The Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL are being touted as the best affordable smartphones since their launch on May 7. The hype has been real and the leaks did not make it any easier. But it looks like both the Pixel phones have rallied hard. Their reputation has been established as fairly good phones in general.
The 5.6-inch Pixel 3a is powered by a Snapdragon 670 processor and comes with 4GB+64GB internal storage, which is alright. Also, the camera is unarguably the pièce de résistance of this phone, which makes up for every other sacrifice that reviewers are nitpicking right now. But still, there is a $400 difference between the 3a series and their flagship cousins, the Pixel 3 and 3XL. The Pixel 3a has made some sacrifices, including the lack of a glass back and wireless charging. Also, Google has chosen to forgo the micro sd slot in a bid to shift all storage to the cloud.
One feature that has been heavily speculated is the water-resistant aspect of the Google Pixel 3, which by the way does not exist. Yes, the Google Pixel 3a and its XL counterpart are not certified for water-resistance. You don’t get any IP rating (IP68, IP53, whatever) with the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.
So, if you do drop a Pixel 3a into the water, be sure to pick it up as quickly as you can. The usual rice in the bag trick is your big help for this particular phone.
The Pixel 3a can handle a few occasional splashes, however, say goodbye to using this 12-megapixel camera underwater. The Pixel 3a is not IP6X certified which means it’s not water-resistant.
But it’s a compromise that most of us can live with since our Go Pros and additional recording devices can do the job or at least that’s what Google’s assumed. After all, water-resistance was a necessary sacrifice to manage the price of the Pixel 3a.
Fortunately, it’s not the all and end all of any phone. Water resistance is usually an added perk that justifies the cost of a flagship phone. In this case, its simply a missing perk, not a major sacrifice.
So will you still consider the Pixel 3a? If you need help, check out the 7 reasons we listed on why buy the Pixel 3a, and 6 reasons why you shouldn’t bother.
