Google Pixel 4a released

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#2565763 16-Sep-2020 11:16

Milts:

Could be wrong but I think you'll find it's $299 if you activate it when you buy it (with a given network), but to buy unlocked it's $349 even at bestbuy.

Earlier in the thread a few NZ vendors explained they prefer not to stock Pixel devices at the moment due to the difficulty of returns when there's an issue.

Thanks for explaining why NZ isnt getting it, will that change? Seems crazy that Aus arent concerned but NZ vendors are. Id have thought at least PBtech would have the muscle to sort any concerns out.

Ugggh, the Unlocked unattached version was also on special at $299, looking at the following link it doesnt appear so. But odd that other link says $299 with $50 off. but also says with activation today but doesnt say with whom.

Interestingly the sprint model is now $249. Im unsure on the timing needed to deactivate it before being charged a Plan, will try to find out, likely a month if they do not charge up front, or possibly they simply attach it on prepaid, without going through process is hard to tell, but I know people in Aus were buying them prior to availability in Aus.

https://www.bestbuy.com/wireless/transaction-types/render/carriers?numberOfPayments=1&purchaseType=FULL_SRP&skuId=6422517

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Bhima

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#2566201 16-Sep-2020 19:50

Right time to write my review, had this for about 2 weeks now after buying it from Amazon so I think I have the novelty of a new phone out of my system by now.

Background: Moved to this phone from a S8. My criteria was to get an Android phone that didn't cost the Earth and really value is what I was looking for. Areas where I did not want to compromise were screen quality, screen size (6inch MAX), all day battery and a point-and-shoot camera experience(I am no photographer so have no idea how to tweak stuff).

Initial setup - I went for a clean install and chose only to transfer the basics i.e. SMS, contacts. Pretty quick and just used the standard cable plugged to both phones.

1) Battery - The first day I was out by about 6pm, saw that Google photos was stuck backing up and had used like 35% of that. Fixed the issue and am now getting about 5-6 hours screen on time by the time I get to bed with about 20-35% juice left. That is insane.

2) Display - Absolutely stunning, OLED panel so no worries there, the size is so damn comfortable and I for one don't really mind the hole punch camera, I loath notches.

3) Software - This is my first Pixel and coming from a Samsung it is so refreshing. It is so damn clean and minimal just like the phone. I am loving the snappiness of the interface and enjoying some of the Pixel exclusive features e.g. the 'Now Playing' feature suits me perfectly as I always used to Shazam songs before.

4) Performance - I wasn't sure what to expect here but knew that I could test it easily with one single app - Pokemon Go. I play this about 2-3 hours a day and have never had a crash or any lag. I do expect the Pixel to degrade say in 2-3 years but as of now I see no hint of a 'inferior' CPU experience.

5) Sound Quality - This is the one area that the Pixel doesn't really stand up well. When talking to somebody on speaker at the max volume the voice becomes a bit garbled. When listening to YouTube or Music it isn't so bad and you do get a feel of the stereo speaker but it is what you'd expect for the price.

6) Network - Decided to include this as I know people are wary of how a US phone might impact performance in NZ. I live on a farm in the tail end of Auckland and don't even have Fibre (got Spark wireless broadband) and luckily I have had no issues with Network in the area. I get 4G consistently. Seeing as I live in an isolated(ish) area I guess my review on this might be more relevant than others.

7) Camera - Omg they really weren't kidding with the folklore around the amazing Pixel camera. You take a picture, it takes about 3-5 seconds to do its processing and it just looks like magic! I love point and shoot cameras and am highly impressed with the pictures I am getting from this.

Overall - I am absolutely loving this phone! The battery is amazing as is the camera and it is a joy to use. I am a minimalist sort of person in general however so this phone does match my personality quite well.

I'm not really sure what else to put here, these are the ones I could think of so let me know if you want to know anything else.

dafman

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#2566221 16-Sep-2020 20:24

Bhima:

Right time to write my review, had this for about 2 weeks now after buying it from Amazon so I think I have the novelty of a new phone out of my system by now.

Great review, thx. I don't like big phones, plus I like the clean experience of native Android, so on the face of it this is the ideal phone.

I've been a Google user for years, but of recent have been wary of how much data Google harvest from users, so I have been moving away from some Google apps. The thing that worries me a wee bit with a Pixel is whether Google are able to bake in higher levels of data harvesting from Pixels vs a non-Google android manufacturer, eg. Samsung.

I am considering a move to Apple, but will miss the flexibility of Android. Maybe my concern with data harvesting is irrational, in which case the Pixel 4 would be the perfect phone for me.

timmmay

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#2566235 16-Sep-2020 20:51

Nice review, thanks! Looking forward to getting mine, hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

dafman:

I am considering a move to Apple, but will miss the flexibility of Android. Maybe my concern with data harvesting is irrational, in which case the Pixel 4 would be the perfect phone for me.

Do you think Apple would be any better than Google? The iPhone SE 2020 is meant to be awesome, $50 more than the Pixel 4a, great camera, and super fast CPU.

gzt

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#2566244 16-Sep-2020 21:06

Dick Smith changed status to 'coming soon'

https://www.dicksmith.co.nz/dn/buy/google-pixel-4a-128gb-just-black-google/

tieke

673 posts

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#2567947 19-Sep-2020 10:27

nzkiwiman:
tieke:

Worth getting expedited shipping from Amazon if you want it relatively quickly - I wasn't in too much of a hurry so selected standard shipping and two weeks later it looks like it is still in Arizona thanks to "Operational/Capacity Related" delay - ie DPD aren't finding many planes available.

I wouldn't worry about that too much.

I had an order from Amazon that went into this state; I checked one morning while I was at work - and it was still in Arizona according to tracking (had travelled from Phoenix, Arizona to San Bernardino, California before issues in Arizona). But when I got home it was sitting at my front door. When I checked tracking, it was still in Arizona (it updated 3 days later to say it was delivered but with no information between Arizona and delivered)

Yeah - I don't think the Amazon site updates with local delivery info - Amazon on-site tracking stopped at the Arizona departure, but the DPD tracking number on the asendia tracking site gives you the local NZ tracking number where I can see that it has now been sitting at my local Fastway/Aramex depot for the last four days.

This doesn't surprise me as my local Fastway branch has been historically understaffed - several times it's taken them as long to deliver from my local depot as it took the package to come from the US.

timmmay

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#2567954 19-Sep-2020 10:44

Fastway / Aramex are about the slowest courier company around. It takes them longer to move packages 100km than it takes dhl to move a package around the world including local delivery. They do delivery eventually, but delays of 1-4 days are standard practice. that's why I tend to pay the extra shipping at amazon.co.uk see if I want my package delivered relatively promptly. If there's no hurry at all their budget shipping is fine.

otabz

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#2568401 20-Sep-2020 08:28

Is it a possibility, if pixel 4a is offered by a seller here in NZ then total cost would be less than offered by Amazon?

timmmay

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#2568419 20-Sep-2020 08:42

otabz: Is it a possibility, if pixel 4a is offered by a seller here in NZ then total cost would be less than offered by Amazon?

Possible but unlikely in my opinion. Amazon are selling for the recommended price plus GST and shipping. In New Zealand we often pay more than other countries.

TeaLeaf

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#2569149 21-Sep-2020 12:51

dafman:

I don't like big phones, plus I like the clean experience of native Android, so on the face of it this is the ideal phone.

The only issue is the battery life, but that is very user dependant. Its the only reason the big review sites like gsmarena and kimovil have given it a 7.5/10 taking price range into consideration.

It is the not the only phone in those form factor however. Apple offer 5 years software support I believe vs 2 from Google and 3years from Samsung (for the better models ie s10, s20, a70 etc).

So the two that stand out to me are Iphone X and Galaxy s10e.

Iphone X which in theory being last 2017 early 2018 should have 3 years of updates left on it, it uses a much much more powerful SoC, Bionic A13. iOS does not used Java so is much less resource hungry on ram, so 3GB for example is plenty for now. Much like how windows lumia phones were. Super Retina OLED display with 120hz touch refresh, it means when you swipe etc it feels snappier, imo a 90hz touch and 60hz display refresh is plenty, but thats what it is so either way its better, also display quality is better. One of the first HDR10 displays.

S10e, 2019 so has 2 years support left, much like a Pixel 4a. OneUi is much better now than prior Sammy loaders. It has a much more powerful SoC with the SD855, 6-8GB ram etc, much better GPU for gaming or image/video editing. Can be hooked up to a Monitor via Dex mode (any android can if enabled in dev mode, but only Sammy and Huawei offer an actual desktop UI on top instead of just being a mirror of the phone).

Both the s10e and IPhone X have IP dust/water resistance ratings, IP67 and on the s10e IP68.

The s10e is better non local exynos SoC's suck, especially last years SoC. So better to import a snapdragon model.

Price wise a new Iphone X and an S10e is about $800 imported, you can import the 4a for between $430-500 depending on where you purchase.

My pick if $200 etc is not to much is the s10e being a much more powerful phone, similar camera capability, more optimised battery life (only about 10% better) but also the viewing pleasure, the sammy samoled display is superior to an ordinary OLED, you get hdr10+ from some movies and videos as well (hdr10+ imo has much more visual impact than 4k or 2k for example on phones and tvs that have high res).

However the 4a for what it is, which is a very basic, easy to use phone (kind of like Apple OSX, grandma can use it), some prefer vanilla android, personally I dont find it much different, its camera uses a good AI Algorithim which produces the extreme HDR. saturated. overly sharpened images that are pixels photo fingerprint, some like it, some dont, depends if you want more natural photos or ones you can produce better IQ with and also produce multiple exposures and do your own image editing. Each to their own.

Im considering waiting for the Pixel 5 myself as it uses the same 5.8" form factor but has a better sd765 SoC and likely a 3800mah battery, it will cost much more of course.

So here are the 3 phones I mentioned, each has a review, but you can compare specs side by side first.

https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=10123&idPhone2=9537&idPhone3=8858

TeaLeaf

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#2571398 21-Sep-2020 15:59

I cant find the Amazon sale page, its showing $900 which I know is wrong, for some reason.

How long is Amazon delivery to NZ?

timmmay

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#2571408 21-Sep-2020 16:18

TeaLeaf:

I cant find the Amazon sale page, its showing $900 which I know is wrong, for some reason.

How long is Amazon delivery to NZ?

Amazon.com Pixel 4A product page is here, looks like Amazon are out of stock and aren't taking orders right now. I ordered 27th August, it hasn't shipped yet, but is still showing as arriving 30th Sept - I chose the second cheapest courier, who are often DHL / UPS. So I guess delivery time is 1-2 months.

old3eyes

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#2571410 21-Sep-2020 16:19

timmmay:

TeaLeaf:

I cant find the Amazon sale page, its showing $900 which I know is wrong, for some reason.

How long is Amazon delivery to NZ?

Amazon.com Pixel 4A product page is here, looks like Amazon are out of stock and aren't taking orders right now. I ordered 27th August, it hasn't shipped yet, but is still showing as arriving 30th Sept - I chose the second cheapest courier, who are often DHL / UPS. So I guess delivery time is 1-2 months.

Xmas present??

Regards,

Old3eyes

timmmay

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#2571417 21-Sep-2020 16:27

Was meant to be an August present, but may end up being an Xmas present. If it doesn't ship soon I might cancel and get the 4a 5G when it's released.

tieke

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#2571423 21-Sep-2020 16:45

Mine finally arrived today - surprising how much smaller it is in hand than my redmi note with its 6.3" screen. I deliberately chose not to go larger though - my alternate choice was a redmi K30 ultra, and its 6.67" screen felt like it would be just too big for me, although at least the screen width on the new large phones is narrower than my nexus 6 which is pretty much my width limit.

Everything transferred pretty easily from my existing phone: they include a USB-A to USB-C adapter which I used with my current non-usb-c phone cable to transfer over all the accounts/app info/txts/photos etc.

Had also ordered some glass screen protectors off ebay, but mistakenly selected a matte finish - wasn't too keen on it originally, but it's growing on me. I'll leave it on until I get around to ordering some standard ones :)

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