Google stokes smartphone war with new device

Google has launched the Pixel 3a smartphone billed as a device that gives consumers the features of a high-end phone at an affordable price.

The phone, which was launched earlier this month in the Kenyan market alongside the firm’s flagship Pixel 3a XL, packs much of the same features that make it a strong competitor for the exorbitantly priced high-end smartphone market.

The phone comes with a 4GB RAM and 64GB storage retails at Sh40,000, which is half the launch price of its predecessor, the Pixel 3.

The Pixel 3a has a 5.6-inch screen with a full HD+ and OLED display, with a resolution of 2220 x 1080. This resolution makes videos and pictures appear more crisp and sharper than many six-inch smartphone models.

Its other major selling point is its 12.2MP back camera and an 8MP front-facing one that makes pictures appear bright and detailed with an impressive list of options to capture different light settings.

Affordable hardware

The camera’s Night Sight feature is also optimised to take vivid photos in low-light environments and performs better than most of the devices in the phone’s price category.

“To support the latest technologies, everyone’s phone is getting more and more expensive,” explained Rick Osterich, Google’s senior vice president of hardware.

“We challenged ourselves to see if we can customise our software and AI to work great on more affordable hardware so we can deliver these high-end experiences at a more accessible price.” Squeezing the sides of the phone activates the Google Assistant, which uses AI to provide shortcuts to some of the ubiquitous functions users would rather skip.

Users can use the phone assistant to make Google search queries or access Google maps features directly through speech.  

The phone is equipped with a 3,000mAh battery that can give up to 30 hours of use, including streaming videos and browsing on 4G mobile data on a single charge.

The Pixel 3a comes with the latest Android 9 operating system with intelligent features like adaptive brightness, gesture navigation, and adaptive battery that pairs nicely with the inbuilt battery to give a stable run-time.