Introduction
The Pixel 4a has arrived in the crowded mid range smartphone space this month (Aug 2020). While most brands are pushing out 5G phones, Google Pixel 4a, being a 4G smartphone will have to priced attractively to lure customers to the Pixel 4a.
Priced at S$499, it is the cheaper mid ranger compared to the Pixel 3a which was officially priced at $659. It is also definitely way cheaper than the flagship Pixel 4 at S$1119 which we reviewed.
So, what are the major differences between these few models – Pixel 4a, Pixel 3a and Pixel 4 ?
Basically Pixel 4a can be considered an upgrade of the Pixel 3a and a reduced specification version of the Pixel 4.
All 3 models uses OLED display but the Pixel 4a has a 5.8″ display abut it shorter in height whhen compared to the Pixel 3a.
In terms of battery, the Pixel 4a is still using a barely 3000mAh battery at 3140mAh. The Pixel 3a and Pixel 4 were using battery rated at 3000 mAh and 2800 mAH. This is something most Pixel users hope that future models will throw in at least a 4000mAh or even 5000mAh.
The Pixel 4a comes with more storage with 6 GB + 128 GB as default. The Pixel 3 only has 4 GM RAM and 64 GB storage. The Pixel 4 has 6 GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage space.
In terms of processor, the Pixel 4a uses the Snapdragon 730G (Pixel 4a) vs 670 (Pixel 3a) vs 855 (Pixel 4). Comparatively, the Pixel 4a based on the 730G will be comparable to the speed of a Snapdragon 845 which was used on the Pixel 3/3XL models.
Camera wise, the Pixel 4a and Pixel 3a only has a front camera and a back camera. The back camera is a 12.2 MP f/1.7 vs a f/1.8. The Pixel 4a has a 8 MP wide angle camera while the Pixel 3a is a normal 8 MP camera. The Pixel 4 on the other hand has what the Pixel 4a but it also add in a 16 MP telephone camera at f/2.4.
All three models supports Pixel’s computational photography like Night Sight, Top Shot, HDR+. Pixel 4a inherits Dual exposure controls which is not available on the Pixel 3 series.
The Pixel 4a and 3a has 3.5mm audio jack and do not have IP68 certification (non waterproof).
All three models support a Physical SIM slot and eSIM on Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS). Currently, M1 and Circles.Life eSIM is supported on Google Pixel 3, 4 series of phones.
Basically, that sums up the differences between the 3 models, Pixel 4a vs Pixel 3a vs Pixel 3.
[nextpage title=”Unboxing the Pixel 4a”]
Simplistic design and package.
The Google Pixel 4a package does not come with any bundled earphones or accessory. It comes with a quick charger, a USB adaptor for phone transfer, a manual, USB-C cable.
The Pixel 4a weights almost the same as the Pixel 3a at 147g and Pixel 4a at 143g. Both are housed within a black plastic body with finger print sensor behind.
[nextpage title=”Benchmarking – Geekbench and 3DMark”]
Geekbench score of 552 (single core) and 1636 (multi-core). The Snapdragon 730 around the levels of Snapdragon 845 and 855 for single core performance. When it comes to multi core, it may not be that optimised and performs more like a higher end 835 to 845.
3Dmark result
The graphics score is a bit mediocre as it is not really meant to be a gaming smartphone.
[nextpage title=”Speedtest Results”]
Speedtest results with Singtel’s MVNO – GRID. Seriously who needs 5G right now when you can easily attain such speeds with 3CA of bands 3+7+8. A 223 Mbps is a very remarkable speed with the Pixel 4a which supports LTE CAT 12 of up to 600 Mbps and CAT 5 capable of 75 Mbps upload. Pixel 4 supports up to CAT 18 of up to 1.2 Gbps download, CAT 13 150 Mbps upload
[nextpage title=”Sample photos taken with Google Pixel 4a”]
So, how does it compare with other the Huawei P40 Pro. Below are two photos taken using night mode (night sight on Pixel 4a). It is noticeable the Huawei P40 Pro has a longer exposure and picture looks brighter.
[twenty20 img1=”36560″ img2=”36561″ offset=”0.5″]
Another comparison Clarke Quay
[twenty20 img1=”36590″ img2=”36591″ offset=”0.5″]
[nextpage title=”4K Video Recording”]
The 4K Video recording only supports 30 fps. We walked and film this video and see that the OIS is doing a good job.
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
Pixel 4a is a scaled down version of the Pixel 4 and an improved Pixel 3a at an affordable price tag. Although we don’t see much major differences between the Pixel 4a and 3a other than the processor performance and some inherited feature from the Pixel 4 e.g. Dual exposure controls and Live HDR+.
As the champion of computational photography, Pixel 4a did not disappoint us in night shots. In fact, the shorter exposure time as compared to other smartphones produces super sharp and stable image. Enjoy astrography, taking the night stars with the Pixel 4a if you can find a place where there is little light pollution. While many phone manufacturers already support a secondary wide angle and telephoto of more than 2X, PIxel series still uses Super Res for up to 7x digital zoom on the Pixel 4a. There are also no manual adjustments available for the ISO, exposure controls in it’s camera app. Nevertheless, Pixel 4a have shown to be an excellent shooter comparable to high end DXOmark smartphones in our comparison.
Performance wise, it is almost on par with a Snapdragon 845. With a larger memory capacity, the Pixel 4a is smoother in operation compared to the Pixel 3a.
If you are into Google Assistant, you will miss the Active Edge as it is dropped on the Pixel 4a. Some useful software that comes with it preinstalled are Caption and Recorder. Caption your audio in phone, video calls with Live caption. Activate it using the Live Caption
button in the volume control before or during a call. Another nice feature is the recorder. The recorder brings the power of search to audio recording. Meetings, lectures, band
practices, family memories — anything you want to save and listen to later. Recorder
automatically transcribes and labels what you record so you can easily find the parts that
matter to you. *
Pixel 4a is designed as a more compact version of the Pixel 3a. It is shorter in height and has a a slightly larger screen. This phone fits well right into the pocket. I like it’s small size and use it with Google Pay or third party NFC based e-wallets. e.g. Dash.
The usual complain about pixel comes back to haunt the Pixel 4a. With a battery of only 3140 mAh, you will need to charge it every one and a half day.
Google Pixels design revolve around a Physical and e-SIM. While this might be the new norm, a lot of service providers do not really support eSIM yet. Thus, a dual SIM phone is just a Single SIM phone. While most parts of the world are moving to 5G, the Pixels do not work with operators who are VoLTE enabled. It is a pity that the Pixel 4a or earlier Pixels do not work in VoLTE mode with Singapore telcos M1 and TPG.
In Conclusion, if you want a mid range excellent nigh shooter without zoom and wide angle, the Pixel 4a may be one of the better choices. It gets monthly security updates regularly and for the more experienced users, the bootloader is the simplest to unlock among all the smartphones.
Online pre-orders for the Pixel 4a start from today on the Google Store, Challenger and Courts, and will be available online from 10 September, on the Google Store and retail partners Challenger, Courts and Amazon SG.
For our international readers, you can order the phone from Amazon US at this link.
*Live caption and Recorder are not exclusive to Pixel 4a.
Pros :
- NFC
- Compact Size
- Monthly Google updates
- 12 MP camera + computational photography
Cons:
- No wide angle
- No Telephoto
- No IP68
- Just 18W fast charge
- No 90 Hz screen
- 3140 mAh battery
Ratings
- Performance 10
- Design 10
- Features 8
- Usability 10
- Value for money 10
- Score : 9.6 / 10
