Google’s Pixel 4a is Just what the Doctor Ordered

In the article “Financial Concerns are Prevalent in 2020” I outlined the issues people are having around their finances and spending generally. There has been a great uptick in interest in reasonably priced phones sometimes referred to as budget phones. Budget phones are based though on today’s technology and so they are not the poor products one might have expected a few years ago.

Google’s Pixel 4a falls into this category of a well designed, feature strong phone from a solid company. As a new phone it is priced aggressively even beating Apple’s recently released iPhone SE.

Price

The Pixel 4a is priced just right at $349.00 USD or $479.00 Canadian. At this price one might think they are getting a dud of a phone but the opposite is true.

Design wise it looks great. It is solid black in a plastic casing that feels nice to the touch. It has Touch ID on the rear which is fast and accurate with a beautiful 5.8” Amoled display. For many, this size is ideal when compared to larger phones that are starting to get hard to handle or say fit comfortably in a pocket. Although the unit doesn’t have the fastest processor on market it is a capable processor and people who have tested it seem happy with the performance.

The device has a 3140 mAh battery more than capable of getting through the day. Finally you get an ample amount of RAM and storage:

• RAM 6gb
• Storage 128 gb

The 128 gb storage option means you can store tons of photos, music and even some videos to watch possibly while traveling. The iPhones have 64 gb which is not enough in 2020.

Additionally, with the following specs one would think the phone is akin to its more expensive brethren. It is iP68 water and dust resistant. Finally, one of its most important features, the camera, is considered the best in the industry. Google has always been known for its phones and their first rate camera system. Photos from the device are stunning. Your only downside is it just has one lens and does not have the popular wide angle lens. For most people this is not an issue.

Google has Finally Got It Right

So far, the Pixel 4a has been a hit with reviewers and more importantly the consumer. It has sold out across North America though phones are expected shortly as of this writing. Google is coming out with well designed phones with good specs at prices much more reasonable than has been the case of late.

The $1000 plus phone is being questioned seriously. Do these so-called flagship phones really lead the market. Or is the market leading the vendors by choosing the less expensive phones in fairly large numbers over the expensive devices that might not really provide that much extra value. This would seem to be the case when one looks at say Apple’s sales:

• the iPhone XR was Apple’s major seller in that year phase
• the iPhone 11 has proven to be the same in this years series

If one looks at Samsung they made a huge mistake with their Galaxy s series line of phones and priced them from $1000 USD and up. These phones have sold poorly and although the COVID pandemic might play a role ultimately the phones were simply reaching stratospheric prices. People have had enough with overly expensive phones that just don’t provide enough benefits over the more budget friendly phones.

Google’s Pixel 4a has fallen right in the centre of what people want. The consumer currently just wants a good performing, well built device at a price that won’t break the bank. With that said, Google has delivered. The device looks, performs well and comes from a very solid company. Finally, the consumer might be winning the day.