The Pixel 3a XL is... official before announcement?

[Suika]

(click for source)

The Google Pixel 3 is what's pictured because... well it looks identical if the box is to be believed.

 

A Best Buy in Ohio seems to have gotten just an eensy bit impatient as they seem to have put a Google Pixel 3a XL on display in their cabinets, showing most of the specs to the device and, well, confirming it exists before Google can. It seems the Pixel 3a was supposed to be announced on May 3rd, and this was posted on May 2nd, so once that launch post comes out, this may as well be it.

Quote

The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are launching on May 3, but it looks like a Best Buy store in Springfield, Ohio wasn't willing to wait any longer. The store in question inadvertently put a few units of the Pixel 3a XL on store shelves for all customers to see, which is how the photo made its way to our friends over at Android Police.

So the specs confirmed on the box of the 3a XL:

A 6" Display

4GB RAM (so basically, all the existing problems with the Pixel 3 will continue to exist in the 3a)

64GB of internal storage

 

Rumor suggests it'll have a 12.2MP rear camera sensor, 8MP front sensor (I'm guessing the same sensors as the 3's), the non-XL 3a will have a 5.6" display, battery sizes should be 3000mAh (3a) and 3700mAh (3a XL), and a Snapdragon 640 (3a) and Snapdragon 710 (3a XL).

 

Pricing is supposedly $399 for the non-XL variant, and $479 for the XL variant (will update if Google confirms). If you want a flagship with plenty of software bugs and unfortunately lacking hardware, but an exceptional auto mode camera, you may as well spend half the money and get this. Would you want one?

[WereCatf]

23 minutes ago, Suika said:

Would you want one?

No. I do not approve of glass-backs.

[porina]

Will have to see where the actual specs fall after launch compared to other similarly priced models. It would be nice to have closer to former Nexus level pricing again for a Google phone.

[williamcll]

What's the CPU?

[Suika]

9 minutes ago, williamcll said:

What's the CPU?

SD 640 and SD 710 for the 3a and 3a XL, respectively, if rumors are to be believed. We should have confirmation from Google soon, by the sounds of it.

[Bouzoo]

2 hours ago, Suika said:

4 GB RAM (so basically, all the existing problems with the Pixel 3 will continue to exist in the 3a)

Pixel RAM problem has nothing to do with capacity. You can have 3 apps in background and they will reload completely when you want to use them again. They won't "save" what you were doing. I have 4 GB in my V30 and have never had that issue. It's RAM management problem. At least the original problem. 

[dizmo]

Do they really have that many software bugs? Sure, they're lacking in features compared to other phones, but I never found that many bugs on the Nexus phones I had.

If they can match the camera experience on the full fledged models, I could see these doing quite well. I wonder if the new Pixel's will finally have dual cameras. It'd be nice to get some ultrawide action on more phones. It's one of the main reasons I'd consider getting a new phone.

 

It's a shame the batteries on these are so small. I was hoping they'd use that as a differentiator.

 

1 hour ago, WereCatf said:

No. I do not approve of glass-backs.

DBrand has a solution for you...

40 minutes ago, porina said:

Will have to see where the actual specs fall after launch compared to other similarly priced models. It would be nice to have closer to former Nexus level pricing again for a Google phone.

IIRC the pricing isn't that far off, especially if you account for inflation.

[porina]

6 minutes ago, dizmo said:

IIRC the pricing isn't that far off, especially if you account for inflation.

That's what I mean. Current flagships are in a silly price territory for me. Although I can afford it, I don't see myself getting value from throwing that much cash at a phone. I still want a decent enough spec, at a decent enough price. Basically I want a successor to the Nexus 5X. I've been looking around 3rd parties but the software scares me. I just want stock Android.

[mach]

2 hours ago, Suika said:

Best Buy store in Springfield

Poor Ol' Gil is gonna get fired again.

[WereCatf]

18 minutes ago, dizmo said:

DBrand has a solution for you...

They sell skins. I don't see how that's a solution to a stupid glass-back?

[D13H4RD]

The SD710 interests me. 

 

I've been using a Redmi Note 7 with the SD660 for the past few weeks and I honestly didn't notice much of a performance difference 

[AlTech]

5 hours ago, D13H4RD said:

The SD710 interests me. 

 

I've been using a Redmi Note 7 with the SD660 for the past few weeks and I honestly didn't notice much of a performance difference 

The 710 is meant to be most of the performance of the 835 845 with most of the features too except worse Image Signal Processor, probably worse LTE. CPU and GPU are definitely meant to be a bit slower as well.

 

[AlTech]

3 hours ago, WereCatf said:

They sell skins. I don't see how that's a solution to a stupid glass-back?

They also started selling cases although they seem to be having distribution problems with them cos nobody can seem to get one.

[Bouzoo]

12 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

The 710 is meant to be most of the performance of the 845 with most of the features too except worse Image Signal Processor, probably worse LTE. CPU and GPU are definitely meant to be a bit slower as well.

 

GPU wise it's noticeably worse than 835, CPU wise it's few % slower than 835. Nowhere near 845. 

[The Benjamins]

I got a pixel 3 128GB for $450 on Google Fi anniversary.

[WereCatf]

28 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

They also started selling cases although they seem to be having distribution problems with them cos nobody can seem to get one.

Well, yeah, but a case wouldn't solve my objections to glass-backs, either.

 

/*** INSERT RANT ***/

For one, glass-backs make phones more fragile than with e.g. plastic backs. Yes, a case can help with that to an extent, but then you make the whole point of having a glass-back pointless. Secondly, glass-backs look and feel awful IMO. Plastic, on the other hand, can be made to look nice and feel nice, like e.g. I've been wanting a phone with soft-touch plastic back for years. Thirdly, glass-backs make the phones more expensive than if they just came with plastic backs and, yet, glass-backs don't bring anything useful to the table in comparison.

/*** END RANT ***/

[Doobeedoo]

I wonder how the Pixel 4 will be rather. 

[maartendc]

1 hour ago, The Benjamins said:

I got a pixel 3 128GB for $450 on Google Fi anniversary.

That is a good deal. Honestly, in my opinion, that is the maximum that phones should cost anyway.

 

I would be interested in a Google made phone that doesnt cost $1000. So yes, I would be interested in a downgraded Pixel version. If my Pixel XL dies, that is probably what I would get. So long as it has a good screen.

[AlTech]

2 hours ago, Bouzoo said:

GPU wise it's noticeably worse than 835, CPU wise it's few % slower than 835. Nowhere near 845. 

Oh wow.

[RejZoR]

9 hours ago, WereCatf said:

No. I do not approve of glass-backs.

I do, but not this external matte glass nonsense.

[Suika]

9 hours ago, Bouzoo said:

Pixel RAM problem has nothing to do with capacity. You can have 3 apps in background and they will reload completely when you want to use them again. They won't "save" what you were doing. I have 4 GB in my V30 and have never had that issue. It's RAM management problem. At least the original problem. 

Admittedly, I'm only blaming the 4GB capacity because I kind of suspect that the poor memory management would have been made less aggressive had Google just gone with 6GB, given my Pixel 2 XL still feels fine to use but the 3 XL didn't, but really that's not even the only issue the Pixel devices have anyway.

[BuckGup]

AND 2 years of updates!! Then google axes it and forgets all about it again

[Bouzoo]

8 minutes ago, BuckGup said:

AND 2 years of updates!! Then google axes it and forgets all about it again

You're wrong! Google supports Pixel devices for 3 years.

[RoseLuck462]

It’s not very expensive so that could be a plus for some.

[BuckGup]

2 hours ago, Bouzoo said:

You're wrong! Google supports Pixel devices for 3 years.

Hahah