Well if you are a fan of Google smartphones from India, then I know that last year was a bit disappointing for you. Even I cannot understand why some Pixel smartphones don’t make their ways to India without any reason. This year also the story is somewhat same. Google Pixel 4a has been launched in India. But Google is not rolling out Pixel 4a 5G here (at least not yet).
Google has finally corrected its mistake which it was repeating for years, that is, selling Pixel smartphones at a much higher price rate compared to what was being offered. But this time Google has set the price aggressively low keeping in mind of providing excellent performance and great camera quality for which Pixel smartphones are always known for. In fact, Google Pixel 4a is the cheapest Pixel smartphone in the market right now. In this article, I will be reviewing this brand new smartphone to find out what it has got to boast of.
specifications of google pixel 4a
Before you get very much excited about Google Pixel 4a, let me tell you that it sits right at the bottom of the line-up of latest Google Pixel smartphones. So don’t expect too much from it and hold your excitement accordingly. The areas on which Google has mainly focused this time are compact size and great camera.
network
It supports Network Technology of GSM / HSPA / LTE.
connectivity
- WLAN : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and Hotspot.
- BLUETOOTH : LE, 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD.
- GPS : GPS is supported along with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO and QZSS.
- NFC : Yes, NFC is supported too.
- RADIO & USB : FM Radio is not supported. The USB is Type-C 3.1 .
design of google pixel 4a
We all know that Google Pixel smartphones are never too much flashy in terms of their looks. Like other Pixel smartphones, Google Pixel 4a also comes with a polycarbonate shell. But this time Google has not given the dual tone finish on the back. Instead it is a single finished matte black look which is quite neat. Yes the back does catch fingerprints easily like all plastic backs do, but the good thing is they aren’t exactly very noticeable.
This time Google has finally slimmed down the bezels compared to the massive ones which it used in the previous Pixel smartphones. On the front, you will get Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection against scratches.
body dimensions & weight
For people who don’t love using large smartphones unlike me, this smartphone is going to amaze you for sure. One of the unique selling points of Google Pixel 4a is its compact size.The dimensions of this smartphone are only 5.67 x 2.73 x 0.32 inches. It is really light weighing just 143 grams.
display
Google Pixel 4a sports a 5.81 inches (1080 x 2340 pixels) OLED display with approximately 83.3 screen-to-body ratio and 443 PPI pixel density. So if you like binge watching web series and movies on your smartphone, then this is not the one for you.
In spite of the small screen, the display looks quite immersive courtesy to the thin bezels.
camera of google pixel 4a
When people are buying smartphones looking at how many lenses they have, Google is still consistent with only one lens. We are on the verge of closing the year 2020 and guess what ? Google Pixel 4a too comes with a single camera at the rear just like previous Pixel smartphones. Like always, this time also Google has relied heavily on the software part to assist the photography hardware and get the job done.
rear camera
The rear camera setup is comprised of only a single 12.2 MP lens of f/1.7 aperture, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm with Dual pixel PDAF and OIS features along with LED flash. The two modes permitted are Panorama and auto High Dynamic Range (HDR) modes.
The Sony IMX363 sensor which Google Pixel 4a carries clicks detailed landscape photos in daylight with well balanced exposures. Close-up shots have great details with rich colors and perfect background blur. In Portrait mode you can digitally zoom up to 4x and the portrait shots have great definition with good edge detection and colours. Low light photos are also good.
You can shoot 4K videos at the rate of 30 fps and videos of 1080p at the rate of 30 fps, 60 fps and 120 fps (all with gyro-EIS feature).
front camera
On the front you get a single 8MP lens of f/2.0 aperture, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm with auto HDR feature. With this lens also you can click good selfies both at broad daylight and low light.
You can shoot videos of 1080p at the rate of 30 fps.
performance of google pixel 4a
This smartphone is packed with Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G of 8 nm size with Octa core Processor (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver). The GPU used is Ardeno 618. It runs on Android 10 OS which is upgradable to Android 11 of course.
We all know that Snapdragon 730G is not the most powerful chipset out there in this price range. But it gets your job done pretty well. You will get a pleasing and smooth user experience here like all other Pixel smartphones. The interface is completely clean with no bloatware other than some Google apps preinstalled. Google has incorporated some basic gestures in the settings app like accessing camera or silencing an incoming call. Since it is a Pixel phone, you will get guaranteed OS and security updates from the company for up to three years.
Google Pixel 4a comes in a single variant of 6GB RAM with internal storage of 128GB. But there is no dedicated slot for microSD card.
sensors of google pixel 4a
The phone features a rear mounted Fingerprint sensor, gyro, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass and Barometer. The fingerprint scanner works really quick.
sound
You will get stereo speakers along a 3.5 mm jack. It’s good that Google is still providing a port for the jack unlike most other brands.
battery
Google Pixel 4a is powered by a non-removable Li-Po 3140 mAh battery with 18W Fast Charging support. This is one of the segments according to me where Google has disheartened most of us.
available colors
Google has never been of the opinion of making its Pixel smartphones too much flashy. And it is the same case with Google Pixel 4a as well. In fact this smartphone comes in only a single color option, that is, Just Black.
price of google pixel 4a
The official retail price of the sole variant of this smartphone, that is 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage variant in India is Rs. 31,999.
is google pixel 4a too plain & simple ?
First of all, let me share with you the list of PROs and CONs which I have found out in this smartphone. So here it is.
Yes I know that Google has always focused on keeping things simple. But no doubt there are many smartphones in this price range which are far better than Google Pixel 4a in all aspects at least on paper, especially OnePlus Nord. But again if you prefer to use a smartphone with good camera and a lean software with no bloatware or third party apps, then go for Google Pixel 4a.
Do let me know in the comment section what do you think of the Google Pixel 4a.