries such as these when you’ve been spoiled by pure android for so long. Secondly, I liked Google Fi. I barely use data since I’m always in a WiFi-connected building throughout the day, so Fi’s pay-as-you-go data plan has helped me save a lot of money. Family plans might be better at other places, but that wasn’t a factor for me because I’m on an individual plan. Third — and this is why I ended up buying on Amazon rather than the Google Store or Best Buy — Amazon was able to deliver this to me within one day! I broke my phone on a Saturday night (trying to replace the battery with a DIY replacement kit I’d ordered online, if you must know), ordered this close Saturday night close to midnight, and found this on my door Sunday night at 7 pm.I am so grateful to Amazon for getting this to me before Monday morning! I use my phone to complete multiple tasks at work, so if I’d had to wait longer, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world but it would’ve been pretty disruptive to my workflow.

    One person found this helpful

13. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Nathan D – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Nearly perfect, but may not hold up over time

    This nearly took the top seat for best smartphone I’ve ever used. It has everything I want and nothing more. No gimmicky bells and whistles to annoy me and make sales, just a plain USEFULL smartphone. I love the polycarbonate build, it in no way feels cheep to me. It never gets hot, and it looks super clean. The screen is great, nothing to complain about there. Of course the camera is what you would expect out of a Google device, great photo and video capability. I really wish I could give this 5 stars but unfortunately, I have encountered a design flaw of the device. After about 3 months of careful use (always in a case, screen protector, never in my back pocket) the phone chassis has developed a bend. The phone is still operating perfectly fine, no cracks on the screen or body. It has just a very slight twist in it. I noticed it when I placed it on my counter and it did not lay flat. You can see the bend if you look along the edges of the phone. Google’s response to this problem is that it is “within the operating limits of the polycarbonate case.” This phone, in my opinion, is nearly perfect in every other way. For the price I still reccomend it, but just want to send a word of caution to those who may be a bit rougher with thier devices that this may not be a phone that will stand the test if time.

14. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Adam – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome

    Totally awesome

15. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    FuRealDoe – June 3, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Should’ve been great. Plagued with issues

    To preface, I came from an Essential PH-1 that I really loved, but the call quality was just atrocious. I was looking for a budget phone (eh, I can’t believe $400 is considered cheap for a phone these days, but I digress) that had stock android, which only leaves the Pixel 3A, as far as I know.Problems:Crashing / freezing – I had this happen numerous times, which ultimately led to me returning the 3A. At first it started refusing to come out of lock screen and would just completely lock. Only way out was to try and get recovery mode started. Then it started freezing while in use. Same thing again – recovery mode was the only thing that would work.Bluetooth – BT volume is laughably bad. On the PH-1, my car stereo would be at 25-30 volume. With the 3A, I was at 40-45. Yes, it still works technically. But that is almost maxed out and I’m only at a normal listening level. After googling the issue, it seems to be a fairly common complaint.Annoyances:Stock Android – After using the PH-1 for a few years, I grew to love having complete control over android and was expecting the same from the 3A. It’s better than other bloatware loaded phones out there, but there are so many Google crapware apps that can’t be uninstalled. Knowing Google’s reputation for spying on people and data mining, I can only assume this is why you can’t uninstall their apps. If you value your privacy at all, this may not be the phone for you.Good:Battery life – It’s true, the battery life is stellar. I would typically get one day out of my PH-1. On the 3A, one day I forgot to plug it in the night before and managed to get through an entire second day. So roughly double SOT of my PH-1.Screen – OLED screen on a $400 phone seems like a great deal.Meh:Build quality – It definitely feels cheap. I get it’s “only a $400 phone” but I’d prefer if a $400 device didn’t feel like a tupperware lid.Ultimately, I had to return it. If it’s already crashing and freezing in the first few weeks, lord knows it’s only going to get worse later on.

    3 people found this helpful

16. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    Alice E. Lesak – June 3, 2024

    2.0 out of 5 stars

    No Help When It Breaks

    I bought this phone from Amazon because I wanted to use Spectrum Mobile, and to buy a phone through them, I had to be home to accept UPS or Fed Ex delivery of a phone. I work. I wasn’t taking a day off from work to wait for a delivery. The Pixel phone from Amazon was fine. It takes great pictures, it connected to my home Wifi, which is what I needed since I don’t have cell service here. All was good. Fast forward 6 months. When I tried to make a call, I would get a message that said I was not connected to wifi and that I needed to connect to wifi to make a call. But when I went into the phone settings, it said that I was indeed connected to my home wifi. This past week, the problem was no longer intermittent. I can now no longer make any calls or get any texts in our out. I called Amazon, and they said I needed to contact Google, but they weren’t allowed to give me the number. I Googled a number, but when I called, it said that, because of the COVID outbreak, no one was answering the phone. I had to connect via Google ads. I tried going on Google’s various websites, but when I clicked on Contact Us, nothing happened. I eventually learned that I could not contact Google using Internet Explorer, I had to use Google Chrome. Go figure. So I opened a Google support website, and when I clicked on Contact Us I got an opportunity to do a live chat. I was happy. It asked me to explain my problem. I did. Then an agent came on line, and his first question was to ask me what the problem was. So do they have me type my problem before the agent comes on line just for the exercise? He did figure it out before I finished repeating the problem, and he told me he’d check it out. After an interminable wait, he came back to the chat and said I can’t use my cell phone if I don’t have cell service. I told him that isn’t true because I’ve been using it for the past 6 months. He then started to tell me about this wonderful thing called wifi calling and gave me a link to my wifi provider’s information about wifi calling. In all capital letters with exclamation marks, I told him I know about wifi calling, have been using wifi calling, and the problem is that the phone isn’t working. He asked me to explain what I meant when I said the phone isn’t working. I asked how I get the phone repaired under warranty. He said the fastest way was to contact the service center. But what he gave me was the phone number and web address, it was for ubreakifix.com. Never will I EVER buy another Google product.

17. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Aunt Laya Saul – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    My new phone after iPhone, glad I made the change

    Changing phones has its challenges: getting used to the way it operates is one of them. The first thing I marveled at with this phone is the battery life. Astounding! Really. I may never go back to iPhone. I took the leap after the news that Apple was purposefully slowing down older phones. I am happy with all the aspects of this camera EXCEPT… Google automatically puts all photos you take with it into Google Photos. Then, the notice that you don’t have enough space and your email will stop coming unless you pay a monthly fee for extra storage. I looked up how to disconnect my phone from Google and basically, you can’t. So that’s the downside. (Maybe that’s any Android?)Here’s another piece I love about this phone. When I use the dictation feature, the program has picked up the words I use that are not English but used with my community and friends (transliterated) and that makes it much easier. When I type, the same thing. Why couldn’t my iPhone ever get that when I type “Shabbat” that it nearly always came with “Shalom”? My pixel gets it.Very happy with the purchase.PS If I had it to do over, I’d probably get the black instead of the purplish. The color doesn’t really look that nice through the grey case–first world problems…

    3 people found this helpful

18. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Pastshelfdate – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    A very pleasant surprise, to find all my data transferred to this, my second smart phone.

    The only thing that’s less than perfect is that occasionally little bits of dust get in the speaker ports, and resulting sound is a little crackly, for a while.Google needs to get the word out, better, about how perfectly they actually backed up and transferred all the data, from my dead Nexus 5X to this Pixel 3a. I’d read, a few years before, that only one’s apps, and none of their data, were backed up. I was prepared for a very sad, laborious process of rebuilding data.The actual process confused me, a bit, probably because I’m 61, and didn’t grow up with these things. At first, I couldn’t tell that anything was transferring to my new phone. And the interface was structured differently. On my previous phone, there was no swiping up for additional screens of activity.Close to a year later, this phone is a constant companion, making my cleaning job way more than bearable, even fun, by letting me listen to podcasts. There’s still plenty of unused storage, and I’m able to download new podcast episodes, every day, to play off-line and save on data costs.I bought my phone unlocked, so I could choose my own service provider, without being locked into a contract. I know there’s no such thing as a free phone.I’m hoping this phone lasts more than 3 years. I can’t afford to replace a phone more often than that. So far, so good. The only downside may be operator error. I struggle to use the fingertip identification unlocking feature.

19. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Khalil – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Once you go Pixel, you never go back

    Google has definitely made an amazing device. this is my first pixel and I will continue to stick with the pixel family. I have been a Samsung Galaxy user both the note and the s series and I’m very happy to have switched over to the pixel. I don’t understand the complaints that some people have, I have no issues with the battery life as it last 4 hours. I’m a very heavy user and a very heavy gamer and this particular device has no problem running any of the graphics intensive games that I play. It also has no problem running more than one app at a time.The pure version of Android 10 is amazing. I read about Google gestures and a lot of people did not like them and said that they weren’t intuitive, however, I disagree. It takes a little bit to get used to but after that they’re simple and very easy to use. At this point I would hate to go back using the bottom buttons or pill.This device has an amazing scream, he’s not sluggish, starts very quickly and overall is an amazing device. Google is constantly updating the software which is next 19. The newest version of Android 10 is definitely a great addition to the Android operating system family. I’ve been using Android to send Android to and I must say it has come a long way. I am very pleased with this phone and as stated above I will be a loyal member to the pixel family

20. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Flagship performance at a 1/3rd of the price

    This phone is amazing for the price point it’s at. You can tell Google spent a lot of time optimizing android to work on this hardware. The OLED screen is sharp with great color saturation. Performance is SNAPPY. switching to the camera and taking shots is instant. Charging is fast and the battery life is quite good. Camera is one of the best on the market.I’ve used Motorola phones with “better” specs that have more performance hiccups. You give up some of the premium features in this phone like wireless charging, waterproofing, and you get a plastic body instead of metal. Other than this thing is on par with the best phones on the market. It’s an amazing value proposition. OH AND IT STILL HAS THE HEADPHONE JACK. This is a big deal for me as I have a few nice pairs of ear buds and headphones I still like to use with my phones. Most of the flagship devices are getting rid of this and makes me sad.If I had one tiny gripe, with a 64GB rom I would’ve hoped for microSD expansion. Really this isn’t a big deal for me, I keep up with the storage on my devices, but for some that like carry large media libraries it may be a deal breaker. It also doesn’t look as premium as devices that have edge-to-edge screens like the latest iphones and other flagship devices, but really it’s a 1/3 of the price of these devices. I would be hard pressed to pay over twice the price of this device when this thing is just so perfect in most ways.

21. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Amy Dale – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Refurbished phone at a great price but…

    I received the phone in a timely way from Amazon Warehouse and the price was great. It was a refurbished phone and looked brand new. Love the color! However, it had a problem. No sound for alarm and phone ringer. Thankfully the phone was still under warranty and I sent it to Google for replacement. Google was great and replaced it with one equally as new looking, same color and this one WORKED! The hassle was I was without a phone for almost a month.I just need a phone that gets the job done. This phone replaces my hand-me-down Samsung Note4 that finally died. Miss the stylus, but the Pixel 3a fit the budget and does what I need it to do…make and receive calls, play a game or two and takes pictures. It does a whole lot more than that but those are the things I use it for.Overall, I like the idea of getting a refurbished phone but don’t think I’d get one from Amazon again because they should have caught the problem this one had.

22. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    wchapin – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent upgrade to Pure Android

    Decided to upgrade from Samsung Galaxy s8 because of s8’s declining battery life and rumored lack of update to Android 10. Glad I made the switch. Other than larger and easier to read the battery life for the 3a xl is over one day, easy to navigate as there is no carrier bloatware, get immediate updates from Google, and has most if not all of the features that my Galaxy had.There are a couple of cons that while are not deal breakers should be noted and that is that there is no wireless charge capabilities and the top microphone hole looks surprisingly like a sim card ejection fitting. I would suggest that maybe Google should place a removable tag over the hole showing that it is not a sim card area. Moving from Samsung people could mistake the hole and try to insert the sim removal tray tool.All in all, this phone has excellent call reception and clarity both inbound and outbound. And, doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!Update: Had an issue with the screen (operator error) and sent it back to the Google repair partner Cynergy in Grapevine Texas. Using the online form, got a RMA and put it in a FEDEX pick up box on Monday. The fixed (new screen) phone was back in my hands in perfect working order the following Monday morning. Excellent service at no cost to me as it was still under warranty. WOW!

    One person found this helpful

23. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Anton – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great phone overall. Even better on promotions.

    A great phone for the price. And a great phone overall!Pixel 3a xl has a unique combination of things that are just good enough and exceptional. So, here is my rundown of those features:1) Camera – exceptional quality, ease of use and consistency. Just point and shoot and you will get a great photo, no matter the lighting condition and scene.2) Battery life – amazing. If you switch off always on screen and Google assistant – you can get up to 2 days with moderate use, or a full day of hard use with some 20-30% buffer.3) Screen – good enough. It has ok resolution and brightness. No major problems with it. It is not as great as Samsung flagship screens, thought.4) Speakers – good enough. Dual speakers, one bottom firing and another – front firing. They get decently loud and stay clear. You can listen to some music or videos.5) Vibration motor is a game changer. Some times I come back on to my LG V20, and the vibration motor there feels sloppy. So having that haptic response girl miles for your user experience.6) Headphone Jack is here and it is convenient.The screen is covered with glass, it scratches, so use protection. The body is made of plastic, which is high quality and doesn’t pick scratches even without a case. So protect the screen and enjoy this great Android phone.

24. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    S. Murr – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Phone but No Native Screen Recording

    I got this last December and so far am loving just about everything about it. A few issues I have come across are that Google has disabled the native android screen recording feature, so you’ll need an additional app if you want to do that. Also, the hands-free mode is easily activated from the side power button (and, by easy I mean, I picked up my phone at work to order lunch and it continued to wig out and shout back to me every letter and every action on the screen for twenty minutes while I tried to figure out the right sort of exorcism needed to fix it). I’m sure it’s super useful when driving but, I’ve been scarred now and haven’t deliberately activated it.Heavy app users may want more memory but, I’ve managed to fit quite a lot on it and everything runs smoothly. Camera is good. Screen quality is good. Sound quality is good. Call screening is fantastic. Lots of notifications at first but, they can be disabled from the notification screen as well as settings. I’m very happy with the phone.

    One person found this helpful

25. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Rev. Dan – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best Android Cell Phone I’ve Owned

    There is not much to dislike about this phone. It’s not perfect, by any means. But, overall, it’s a very good Android phone. Perhaps the best feature is that you get Android updates and security updates quickly, without waiting on the carrier to provide it, which often takes weeks or month. The phone’s performance is good, the camera is good, the microphone is super sensitive, to a fault. I stood in my bedroom looking for my phone. To help find it, I said, “Hey Google, what’s the weather today?” I spoke in a low to moderate voice, thinking the phone was in the same room I was in. But, when Google responded, the phone was in another room down the hall. Wow… kinda creepy, really. No, I know for sure I don’t want a Google smart speaker. But, I love the phone. Best Android phone I’ve ever owned. One of the main reasons I bought this phone was for the large battery. However, the large screen and zippy processor apparently use a lot of juice. The battery doesn’t last as long as the same size battery lasted in my Moto Z Play that this phone replaced. Still, does well. I would buy this same phone again if it supported 5G, which it doesn’t.

26. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Alexis J. Kelley – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great phone for the price!

    I had my eye on this phone since I saw a commercial for it last year. I couldn’t buy it until this year, however (thanks stimulus check!), but I’m glad I did! It’s leaps and bounds better than the old LG G4 that I had for years. I really like how it comes with almost no bloatware, being an unlocked phone. It’s my first time buying an unlocked phone, and I feel like it’s the way to go.I did have a little trouble transferring SIM cards, since my old one was a micro instead of a nano, but my carrier gave me a new one free of charge. And that’s in no way Google’s or the seller’s fault that my phone was so old.I like the different features that I’ve messed with so far. I’m sure I haven’t discovered everything yet, but I can at least say that the UI looks great, it’s much improved over what I had while still retaining the familiarity of Android.I have not taken any real photos with this phone yet, but if it’s everything I’ve heard it to be, it should be great! I can’t wait ’til all this pandemic stuff is over and I can start enjoying taking pictures again.I definitely recommend this phone if you’re looking for something with great features for a price that won’t empty your wallet.

    One person found this helpful

27. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    D. leung – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Low price, low storage, unpolished dual SIM

    Generally a good phone with all the Google stuff, much better battery life than the Pixel 4. I get 36 hours of light to medium usage and never have to worry about it. The small storage 64GB is a problem if you do a lot of videos, and Google limits the amount stored in the cloud unless you pay extra.This phone can handle two SIMs, one physical and one electronic. It does not work great because I have Google Fi for both SIMs, which shows very confusing messages as to which phone number I am using for text messages. Talked to Google and they said it will be sent to their engineering team for evaluation.Also, the phone may be too new and some Apps may not work. For example, Adobe Photoshop Fix cannot be installed, saying it is incompatible, even though it installed on a 1G Pixel and a Pixel 3a. Separately, Adobe is completely inept at understanding this problem, I have gotten 15 emails from Adobe asking me to explain my problem even though I gave them screen shots and all the details.

28. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Josh L – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best phones we’ve ever owned

    We’ve been iPhone owners for nearly a decade. After all the constant changes, forcing to face ID on most units, prices being jacked up, no headphone jack (really prices you out if you don’t want BT headphones or dealing with charging them, etc), and just never ending issues with our iPhones (updates crashing apps, black screens, Apple always blaming us for any issues, even though we dropped thousands on Apple products at the time). We decided to finally move away from Apple and into a more affordable ecosystem.Over 6 months later, so glad! Never turning back. Apples new budget phone with the SE is a total joke and ripoff to loyal Apple fans (of which I was 20 years). Basically, if you want a fast, affordable, good quality phone (that won’t smash to a million pieces if dropped) with the best camera ever, then get a Pixel!!! The 3a is awesome. Thank you Google.And no, I don’t care if Google doesn’t offer as much customer service or Applecare etc, those are all gimmicks, because when the time came to get help from Apple, they never could be counted on! And friends with LG or Samsung have had similar issues and never get timely updates. Pixel always means first to update, first to get security patches. Hope this helps!

    One person found this helpful

29. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    I buy too much tech – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best budget phone for the every user!

    A lot of the budget smartphones have to sacrifice somewhere. Pretty much all of them will have sub-par cameras, decent at best displays, and of course loads of bloatware. This makes finding a nicely priced phone for my mother a bit of a challenge because she is always after the best camera with a nice display but couldn’t care less about the specs. The Pixel 3a shakes things up by going against all other budget phones; it has identical camera quality to the flagship Pixel 3 (in other words, the gold standard) a full HD OLED display and absolutely no bloatware to find! Instead the Pixel 3a forgoes the flagship processor, and and what I like to call “XL cupholder add-ons” (features that no one would ever say no to, but aren’t necessary in a phone), so no official IP rating, no wide angle selfie camera, no wireless charging or glass back, and only one of the stereo speakers is front facing. I myself would find myself gravitating more towards OnePlus phones where performance is prioritized over things like camera quality, but for my mother and most other people out there who just want a good camera and a beautiful display, there is no better phone!TL;DR best phone for anyone not absolutely obsessed with specs like me and uses their smartphone camera frequently (so 80% of the population)

    9 people found this helpful

30. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Zachary D Jones – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great phone, Great Price, coudln’t ask for much more.

    Great phone for the price. I opted for the XL as it was a little bit more, but screne size is just perfect for what I do/need. I am happy with the camera and how the phone functions on a daily basis. So far no issues with any of the games I play or any apps i’ve downloaded/used. This really is one of the better phones on the market thats not top of the line, but feels top of the line.As far as i know there isnt’ much of a difference between this and the High end pixel. Missing the waterproofing, wireless charging, and HD google photo storage… Other than the faster processer I dont think its missing much else. I can live without the HD storage, at least it stores all my photoes for free anyways, Also if i change phones in 2 years, I would prob have to pay for storage for my photoes to keep them.The charger that comes with the phone is super quick. I went out and bought a 2nd one just so I had one for the house and one for work/car. Phone charges quickly. I easily get a day or more out of my phone, but can get a quick charge and able to keep my phone working for another day.

31. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Markus – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    PIXEL 3a XL Received like New

    I bought this Pixel and it was sent like new & GOOD battery life Thank You! IThis phone is good in the hand and I have now ordered a case also after my experiments below.I am paranoid on Privacy since I watched so many of those you tube videos about privacy. I both this phone for testing other operating systems that is secure and private.I have tested different operating Systems on this. Grapheneos, CalyxOS and Finally UBUNTU TOUCH. This was due to privacy concerns on Google Android loaded operating systems on Normal Smart Phones. All these work fine, but Grapheneos is very bare and it security limits its use, because you cannot really load standard Google apps without breaching is security features. CalyxOS comes with a App Store loaded and google Spoofed services and this is more useful but not as secure. Unfortunately both Grapheneos, CalyxOS and LineageOS are just De-googled Android and I found that my Cellular Service Provider can still install their SIMKIT software and force Zero Level or Flash SMS messages at will on your screen. Very Annoying! So UBUNTU TOUCH(LINUX) is also bear with few aps , but SIMS cannot load software on it. WAYDROID is loaded with a LineageOS version in a Contained environment and allows Android apps to work , but is Experimental and stops also this phone does not have the processing power to run both operating system with its RAM. (4gb- Qualcomm SDM670 Snapdragon 670 )I am still very happy to have a fully functional phone with UBUNTU TOUCH, Fully working browser and I imported +3000 Contacts from 2 google account Contacts export format: vCard format. There is also a map app. The mail app for this might not be secure due to privileges granted on the full operating system , so I am not using it. You never have to sign in to a google account to use aps , but you can use the Free UBUNTU TOUCH app for G-Mail to ready and write E-Mail(Gmail). I would say it is more secure than any other smartphone on the planet, but limited in some function. Another good thing I found is I can select 2g only, 3 g only or 4g Auto network select. Because My area has bad reception and I just need to make calls I use it on 2g with full signal and good calls.(All the phones I tested Iphone X and LG V60 only allows 5G or 4G auto select and even if you select a 2 g tower manually it goes back to 4 G in 3 seconds. On 2g my phone only looses 4% battery in 8 hours overnight! (And this is a second hand phone)For now I will keep my Iphone X for Banking and Mail and use the Pixel with UBUNTU, its fun!!My next venture might be VOLLA PHONE 22 with Volla OS or UBUNTU & Waydroid for more speed.

    4 people found this helpful

32. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    david salt – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Better than the Pixel 7 Pro!

    I originally bought this in 2019 and had it for years, then I dropped it and it died. So I went to a brick and mortar retailer and bought the most recent one out there, the Pixel 7 Pro. Well, I missed the Pixel 3a XL and did not find the 7 Pro any better, in fact it was worse. The 3a XL has a plastic window (less likely to crack) and an earphone jack. Plus it has the fingerprint reader on the back. The 7 Pro has the face recognition and the fingerprint reader on the front. The 7 Pro face reader only works for me half the time because it does not work well in low light condition, and the fingerprint reader only works 10% of the time, after a few attempts it refers me to the manual sign in. But the 3s XL never gave me a hard time signing in. It was also lighter and felt better in my hand. It just seems more natural to put your hand on the backside and put your finger in the reader. The 7 Pro is better for video, but that is it. So I am now purchasing another 3a XL from Amazon and puting the 7 Pro in draw and use it only for video when I need to.

33. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    S. Anderson – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    A great option when you just need an Android phone

    My digital life is in the Apple ecosystem, but as a web developer, I need an Android phone for testing purposes. I wanted to go with a Google Pixel phone because I prefer a “clean” Android experience without extra clutter other phone manufacturers are compelled to add.This phone is a few years old now and as of this writing only supports up to last year’s version of Android, but again, as a web developer, I need to be able to test the average user’s real experience, and unless a user is always updating to the newest phones, they’re going to be stuck on a year-or-two-old version of Android anyway.Even though my interest in this phone was purely utilitarian, I actually do like it as a device. It’s super-slim, has a pretty decent camera, and the fingerprint recognition on the back works great. I’m not likely to give up my iPhone, but if I had to switch to Android today, I think I’d be happy using this phone for quite a while. And the price can’t be beat!

34. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Hobbyist – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Coming from Huawei P20 Pro

    My wife got a Pixel 3 when it first came out last year. I liked it but didn’t think it was worth the $1000 price tag. I was using a new Huawei P20 Pro that was known as the camera King in the smartphone game with a triple camera including a 40 MP sensor and unbelievable low light pictures. Then my wife got her Pixel 3 with it’s one camera making my pictures look, well bad. I finally decided to pull the trigger on the Pixel 3a after a lot of consideration. At the time of purchase, the regular Pixel 3 dropped to just $499 in price. I thought about going with that but decided that I don’t use wireless charging, liked the idea of a plastic phone over a glass back since I like to rock my phone no case, liked the headphone jack, and don’t really care about the wide angle selfie cam. The things I do like about the regular Pixel 3 are the better processor, dedicated photo processor, and free photo storage at full original quality. But decided to go with the 3a and save $100.So far, I don’t regret the purchase. I still have my P20 Pro as a back up phone too. The camera on this does absolutely blow that one away which makes it worth it to me as that is my biggest priority and I’m guessing it is most people’s as well.One thing is apparent right away to me and that is battery life. Yes, it charges fast and I pretty much have access to chargers everywhere I go (home, work, car, etc) but my P20 could go two full days on a charge. I could leave for work at 100% and come home 9 hours later at 92%! It was nice. This thing lasts way way shorter. It has gone 100 to 60 in only a few hours with very light use.But I love the display, the speakers are some of the best I’ve ever heard on a phone, the camera is literally stunning, and I like the simplicity on styling and operating system.It gets a 9 out of 10 from me and that is because of the camera and price.Update 1: After using for a few days still loving the phone and found out a big factor on battery life. I had the “Lift to Awake Screen” activated on the Always on Display. After turning that off, the battery life has gotten quite a bit better. I didn’t like that anyways because the screen would constantly go to my lock screen just holding the phone in my hand or pocket. You could also greatly improve battery life by turning the Always on Display “off” completely but I really like it on.I am really liking the stock android OS and I forgot to mention, my phone updated to Android 10 on the first night, one day after the release. You can’t beat updates like that! And my 3a hasn’t had any of the “pixel problems” that many other Pixel 3 owners faced after going to Android 10.

    3 people found this helpful

35. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Stephen M. Fletcher – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Embrace the botnet!

    Are you the kind of person who would buy a Toyota Camry with a V6 or a BMW 7-series with a turbocharged V8? The BMW is a gorgeous car, but:- costs a pile- has buttons you’ll never figure out- if you do, you’ll never use half of them- do people really switch between comfort/comfort+/sport/etc?- do people really study the engine specs on the display?- you’ll really be crying if you wreck itNow, nobody will ever mistake a Camry for a BMW. But it’s a fine car, has some nice features, plenty of legroom, decent bluetooth, lane warning, radar cruise control, looks sharp etc. It’s nice! However, it’s going to take you longer to pass a semi than the BMW will. And it doesn’t have half the features the BMW does. But you’ll feel a lot less bad when you wreck it.This is the difference between the 3A XL and, say, the Galaxy S20. The main deal is the 3A has the Snapdragon 670 vs the 865 in the S20. It’s the difference between a V6 and a V8. Does the 670 do okay? Absolutely. Most of the time you won’t be able to tell that you have a less powerful chip and that’s much to google’s credit. About the only time I notice it is when scrolling through photos and pics, there’s a very slightly longer–but noticeable–load time. For other tasks like email, web browsing, games, vids? I can’t tell. I upgraded from the S8, which was a flagship at the time and has the Exynos chip, and the S8 is snappier but I can only tell under specific circumstances, like lists of pics. The rest of the time I CAN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE.This phone is considered a midrange because of the engine, the Snapdragon 670. It’s the same size (dimensions) as the FruitFone 7+, so not as large as I was expecting. But the best part?- no notchlol- no holelol- HEADPHONE JACK!- no bloatware- pure droid- not idiotically priced like FruitFone and (unfortunately) Scamsung.And that, my friends, is worth the price of admission. But it’s gooooogle! It’s the botnet!! Dude, you’re on Android which is already the biggest botnet in the world (fruitfone is no distance behind at all). Don’t be fooled into thinking there’s anything like real privacy. To get anything close to that you’ve got to go the distance with a fone that lets you unlock the bootloader (chinese brands) and flash a custom rom and who cares? Now: the thing doesn’t accept an SD card and you’re limited to 50-some GB after the OS loads, so if you’re a packrat you’ll need to do a little space management.My recommendation is to wait for this to go on sale and then pull the trigger. I might pay list but would probably wait for a sale. It’s a dynamite phone.

36. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Gravage – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    I have to admit, I’m impressed

    I buy a LOT of smartphones. Too many. It’s a real problem. I usually just buy the flagships. I want the best features and the maximum amount of power. I wanted the Pixel experience, though, and this phone was on sale, so I picked it up. I have to say, I’m impressed. You do not get what you pay for. You get much more. This phone punches well above it’s weight. Let’s break it down:Screen: I generally prefer a larger display. With the notch, the Pixel 3 XL is roughly the same size, so you’re really not losing much here at 6″ even. The display is beautiful and the 1080p resolution is not an issue.Battery: The phone really shines here. It easily lasted me to the end of the day, even with heavy use. This is partially due to the “mid-range” processor the phone is using. More on that later. Suffice it to say, this is the battery life the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL SHOULD have had.Performance: This is where you’d expect it to take a hit. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t. It’s every bit as smooth as the Pixel 3 XL (I used them side-by-side). It’s actually a little unnerving how well it performs. Where you WILL see a slight hit is in anything involving storage. Loading apps, copying files, etc. It has slower storage than the flagships and that’s the one place you will see it show, but the day-to-day performance is pretty bullet-proof. The only other place it suffers is RAM. No Pixel ever should have had 4GB of RAM. But I can say with confidence that it does the best it can with that limitation.Camera: I mean, it’s a Pixel. The photos are every bit as good as the Pixel 3. The only place you will see a degradation is in processing time. The slower processor and storage mean that the HDR+ shots take a little longer to process in the background. You can keep using the camera, but if you tap on the picture you just took, it will be a few seconds before you can really look at it.Everything else is pretty solid. Haptics are good. Speakers are great. You’re missing wireless charging and water resistance, if those are important to you. If they’re not, and you can live with a very marginally slower phone, I would definitely recommend this over the Pixel 3 XL, if only for the battery life.

37. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    P. Larsen – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    So far so good – but I wonder for how long

    My old Pixel1 died – or rather the battery did, and well you cannot replace it without spending “half a phone” on it. I don’t think any phone is worth $1000+ so I was happy that Google offered the 3a which has plenty of capacity for what I use my phone for for a reasonable price. I went from having 15-30 minutes of phone time on a full charge to days.The process of copying data over failed because the old phone could not keep a charge long enough for the process to complete. With the help of Google support, I did a phone restore from the cloud instead, but this does not include _all_ data/apps. So the process of migrating from old to new phone, even within Google’s own systems, was far from optimal and successful. Google support was very helpful of at least getting an operational phone with 85-90% of all features installed.You just need patience – every app have to be downloaded, you have to re-authorize/authenticate everything – and if you like me use apps for OTP, you’ll have to create all new keys.Feature wise I like the XL size better then the original size. The “press for google assistant” sucks and will soon be disabled. I love the finger-print authentication, I used that a lot on Pixel1 too and it’s still easy to use. Camera works, even thought he google app for taking photos is getting worse.The driving-mode feature sorta worked on the old Pixel, but it’s like it has all new life on Pixel3a. The only problem is that it’s over aggressive. Sitting on a plane I had to constantly turn it off as we taxied to take off (airplane mode does not disable GPS). But in my car it’s GREAT – I start playing podcasts, set my destination and as I drive out the garage the drive-app activates and now incoming calls are “restricted” and full hands-free works great. The old pixel, this was all a manual process – and it would get confused at times and refuse to stop podcasts when calls came in.Given my experience with the pixel1 I’m unsure of the longevity of this phone. It has the same design fault not giving you access to the battery without a lot of special tools or spending quite a lot of money to have someone else do it. The next battery failure will be the last one for Pixel – at least for me.

    8 people found this helpful

38. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Kiki the Librarian – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Google is responsive to problems

    When I bought this phone in January of 2020 I had a lot of problems with the screen (partly non-responsive and partly entering a bunch of letters I wasn’t touching). Regretfully I lived with the frustration for several months before I reached out to Google and they quickly sent me to a local cell phone repair shop (uBreakiFix)and covered the cost of getting a new screen.In the past, I would keep phones for way longer than most people so I was disappointed when I had to replace the battery recently for about $80 (but, again, I lived with the frustration of a short battery life for many months). It was still charging like lightning, though -you plug it in and 20 minutes later it’s 100%, but it was also draining really fast and I started taking charge banks everywhere I went. I noticed the battery drain right after Android 12 was released and I blamed it on that but maybe it was just the battery was dying.Things I love about the phone: gorgeous easy to see screen even in sunlight, photos especially night sight, phone call screening, smooth integration with Google services.Update: I just ordered a Pixel 6 (not 6a), taking advantage of the recent price drop – like only $100 more than what I paid for the 3a almost 3 years ago! I resisted for a long time because I really like to have a phone jack but I decided I’d be willing to make the trade off for all the new amazing features the 6 has. Bottom line, the 3A served me well as long as I wasn’t deferring repairs!I love to play Pokemon Go so I’m hoping for a better experience on the Pixel 6. My biggest frustration is every time I use a different app while playing, like check/send a text or take a picture, Pokemon Go closes. I’m not sure if it’s the phone or something I’ve done or Niantic issues. Fingers crossed!

39. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    A. LardnoiseA. Lardnoise – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great phone… IF the speakerphone works(known issue of this phone)!!!

    Awesome camera for sure. Software is fairly nice, yet Google Pixel phones still may need some modifications to bring some excellent features that are sadly missing(such as delayed text, removal of Google bar, back/home/recents non-customizable by deafult, and most importantly NOTIFICATION LIGHT! is missing so a workaround is needed). 3.5mm headphone jack(yet no FM radio) is very nice IMHO, size is very nice, battery is just fine for my usage, USB-C, ear speaker is clear and fairly loud, cellular signal seems to be at least as good as any other phone I’ve used, etc.Now a warning regarding Amazon orders; Amazon is extremely difficult to contact for support. Individual sellers on Amazon can be some real trouble(no phone calls returned, no response from Amazon messages, and very confusing and poorly written return policies). I will likely avoid at all costs any future purchases this method since it has been an expensive headache to deal with a phone that obviously didn’t even get the basic quality control assurance testing done and needing to contact support for critical questions has been nothing but a nightmare. With a decade+ on a competitor marketplace, I think I will stay with them for purchasing anything other than direct from Amazon as their communications is top-notch in comparison and flawless service for coming to resolutions if a problem does occur.In conclusion; Really disappointed with Amazon seller customer service and Amazon’s resolution center when an issue does arise!UPDATE: second phone bought off Amazon and came with non-functioning Android software(Your device is corrupt). Further supporting my initial conclusion(also another seller that did not honor my request for a telephone call).

40. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    LFP – June 3, 2024

    2.0 out of 5 stars

    Not Usable as Received & Not Impressed

    I purchased this phone in Used – LIKE NEW condition from Amazon Warehouse. It was to replace a Motorola G4 that is 3 years old and starting to act a little sluggish. I was quite excited to receive my Google Pixel 3a XL, especially to use the camera. This is my review for the very short period of time I had the phone.The phone had a nice feel, very similar to my Moto G4… ever so slightly taller and just a tad narrower.The display was fine and had no issues there. Basic operation was very smooth and fast. That is where the excitement ended and the disappointments began…I was extremely excited to try this highly rated camera… and boy was I disappointed.I was comparing shots taken with both the Pixel 3a XL and my Moto G4 (3 year old technology and not a very expensive phone at the time). All the pictures taken with the Pixel seemed a bit washed out… like too much light. Each phone’s camera was set to Auto with HDR off. The Pixel did do slightly better in a couple pics taken in a darker room with no lights on. I also tried taking some video… the Moto G4 results were far superior. Probably needless to say but I was quite surprised about all this.Another thing I noticed as I was taken photos was there was no shutter sound… you know that little clicking sound that lets you know yes, I got the pic. Well nothing… and then I realized I hadn’t heard any sound at all for anything coming from this Pixel phone – and so I went to all the settings under camera and main settings to make sure the sound option was on and then I went to You Tube to play a music video… and guess what, no sound whatsoever! So just a couple of hours into having this supposedly fine phone with a magnificent camera do I find it has no sound and the photos taken with the camera are beyond disappointing:(So I was not sure how I should feel about this phone/camera that I so excitedly had waited for. Did I just get a ‘lemon’, the bad ‘needle in the haystack’? After all I did buy a USED (though noted “LIKE NEW”) phone… but was this the real problem here? Needless to say I immediately packed up the phone and returned it.I have since researched online and did read of some problems having to do with sound on the Pixel phones, so now I’m not sure what to do. Can I recommend this phone… sorry, but I certainly can not. The Pixel 3a XL may not be considered a ‘flagship’ phone that cost ridiculous amounts of money, but it certainly is not a cheap phone when spending almost $400 on a Used, Like New model… I certainly expected a lot more from this Google phone and I definitely didn’t get it. For now I’ll stick with my Moto G4, sluggish and all… for after all, it does have SOUND and takes pretty darn GOOD PHOTOS & VIDEO too.I still would like to think that this phone was the exception and that the Google Pixel 3a XL is all that it was hyped up to be. Or I wonder if others have had the same experience I had and came away disappointed. Please let me know in the comments section… I’d be happy to hear others thoughts on this. Thank you and I hope this review has been helpful.

41. 

    Rated 1 out of 5

    Dave S. – June 3, 2024

    1.0 out of 5 stars

    Cheated out of $150

    We bought this phone as a “new” “unlocked” product. We went to the Verizon store and they connected it for us. The next day it wouldn’t work correctly so my wife went back to her old phone. As it turns out the phone is “not compatible” with the Verizon network. When we went to connect it to another network it gave us a “sim card not compatible, please contact Verizon” message. Verizon can’t/won’t unlock the phone, Google can’t/won’t unlock the phone, the return window has passed, so it is useless. During our investigation of the situation, we searched the IMEI number and it showed that the phone was NOT “NEW” it had in fact been connected in several countries over a couple of years. So the supplier, Crown Products, is selling phones as “new” when they are not. I have spent several hours pursuing a resolution to this issue and have gotten nowhere. Buyer beware.

    One person found this helpful

42. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Tiffany – June 3, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    3 cons I wish I had realized when I did my research to buy this phone

    Battery: The battery is the worst. I have had Samsung Androids and iPhones in the past with much Long batteries life. I will charge to 100 and need to charge again aroun 4pm with standard usage. The same usage that wouldn’t drain my phones of past. Then when my battery runs low …I find the 2nd issue with this phone.The charging cord: goggle Pixel decided to come out with a completely different cord that is incompatible with Samsung Androids and iPhones alike. Your phone comes with a power block for the wall and a “male to male” version of their charge plug. In order to plug into standard USB to charge you need the little piece they provided then you need to purchase a male to male USB chord to use it. That means you need 3 pieces to charge if you don’t have your own charger.Storage: NO MINI SD slot. You have to let Google have everything in their cloud. I wasn’t able to transfer my old phone photos and information with my micro SD. I have to keep my old phone around to access my photos and Info stored on my Sd.Camera: the camera is not mind blowing but it’s good. At first I thought loved the portrait mode..it blurs the surrounding background….until I realized you can see a line that separates The clear backgrounds From the blurred background. It looks like a bad photo shop job.Fingerprint: This Option is very convenient.

    7 people found this helpful

43. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Thomas B.Thomas B. – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Phone is fine but Amazon won’t honor $100 Gift Card. (FIXED! updated)

    I ordered this phone on May 18, 2019, when Amazon was supposed to be running a $100 Gift Card promotion – but I never received the gift card. Amazon Chat was unable to honor it and I got nowhere calling them either. They don’t have any record of their own promotion. Has anyone else had any problem receiving their gift card?UPDATE: Customer support *via Email* was able to help within 60 minutes of receiving an email with screencaps and links to the promotion. Thanks!-Thoughts on the Pixel 3a XL. Build quality is fine, but the original Pixel just feels a little better and more solid in the hand.-Haptic feedback is also better on the original Pixel.-The camera is great compared to my Samsung Galaxy S6, NIght Sight and Portrait Mode are great additions. Low light performance is obviously better with the Pixel XL 3A, but otherwise, it’s hard to see the difference in a well-lit scene.

    10 people found this helpful

44. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    gary assassin – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    IMO, best budget phone

    Camera quality: 5 stars in comparison to my previous phone, but I can’t compare the premium phones.I consider this a budget phone, and for that it is a quality phone. Funny, the first charge lasted 3 days, but since then, I only get a little over one day. I don’t use the phone much at all. Maybe it’s one of my apps or its settings. I don’t feel like deleting them all and adding one at a time to see.I don’t need a phone with all the bells and whistles like wireless charging, so this phone was on the top of my list. It’s faster than my Moto G5+, which was flaking out on bluetooth. No issues here.Beware that you only get high quality storage for free on Google photos for the 3A line, and you cannot fast charge with any cable/plug other than an OEM Google combo. They have a proprietary method. No big deal.

    4 people found this helpful

45. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    PT – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent phone, unbeatable value

    I have had my phone for about a month (Prime day deal). I am a light user. The most power consuming daily use is the 45 minutes Prime video while at the gym. By the way I came from a Galaxy S5 which is old but I’d still be using if not for the dying battery. So take the opinion of a non-gadget person for what it is worth.The battery life has been amazing. I recharge about every four days when the battery level drops to about 20-30%. Now I can leave the house in the morning with 30% battery level and not having to worry about the phone dying. The camera is great. I like taking pictures of flowers and the blurring effect in the portrait mode is exactly what I need. Not having an SD card slot is a pity. I get around that by transferring my pictures to a thumb drive using the include USB adapter. 64G memory seems to be quite enough for a me so far. All other functions like cell signal reception, Wifi calling, navigation, playing music, etc, work as expected.I highly recommend this phone.

46. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Happy with my choice and highly recommend.

    Overall I’m very satisfied with my switch to the Google Pixel 3a. I previously had the LGV20 and loved absolutely everything about it for 3 years. However, it was time for an update.Pros: The Pixel 3a is sleek, easier to hold, and much easier to get to my apps. The battery lasts anywhere between 2 & 3 days, and I like that the percentage left is on the top right corner. A major deciding factor for me, was the headphone jack, which I can’t live without. It’s operating speed is definitely faster than my old phone.Cons: The camera on my previous phone had a wide screen option which I adored and miss on this phone. Also, the camera itself on the V20 seemed to take clearer picture in the day to day, although the Pixels detail when steadily focused is a great improvement. The only other wish that was not granted was external storage capability, as there is no place for an SD card.In the end, I’m glad I chose this phone. I highly recommend.

47. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Randy Smith – June 3, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Good phone, ringtone much too low

    I’ve had the Pixel 3a XL for about 9 months, and I like it quite a bit.There’s one big disadvantage: the maximum ringtone is much too quiet. I’ve often missed calls because I didn’t hear the phone ring. If I have the phone in my hand, I’ll hear it. But if it’s sitting on a counter across the room, I may not hear the ring at all. I’ve had cell phones for a long time, including other smart phones, and this is the first time I’ve ever had this problem. Research online suggested that this is a Google design problem, and that Google doesn’t acknowledge it or do anything to fix it. Next time I will buy a different phone.Other than that, it’s a great phone. I like the size, big enough to read web pages without quite as much scrolling, and big enough to see photos well. I don’t have any problems holding it or manipulating the controls. The camera is excellent. The speed is quite good. I got the 64GB version, and have had plenty of room for apps. The unbloated Android OS is great, and gets updated quickly.If not for the ringtone issue, I’d give it 5 stars. But missing calls? Hey, that’s what a phone is for. I’m probably being generous at 3 stars overall.

48. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Stan – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best phone I have ever owned

    This is my first Google phone, and boy am I glad I made the switch. I did so much research before deciding on which new phone I would buy. This thing checked off all of my boxes, and then some:PRICE- this is so huge, the perfect phone for me for under $400 (I got it on sale) People need to wake up! This is a huge bargin!Sexy design – purplish color way – CheckPerfect size – I wanted a phone with a nice big screen, but not a tablet sized like a lot of huge phones, this one is right in the middleLong battery life – I get anywhere from a full day to day and a half of useAmazing camera- same camera as Google’s 1,000 phonePlastic back – I prefer this plastic back vs glass, I have shatter multiple S7s, S8’s on their backGoogle Interface – I have a lot of Google products so I love their UIsOverall, I don’t see myself every straying from Google phones, they make great quality phones.

    3 people found this helpful

49. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Dodgson_here – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Full featured, well made device for the budget conscious

    Three weeks in and I think this is an excellent device without any qualifications. This is my first android device having had three iPhones prior to this. I am not the kind of person who buys a new phone every two years and I always buy my phones upfront. This was a substantial upgrade to my iPhone SE in almost every way. The battery life is fantastic. I usually get two full days on a single charge. Google has made it very easy to switch to android including an adapter in the box that lets you transfer your data directly from your iPhone.This phone most reminds me of the iPhone 5c. A full featured, practical device, in a more durable plastic case. The camera is also far beyond my expectations for being a non-flagship device.Overall, I was wary coming to an Android device from Apple but I can’t believe how much of a better value this is over an iPhone 8 at $500. It’s better in almost every way for $120 less.

    One person found this helpful

50. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Sonja – June 3, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Google wouldn’t work!

    My husband and I decided to upgrade from my MotoG phone to a Google Pixel and sadly it didn’t work out for me. It did an update the day after I got it and once that happened Google products wouldn’t work and I couldn’t get it to connect to my data (I wasn’t having issues prior to update). I tried all the fixes I could find but nothing fixed it. I couldn’t contact Google because I needed to do it through my phone that wasn’t working.I give it a 3 star rating because my husband also got a Pixel and his isn’t having as many issues however, he hasn’t updated his phone.Battery life on both phones is the pits. We have very few apps on our phones but the brand new phone wouldn’t hold a charge for a day. Regardless, my husband kept his phone and I returned mine and went back to a MotoG and loving it.

51. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    ErikErik – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    GOOGLE 3a WINS!!🤓

    My new favorite phone! At first I couldn’t decide between this or the Pixel 4 XL. Deciding factors were the longer battery life and the fingerprint scanner. I need my phone to last me all day. The Pixel 4 has some really cool features but I read the battery life leaves much to be desired. The fingerprint scanner is a must for me with apps, such as my banking app, that gives you the option to log in via fingerprint; rather than typing in a password. This is a plastic phone and though not premium materials, it is going to go into a case anyway. Same goes with the “Dragontrail” glass screen. I put a premium glass screen on the front… PROBLEM SOLVED. Headphone jack is a convenient option that I like and the pictures with this phone come out beautiful! For your average consumer, this is a fantastic option at a fantastic price! Fully unlocked to work on any carrier. Good old-fashioned, bare-bones operating system and I love it! No bloatware; just fast Android that works! Did I mention you also get dual speakers? 🤓 Sounds like a winner to me!

52. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Hope Harrell – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Google Pixel 3a 1 Year Later

    I love everything about it. I love that I got the greatest camera for under $400 and it has everything that I needed and no useless extras that you can’t get rid of. The display and tech specs are very good in consideration to the price that I paid for. I LOVE the fact calls get screened by google assistant because who loves spam calls? I sure don’t. Battery life is okay thus far… It is just like every other smartphone, it runs out before the end of the day and such. But again, everything about this phone is just perfect for the price. If you want a budget yet high end phone, this is the one for you.One year later ..Still love it! Even though it’s 2021, this phone is still in style and does everything normal folks need. Just ordered the 3a XL for Grandma who needs a new phone that takes great photos and can make calls and send messages.Shame on the person who packaged the Google pixel 3a XL. It did not come nicely packaged like it should’ve been. But nothing was missing, everything works..

53. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Paul Antill – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    The best value phone available for its features

    I recently got this phone for my mom for her birthday. I had a Google Pixel 3 (non-XL) and previously had a Google Pixel 1. Google makes great phones that offer good value and a killer camera and the purest android experience. Previously, my mom has been having problems with her older (LG G5 and previous phones as well) always getting slow and buggy over time. This happens, I find, far slower with a pure android experience and the constant, fast updates that Google offers for their phones directly.With the newly released Pixel 3a, being a budget, yet not significantly slower version of the Pixel 3, I knew this was a good deal and an excellent phone choice for my mom. Had this been available when I first was getting my phone, I would have gotten it as well instead of the Pixel 3. Many agree, that the Pixel 3a is a good enough phone that offers value without compromising too much. While you can sometimes notice it being slightly slower, the average use and consumer will not.While it might not have the best specs at this price, I am willing to take a CPU downgrade in order to have the best user and camera experience on a phone.

    2 people found this helpful

54. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jonathan – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Impressive camera!

    To begin with my review is somehow biased because i love Google products! But still, i tried to put that fact aside as i was testing my pixel.When it comes to cellphones I believe we weight certain features differently, in my case is pretty simple: all I really care about is the camera, computing power and battery life.I’m a hobbyist photographer and i own a full frame camera but carrying it everywhere is a hassle, so i find it really convenient to have a decent camera always with me. Night sight is definitely impressive! The photos are always crisp and this camera is really versatile, specially when taking low light pictures. The camera is simple to use, there’s no way to change settings such as shutter speed or iso but that’s not a big problem for me.The battery life is great! I normally charge my phone every 2 days but i must say that the processing power is not great, I’ve had a few cases where the phone “freezes” for a few seconds but not quite often so it’s not a deal breaker for me.Overall i would give this phone a 4.5 rating but I’m definitely satisfied with the camera so I’ll go for the 5 stars!

    10 people found this helpful

55. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Sunhil Mohip – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    this is basically a flagship phone for $400

    On paper, the specs of this phone seem subpar. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter because when you have this phone in your hands, it’s extremely fast and responsive. I’m guessing this is due to some very well done optimizations on google’s part.The camera is the best camera I’ve ever had in an android phone. The finger print reader works without error as long as my finger is dry. I tried to use the finger print reader after I got rained on for a bit, and that was the only time that it didn’t work. In terms of battery life, If I leave location on, it does last me the whole day unless I’m using it quite heavily. However, I can make the battery last all day under heavy use if I simply turn off the location/GPS when I’m not using it.The little extra things about the phone are awesome as well: I love that there can be a song playing somewhere, and then I can turn my phone screen on and the song name will be there at the bottom of the lock screen. The google assistant is also pretty awesome: I like being able to say “ok google, text [insert name] that I’m on my way”

    10 people found this helpful

56. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Claudia Alazam – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Phone! Great Camera! Worth the Pricetag!

    I got this because I had a VERY old phone, a Galaxy On5, that was starting to go bad. I chose this Pixel model because it has a headphone jack. Compared to that old phone, this knocks it out of the park! It also came earlier than expected by about 2 days, so that was another big plus! The camera quality in the daylight is GORGEOUS, but as far as the night vision on it goes, I’m a little lost? When there’s a heavy lack of light, it performs okay if a bit grainy, but the night mode where you have to hold it still for about five seconds… It’s subpar. I tried capturing a picture of a bunny and it was very blurry. The battery life is really good, about what can be expected of a new phone. It charges very quickly in my opinion, about 50% faster than my old phone back when it was new, so that’s really pleasing! Overall it’s a wonderful phone and the price tag is worth it, especially when you have comparable phones selling for 1k (gross)! Combine quality and the amount of gigs/space, and I’d say it’s a steal.

57. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Cooper Vang – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Worth my money so far

    Pretty satisfied with phone so far. Battery life lasts me the whole day. It feels pretty good in the hand. The screen display has three settings for color: natural, boosted, and adaptive. Adaptive definitely brings out the colors and liveliness in display, but when colors are already bright, it begins to look too saturated. Natural looks a bit too dull for my liking so I settled for boosted. But you could decide what fits you best. I love how there’s many options for people who may have special needs. I personally don’t use them but it’s a nice feature to have because it makes me feel like Google cares about their customer’s convenience and needs.The back camera is beautiful even without the Google camera processor, but the front camera is a bit different. Without good lighting video calls may appear blurry. On other apps requiring the use of the front camera, The quality may look a bit too sharpened. But again, it’s not a big deal for me. If you just use the preset camera app, the processor will make your photos look supreme! I almost believe that I was a national geographic photographer for a second! The night camera setting is phenomenal!I’m a simple phone user though.

    4 people found this helpful

58. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Ruben RodriguezRuben Rodriguez – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best mid-range phone the market today!

    This is a great phone for the money! The OLED screen looks great and is plenty bright, the phone seems fast even though the processor is mid-level speed, and it is unlocked so will work with any carrier – in short, a great value for someone that doesn’t want to spend north of $800 for a fancy phone! The camera is superb – on a par with much more expensive phones! It doesn’t have the usually installed bloatware found on most other phones (even NO facebook, yay!), but there is a lot of Google software that you will want to review before using. Be careful with giving the Google apps permissions if you have security/privacy concerns – true on any phone. Though the phone is constructed with polycarbonate materials, not glass or metal, it still feels great in my hand with a good solid feel to its construction. Finally, the pure Google Pie operating system is a joy to use! There are many other features that work well on this device, but I would run very long on this review – check out the mostly positive reviews on the web for more info. Did I mention I love this phone?

    One person found this helpful

59. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    j betz – June 3, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Really like these phones!

    Easy to use, larger screen. Great camera quality. Lots of Ai features (don’t use them all) and fast processing. Just what I was looking for

60. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – June 3, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Good phone but newer version costs about the same right now

    About a year ago I got this phone for my daughter for ~$300 on some sale day. It’s a good enough phone and supported by Google cloud technology perfect for a regular user. As with all phones battery starts deteriorate after a year but price is still the same or higher when I bought it. Newer version 4A is now out so I’m quite surprised 3A are still sold above $300 when 4A is $349. In my experience (and I have/had few older Pixel phones before) after 2-3 years you get battery issues and I got one phone ruined when took it to the shop to replace its battery. Therefore it’s not worth to buy 3A now if you can get 4A, at least one extra year of battery life makes it totally worth extra $50.

    One person found this helpful