Google Launches Pixel 4a, a $349 iPhone SE Competitor

Google today announced the launch of its latest smartphone, the Pixel 4a, which has a $349 price tag and is designed to compete with lower-cost devices like Apple's $399 iPhone SE.

pixel4a
The Pixel 4a features a 5.81-inch display that's all screen, with a small front-facing pinhole camera at the top left, a square-shaped camera bump at the rear, and fingerprint biometrics on the back.

Design wise, the display is much larger than the ‌iPhone SE‌'s display, which is modeled after the 4.7-inch iPhone 8. The ‌iPhone SE‌ also features a fingerprint button, but it is at the front in a thick bottom bezel.

Apple is actually rumored to be working on a new version of the ‌iPhone SE‌ called the iPhone SE Plus that would have an all-display design similar to Apple's more expensive iPhones, with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. The ‌iPhone SE‌ Plus won't be coming until 2021, though.

pixel4aback
Along with an all-display design and a larger form factor, the Pixel 4a is equipped with an Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor and Titan M security chip, 6GB RAM, a single-lens 12.2-megapixel camera, 128GB storage, and a 3,140mAh battery.

The ‌iPhone SE‌ is equipped with a 12-megapixel camera too, but it's an older camera originally introduced in the ‌iPhone‌ 8, and it doesn't have Night Sight like Google's model. It does handily outperform the Snapdragon 730 processor with its A13 chip.

The Pixel 4a also has some Android goodies, such as the new Google Assistant experience that was first rolled out with the Pixel 4. Google promises three years of updates for the Pixel 4a, while the ‌iPhone SE‌ is likely to see four to five years of support.

We've got a Pixel 4a on the way and plan on doing an in-depth comparison with the ‌iPhone SE‌ later this week, so make sure to keep an eye out for that video. For those interested, the Pixel 4a can be pre-ordered from Google's website as of today.

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
49 months ago
I’m not an Android user, but an all-screen device like this with a fingerprint sensor on the back for $50 less than the SE seems like a great option.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeeW Avatar
49 months ago
To be fair, if Android is your preference, here is a cheap stock Android device you can replace every two years at a cost of $175 per year, bargain in today's market.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
49 months ago
More Nexus than a Nexus. If I wanted an android phone, it hands down would be the 4A.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghanwani Avatar
49 months ago
Google should just offer free phones every 24 months (just like they offer free search, free gmail, youtube, etc.) since they make so much money off the user's data.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xxray Avatar
49 months ago
This is a really appealing value. It might be Google’s best-looking phone they’ve released too.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Christoffee Avatar
49 months ago
https://store.google.com/product/pixel_4a

What a shocking website.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, SEGA Genesis,...