Pixel 3a VS Pixel 2: Budget Pixels By Alex Hong

Hey there, Alex here. If you’re in the market looking for a cheaper or smaller Pixel, you’re probably looking at the Pixel 3a, or maybe the older Pixel 2. So in this video, I’m going to compare them side by side, and hopefully it will make your buying decision a little easier. When you pick up both phones, the most obvious difference is the build quality. We have a metal body on the Pixel 2, which feels more solid in hand, and a plastic body on the Pixel 3a, which is slightly less nice. But the Pixel 3a does have a taller display with smaller bezels, so it looks more modern.

Apart from the taller display being a bit nicer to use, the quality of the displays actually looks about the same to me. The more notable change here is the speakers. The Pixel 3a still has dual speakers, but the bottom speaker is no longer front firing. However, it actually sounds noticeably better. It has a clearer and fuller sound.

On top of that, it still has a headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly rare. One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about the Pixel 3a is the specifications. Not going to sugar coat things here, but the Pixel 2 does perform better than the Pixel 3a. It’s not a massive difference, but it is noticeable. While the smoothness and performance in games are just as smooth and enjoyable once they’re loaded, games like Asphalt 9 still looks better on the Pixel 2.

You can actually see the motion blur effect on the Pixel 2, but not so much on the Pixel 3a, even though they’re both on the high quality graphics settings This isn’t really a big deal to me, since it still runs smoothly, but this is a comparison afterall so I have to mention that. For me, I think the Snapdragon 670 is more than capable enough, but I really feel like Google should have gone with UFS storage instead of the slower eMMC. I know it’s supposed to be a cheaper phone, but it’s not really that cheap. But anyway, while the Pixel 2 performs better when it comes to speed, it loses out in terms of battery life. There is simply no contest here.

The Pixel 3a has a more power efficient chipset with a larger battery, so battery life is noticeably better. I’m still able to get a day of use out of the Pixel 2 with lighter usage, but heavier users will probably struggle a little. Anyway, moving on to the cameras, there isn’t really a huge difference here, so I’ll make it quick. Putting aside the specifications on paper, I would say the camera experience is just as good on both phones, with the Pixel 3a being just a bit better. Other than a slight difference in how they manage colours, they’re both really good in all sorts of lighting conditions.

For the front camera, I don’t really see a massive difference here as well other than a wider lens on the Pixel 3a. Even for the speed of processing photos, while it is a bit slower on the Pixel 3a, I don’t think it’s a big deal because the camera is so good and so reliable. That extra bit of waiting time is still worth it. Video capture is where you’ll find a slightly bigger difference. The Pixel 2 seems to produce a more pleasing looking video to me with more contrast and nicer colours.

However, the Pixel 3a can actually record audio in stereo, which sounds much better. This is probably not going to be a deal breaker for most folks, but I do want to mention is that the Pixel 3a lacks free original resolution uploads. The Pixel 2 has that feature till the beginning of 2021. For the most part, it’s a negligible difference for photos, but it is a bit of a bummer for me that videos are limited to 1080p only. So, all things considered, I think it really depends on your needs.

I think the Pixel 3a will probably provide a slightly nicer user experience overall. The screen is more immersive for viewing content, so it makes everything you do on the phone a little nicer. Even if the performance isn’t as good, gaming is still more enjoyable because of the screen. The speakers sounds better, there is a headphone jack, and the better battery life lets you enjoy all of those things longer. Also, it is the newer phone here, so it will have longer software support.

However, there are still good reasons to choose the Pixel 2 over the Pixel 3a, even though the design is a bit dated and the battery life isn’t as good. It is probably still cheaper to buy, it has slightly better performance, an IP67 rating, free original resolution uploads to Google Photos, and there is the option to go for more storage. So, what do you guys think? Would you go for the Pixel 3a or the Pixel 2? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching this video. If it was useful, be sure to leave a like, and subscribe to the channel for more content in the future.

Also, I do have an Instagram account as well if you want to know what I’m up to. Thanks again, and see you guys on the next one.

Source : Alex Hong