Tech

Google Releases New Phones at Low Prices With AI Features

2019-05-09 , 12:00 am

As a tech-idiot, I confess to being taken aback when presented this topic.

I mean that’s like giving insect repellent to a tiger or an epilator to an Arowana.

What is the fish to do? Descale itself?

Nonetheless, with my trusty, old laptop, I endeavour to try

Google’s New Mid-range Pixel 3a and 3a XL

In trying new things, not unlike myself, Google is apparently seeking to buck the $1,000 a pop smartphone trend by launching the reasonably-priced Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.

The Pixel 3a and larger 3a XL will be sold in Singapore for $659 and $779 respectively, at a price point much lower than the current flagship Pixel 3 which retails from $1,249 and $1,399 up for the 3 XL.

Something’s Gotta Give

That said, the Pixel 3a smartphones are understandably stripped of some of the features that have made the Pixel 3 flagship a standout.

Display

The Pixel 3a has a 5.6-inch display (2,220 x 1,080 pixels), while the Pixel 3a XL has a 6-inch display (2,160 x 1,080 pixels) when compared to the 6.3-inch display and 5.5-inch displays that the current Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3 command.

While the Pixel 3a models look similar to the flagship, the Pixel 3a XL does not have a display cutout, unlike the Pixel 3XL.

In addition, unlike the flagships’ aluminium and glass frame, the 3a models feature a polycarbonate unibody instead.

AI

The Pixel 3a series is also packed with Google’s built-in AI.

It includes squeezable sides (yes, not buttons; just sides) that trigger Google Assistant and on-device music recognition.

The AI is also used in various functions such as Take Top Shot, for instance.

This function captures a burst frame before and after the shutter button is activated and uses the in-built AI to pick the best frame, taking into account things like smiles and gazes.

Wah.

Water-Resistance

The Pixel 3 flagship has a rating of IP68, which means that the phones can withstand being underwater for up to 30 minutes while the 3a models are only splash resistant.

Use the 3a models as much as you like in the toilet, just don’t drop them into the bowl.

Processing Power

The Pixel 3 flagship utilizes a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 processor compared to the slower Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in the 3a models.

While both phone lines have 4GB of RAM, the newly-launched 3a has no storage option as they all come in 64GB of storage, unlike the Pixel 3 line which is available in either the 64GB or 128 GB option.

Camera

The camera appears to be of an important constant as the 3a line features the same 12.2-megapixel rear camera found in the Pixel 3 models.

The 3a lines though, do not possess the Group Selfie Cam which is essentially a wide angled lens that can cram multiple subjects into a selfie, while the Pixel 3 models have it.

Charging

Lastly, what’s a phone without juice?

While the 3a models do not come with wireless charging capabilities, Google has included an 18-watt charger which will empower you with up to 7 hours of mileage on just a seven-minute charge.

That’s still way better than a typical 5-watt charger that comes with most iPhones.

You can check the new Google Pixel 3a phones out here.

Somehow, as Samsung and Huawei come out with super expensive phones, our dear Google is changing direction instead.

It’s a weird world, indeed.