SpecEagle review · Google

Pixel 3a review: The first budget Pixel — flagship camera at $399.

SpecEagle Editorial·May 2019·$399
Overall
68/100
Class rank
#5 of 12
Tier
Mid
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The Pixel that proved budget could shoot like flagship.

Pixel 3a put Google's flagship camera in a $399 body with a headphone jack. The template for every Pixel a-series since.

01Display

70/100

70/100 — right at the average for mid phones of 2019.

TypeOLED, 60 Hz
Size5.6 inches
Resolution2,220 × 1,080 px

02Camera

84/100

At 84/100 this is one of the strongest camera showings among mid phones of 2019 — 14 points above the cohort average.

Main12.2 MP, f/1.8, OIS
Selfie8 MP
FeaturesNight Sight, HDR+

03Performance

56/100

56/100 trails the 62-point cohort average for mid phones of 2019.

ChipsetSnapdragon 670 (10 nm)
RAM4 GB
Storage64 GB

04Battery

64/100

64/100 is one of the weaker battery results among mid phones of 2019 — 6 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

Capacity3,000 mAh
Wired18 W

05Build

66/100

66/100 trails the 71-point cohort average for mid phones of 2019.

06Value

82/100

At 82/100 this is one of the strongest value showings among mid phones of 2019 — 8 points above the cohort average.

What works
  • Flagship Pixel camera at $399.
  • Night Sight + HDR+.
  • Headphone jack.
  • Light 147 g.
What doesn't
  • SD670 is slow.
  • Plastic build.
  • No water resistance.
  • Support ended.
Cross-shop it against
OnePlus Nord
£379 · score 74/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 12-phone cohort of mid devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .