tktktk
-
The front of the 4a looks better than any other Google phone, no matter what the price.Ron Amadeo
-
The back looks and feels cheap though. The (also plastic) Pixel 3a was much nicer.Ron Amadeo
-
The soft-touch back material is a magnet for grease, grime, and fingerprints.Ron Amadeo
-
The hole punch camera and tiny earpiece.Ron Amadeo
-
The screen is flat, and the bezel is nearly uniform all the way around.Ron Amadeo
-
Part of the back's problem is the really basic design. The single camera lens in a block looks like a placeholder for a better camera. The no-frills fingerprint sensor looks like it's been stamped out of the same piece of plastic as the back.Ron Amadeo
-
The small hole in the bezel is the proximity sensor. Under the screen is the display brightness sensor.Ron Amadeo
-
The side, featuring an power button with the slightest whiff of the color green.Ron Amadeo
-
The top has (gasp) a headphone jack!Ron Amadeo
-
The bottom, featuring a USB-C port and one of the stereo speakers (the other hole is for fun.)Ron Amadeo
The Pixel 4a sure has had a rough path to market. The leaks, rumors, and common sense all pointed to a Google I/O 2020 launch, but the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to that and every other major real-life gathering. Many were still hoping for an online launch, but Google ended up canceling two of its attempts at an I/O replacement event, the first due to logistics and the second out of respect for the nationwide protests against police brutality. The delay meant we had seen fully working prototypes five months before the actual release of the phone. Just like everyone else, the Pixel 4a has had a rough 2020.
Now that the Pixel 4a has finally arrived, it feels like it's built for the era. It's a cheap, functional, utilitarian design that arrives at a time when the economy is not doing so hot. This phone is just the cure for people who are sick of $1000 smartphones. You can do better, but for the price, the Pixel 4a is a great entry-level phone that won't leave you wanting for much.
Design and build quality
Google Pixel 4a
The back, by contrast, looks dreadfully cheap. It is plastic, but I'm not using "cheap" as a euphemism for all plastic backs. The Pixel 3a back was plastic but looked great, thanks to the lovingly crafted two-tone design. The Pixel 4a is just a huge slab of drab, soft-touch black plastic that collects a ton of fingerprint grease. Google's attempt to replicate the Pixel 4's camera block looks awful and pointless when there's only one camera, and the simple, round lens cover on the Pixel 3a looked much more attractive.
| SPECS AT A GLANCE | |
|---|---|
| Pixel 4a | |
| SCREEN | 2340×1080 5.8-inches (443 ppi)
OLED, 19.5:9 aspect ratio |
| OS | Android 10 |
| CPU | Eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G
Two 2.2GHz Cortex A76-based cores and six Cortex A55-based cores at 1.8GHz, 8nm |
| RAM | 6GB |
| GPU | Adreno 618 |
| STORAGE | 128GB |
| NETWORKING | 802.11b/g/n/ac 2x2, Bluetooth 5.0 + LE, GPS, NFC, eSIM |
| PORTS | USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| CAMERA | Rear: 12.2MP main camera
Front: 8MP camera |
| SIZE | 144×69.4×8.2 mm |
| WEIGHT | 143g |
| BATTERY | 3140mAh |
| STARTING PRICE | $349 |
| OTHER PERKS | rear fingerprint reader |
On the back you'll get an old-school rear capacitive fingerprint reader instead of the in-screen reader that ships in more expensive phones. Most phones, including the Pixel 3a, give some kind of treatment to the rear capacitive fingerprint reader like a chamfered edge, or colored highlight. Seeing the plan Pixel 4a fingerprint reader shows you why. The whole back looks like it is stamped out of a single piece of plastic. The entire back of the Pixel 4a is an ugly disaster, and you do not even need to compare it to flagship phones—this is speaking strictly in comparison to the Pixel 3a. This isn't a huge deal since most people will put the 4a in the case, but it's a strange downgrade when it felt like Google got things right last generation.
There's a rare headphone jack on top. When the smartphone powers that be came for the headphone jack, one of the justifications was that removing it would leave more room for the battery, but it's interesting that the Pixel 4 with no headphone jack had a 2800mAh battery and the similar-sized Pixel 4a with headphone jack has a 3140mAh battery.
Other than that, there isn't much else to the phone. There's a USB-C port, stereo speakers (one on the bottom, one in the earpiece), and the usual buttons on the side. The one interesting design touch is the contrasting power button, which isn't white—it has the slightest whiff of green to it.
The Pixel 4a is an interesting effort in Google's supply chain cost-cutting. The phone only comes in one size, in one color, and in one storage configuration. There is a single Pixel 4a sku and that's it. Compare that to the Pixel 4, which had two sizes, with two storage configs each, in three colors each, and that quickly multiplies up to 12 skus. Apple is absolutely flexing when it offers the iPhone 11 Pro in 24 different varieties (four colors, three storage options, and two sizes). Throughout the Pixel's history, Google would frequently run out of a certain color or storage option, but with the Pixel 4a, it doesn't have to worry about any of that—the Pixel 4a is the Pixel 4a, and it's either in stock or it isn't.
Other cost-cutting features you may or may not miss compared to flagship smartphone: the Pixel 4a has a single camera, no wireless charging, and no water resistance.
Versus the competition
We wrote last year that the Pixel 3a was "the only Pixel phone you should buy," and things would feel the same way this year. Google really doesn't have a solid argument for why the $800 Pixel 4 and $350 Pixel 4a should exist side-by-side, or how there is $450 worth of difference between them. The $350 Pixel 4a has a bigger display, slimmer bezels, a bigger battery, a headphone jack, more storage, and the same OS and camera as the $800 Pixel 4.
Most of the Pixel 4's cut extras won't be missed, either. Trading the Pixel 4's face unlock for the Pixel 4a's rear capacitive fingerprint is, in my opinion, an upgrade, since the fingerprint reader is faster and more reliable. The Project Soli air gesture system in the Pixel 4 never really worked well, didn't attempt to do much (it skipped music tracks and one or two other things), and was redundant when you have a giant touchscreen. The Pixel 4 has a 90Hz display, which is a big deal, but the phone doesn't have a big enough battery to support such a feature. The only Pixel 4 features you'll actually miss are the water-resistance and maybe the wireless charging.
Google seems to understand that the Pixel 4a really limits the Pixel 4's appeal, and the company took a proactive stance and discontinued the Pixel 4 just days after Pixel 4a was announced.
The Pixel 4a will see some good competition in the mid-range market, but how things work out depends a lot on which country you're talking about. For whatever reason, no company is taking a worldwide approach to the mid-range market, so pricing and availability varies wildly.
The best bang for your buck in the Android space is still the OnePlus Nord, which at around $100 more than the Pixel 4a, gives you a bigger screen, bigger battery, and faster SoC. Most importantly though, you'd be upgrading from a 60Hz display on the Pixel 4a to a buttery smooth 90Hz panel. Faster displays means Android runs at a faster 90FPS framerate, and that makes animations and scrolling look and feel better. The Nord isn't available in North America, though—you'll need to be in Europe, Hong Kong, or India to buy one. India, one of OnePlus' biggest markets, is getting an incredible deal on the Nord, with an exclusive, cheaper 6GB/64GB sku for $335. If you're looking for an Android phone and can buy a Nord, you should buy a Nord.
If hopping ecosystems is an option, the iPhone SE is a major temptation, with its top-of-the-line Apple A13 Bionic SoC in a $400 device. This "mid-range" phone will turn in faster benchmarks than even the most expensive Android devices, which is a pretty embarrassing situation for every Android manufacturer and Android's primary SoC vendor, Qualcomm. The iPhone SE's headline-making $400 price is only a thing in the United States, though. In Europe and India, the iPhone SE is €489 (~$580), a 45 percent premium over the US price. The SE also only has a baseline storage of 64GB, while the Nord and Pixel 4a start at 128GB. So if you want to compare like-for-like storage, add about $50 to the price of the SE.
With the Pixel 4a, Google continues to struggle to compete in the worldwide smartphone market. The phone will only be for sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. That's a measly 13 countries; the iPhone SE launched in 40 countries and is expected to add to that number. OnePlus is only a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate BBK, so it doesn't have a global mandate, but it still launched the Nord in 30 countries. We've complained about it before, but Google Hardware can never be more than a small hobby until Google dramatically expands its distribution network.
The biggest competition the Pixel 4a might have for its prospective audience is from Google itself. This is probably a side effect of the numerous delays, but Google has already been teasing the Pixel 5 and a "Pixel 4a 5G" before the Pixel 4a hits shelves.
Android 10 with lots of updates
-
The home screen and a very short app list.Ron Amadeo
-
The notification panel and quick settings.Ron Amadeo
-
Settings and Recent apps.Ron Amadeo
-
The more compact Google Assistant UI.Ron Amadeo
-
The exclusive Google Recorder app.Ron Amadeo
-
The clock app has a new bedtime tab.Ron Amadeo
-
The safety app.Ron Amadeo
This is a Pixel phone, so the software is regular old stock Android 10. I have written 25,000 words about this operating system already. This is a Google phone, so you'll be getting day-one updates of every Android release for three years and monthly security patches. Google even does quarterly "Pixel feature drop" releases now, which are minor feature updates. This is the best Android update package in the business.
While nearly all of Android is available to any OEM that wants it, there are bit Google-exclusive (or semi-exclusive) software features here. You get the new, more compact Google Assistant UI and the Google Phone app, which has great spam detection and the ability to screen calls with the Google Assistant. There's also the Google Recorder app, which is a voice recorder that also does transcription.
The last feature drop added " safety check," which is basically a dead man's switch that will automatically text your emergency contacts if you don't check-in on time. There's also a new "bedtime" section of the clock that lets you set repeating alarms and control things like Google Assistant Routines and the screen brightness. None of the exclusive Pixel features are really killer apps right now, and it seems like many of them are rolling out to the rest of Android in time. They're fine. I could take them or leave them.
My favorite software feature is the always-on display option. This leverages the low power consumption of OLED displays to display a minimal clock, date, weather, and a list of notifications on your phone at all times. Being able to check your phone without having to actually turn it on or open anything is a fantastic feature that all smartphones should have. Unfortunately, some don't, most famously OnePlus phones.
The Pixel 4a ships with just 22 apps, which isn't even enough to fill a single screen of the app drawer. Nearly everything is disableable (so you can kill the app and stop it from ever running again), but none of them are uninstallable. I would rather not have Google Play Movies, Safety, and "Pixel Tips" on my phone. I am still undecided on YouTube Music, but anything that's a media service with a host of competitors should probably be uninstallable.
Performance
The Pixel 4a is one of the rare phones we've seen that has a Snapdragon 730G, a mid-range chipset that shows up in a lot of cheaper Chinese phones. The 730G is an eight-core, 8nm chip with two Cortex A76 cores clocked up to 2.2GHz and six Cortex A55 cores at 1.8GHz. You won't find much difference from the Snapdragon 765G CPU—which has the same layout at 7nm, with the main core clocked 200MHz higher—but you will get a significantly faster GPU.
For benchmarks, we're pitting the Pixel 4a against its contemporaries like the A13 Bionic in the iPhone SE (2020), the Snapdragon 765G in the OnePlus Nord, and the Snapdragon 865 in the OnePlus 8 Pro. We also have a second set of slides against the last three years of older flagships: the OnePlus 7, 6, and 5. Qualcomm chips do not change much from device to device, so these phones can stand in for any other model with the same SoC.
The Pixel 4a will not win any benchmark awards. CPU benchmarks put the Snapdragon 730G in the range of a flagship from 2017 or 2018. The real downside is the GPU, which is slower than what shipped in 2016's Pixel 1.
The SoC isn't the fastest thing on Earth, but as usual, Google is very good at Android optimization. The OS runs well enough, but you'll definitely feel that it's a budget phone, especially when you've experienced faster 90Hz or 120Hz devices.
I would describe the battery life as, uh, "entry-level." The 3140mAh battery isn't bad, but it's not great either, and you'll get better runtime out of something like a OnePlus Nord with its 4100mAh battery.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
We don't have numbers the Aztek benchmark on the OnePlus 5T. Aztek is newer than the phone!
-
-
-
-
Camera—Not different, still good
Is this section even necessary anymore? The Pixel 4a has the Pixel camera—the same camera Google has been shipping in every one of its phones, unchanged, for years. The main camera hardware is the good old Sony IMX363—the same sensor used in the Pixel 4, the Pixel 3a, the Pixel 3, and the Pixel 2 (OK, technically the Pixel 2 used a IMX362, of which the 363 was a minor revision with no major differences).
Google would call this strategy "the software-defined camera" and say that the hardware doesn't matter, but it's hard to believe using a sensor from 2016 in a 2020 phone is the best possible strategy for producing a good picture. Google's software magic is impressive, but you've got to wonder what the company could do with modern camera hardware. For Google to look at the past four years of camera hardware progress in the form of bigger, better sensors, say "no thanks," and still turn in better pictures than much of the competition says a lot about the state of Android camera development. Competitors are closing the gap, though, thanks to Google resting on its laurels, and the Pixel camera is less impressive than it has been in years past. Still, this is a mid-range phone, and to ship a flagship-class camera on it is something that leaves little room for complaint... even if it is the same as last year.
-
The Pixel 4a takes a picture of a dead motherboard. It picked a shallow depth of field, so the edges of the picture get blurry.
-
The iPhone SE always seems to like picking a warm white balance, but here is turns in the best picture with everything in focus.
-
The edges of the OnePlus Nord picture get very blurry.
-
A plant. The Pixel 4a does the best job with color and lighting here.
-
The iPhone SE is, once again, very yellow. I have 5000k lights, so this is wrong.
-
The Nord picks a higher exposure to get some detail out of the dirt, but in the process overexposes the table.
-
Night mode! It's actually night time and the lights are off, but smartphone cameras with long exposure modes really don't care about darkness anymore. Here's the Pixel 4a turning on the lights, virtually.
-
The iPhone SE doesn't have a long exposure mode.
-
The OnePlus Nord tries its best, and turns in a brighter picture, but without any detail or focus.
-
A tree! Outdoor shots never have much difference anymore, because once you add in sunlight, all the cameras do fine. This is the Pixel 4a.
-
The iPhone SE.
-
The OnePlus Nord.
A great entry-level device
The Pixel 4a is a great starting point for anyone looking for a basic, capable smartphone. You get a modern design, a great camera, a headphone jack, good enough performance, and a great software build with timely, day-one updates direct from Google. Other than the minor annoyance of an ugly back design that you will probably cover with a case anyway, there isn't much to complain about.
A $350 price tag for such a capable phone should make you stop and wonder why you'd spend more, but you can justify buying a higher-priced Android phone. The biggest extra luxury I'd want from a more expensive device is a faster display: 90 and 120Hz displays really do make a huge difference in the speed and smoothness of a device. Once you try one, you'll never want to go back. I could also see upgrading with an eye toward other missing features like wireless charging or water resistance.
The Pixel 4a has a great, basic feature set. I'd rather have a OnePlus Nord, with a faster display and bigger battery, but as a US citizen I'm out of luck. And if you can't buy a Nord, the Pixel 4a is the next phone I'd recommend to anyone that just wants something normal and doesn't want to break the bank.
The Good
- The $350 price tag. You could buy three of these for the price of a $1000 smartphone.
- From the front, it's the best-looking phone Google has ever produced, with slim bezels, a hole punch camera, and no crazy design decisions. It's a rare Pixel phone that just looks... normal.
- A beautiful flat display. There's no unnecessary glare or distortion to push a gimmicky curved display.
- An always-on display, so you can always see your notifications when the phone is sitting on a desk. Some $900 Android phones still do not have this feature.
- A headphone jack.
- Stock Android and day-one updates, direct from Google, for three years.
- The camera hasn't changed much, but it's still one of the best in the industry.
The Bad
- It's a budget phone, so don't expect wireless charging, water resistance, or a fast 90Hz or 120Hz display.
The Ugly
- The back, which is plain and cheap-looking, and not because it's plastic. An exact copy of the Pixel 3a back would have been a huge improvement.
Technology - Latest - Google News
August 30, 2020 at 08:00PM
https://ift.tt/31Lqywh
Google Pixel 4a review—The simple, basic, reasonable Google phone - Ars Technica
Technology - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2AaD5dD
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Google Pixel 4a review—The simple, basic, reasonable Google phone - Ars Technica"
Post a Comment