Google Pixel 3a XL

[Stereodude]

So at the latest pricing I decided to get one of these to replace my 2 year old Moto G5S+ (which is still working fine). Admittedly and somewhat ironically the good camera on the Pixel 3a XL was a draw to me along with the good battery life and OLED screen.

I got an Open box - Excellent condition one from BestBuy.com for $295+ tax vs. $360 for new. It's supposed to be in new condition with all the original accessories. I'll find out for certain when it gets delivered in a few days.

 

[LunarMist]

Are you noticing any difference on the 5G compared to the 4G?

 

[Stereodude]

Are you noticing any difference on the 5G compared to the 4G?

Huh?

1) It doesn't have 5G.
2) I don't have the phone yet.

 

[Handruin]

I thought the battery life of your Moto G5 was a prime reason for getting it? I can't imagine the P3a would be anywhere close to that kind of runtime from a single charge.

 

[Stereodude]

I thought the battery life of your Moto G5 was a prime reason for getting it? I can't imagine the P3a would be anywhere close to that kind of runtime from a single charge.

According to summary at GSM Arena the Pixel 3a XL has better battery life than the G5S+ in things other than voice calls. I didn't buy the G5S+ for long battery life. I simply noted after having it that the battery lasted a long time under my typical usage pattern. I bought the G5S+ 2 years ago because it was "cheap" and decent. Now I expect that I'm replacing it with another "cheap" and decent phone in the Pixel 3a XL.

 

[LunarMist]

Huh?

1) It doesn't have 5G.
2) I don't have the phone yet.

So you don't have use for the 5G? I just thought maybe that was your reason to upgrade.

 

[Stereodude]

So you don't have use for the 5G? I just thought maybe that was your reason to upgrade.

If the phone had it I wouldn't complain, but at this point I'm certainly not going to pay a premium to get a phone with it.

 

[Stereodude]

I got the phone this morning. As promised the phone basically looked new. No scratches or any wear on it. There was a little bit of dust in the USB-C port and the speakers at the bottom, but that might just be from the packaging of the box. The little SIM card tool was missing from the package, but it had everything else. The original packaging (box) was taped up with "Best Buy Inspected" tape.

I got it setup and my apps, call logs, and SMS/MMS messages transferred over to it from the old phone. So far the phone seems good though I haven't really done anything much with it. The UI is fluid and the phone is nice and responsive. I was a little surprised to see that about 15GB of the 64GB of flash is used right out of the box.

I put a Spigen case on it. A glass screen protector is on the way for it.

 

[LunarMist]

Do they give you a new SIM card? Is the 15GB mostly crapware?

 

[Chewy509]

Do they give you a new SIM card? Is the 15GB mostly crapware?

Don't know about what's included on the Pixel 3a purchased, but on my phone (Sony XA2 with Android 9), ~9GB is "system", and ~7GB are "other apps", of which about ~3GB are Google applications (play store, maps, gmail, etc). Applications I've installed is less than 1GB...

So 15GB sounds like are fairly stock installation for a new phone.

 

[Stereodude]

Do they give you a new SIM card? Is the 15GB mostly crapware?

No, I took the SIM card out of my old phone and put it in the Pixel 3a.

Unfortunately, T-Mobile doesn't support eSIM for non-Apple phones. Otherwise I could use it for my personal line on T-Mobile (with the eSIM) and my work cell line on Verizon (with the SIM card) at the same time on a single handset. AFAIK, technically I could do the eSIM with Verizon and use the SIM for T-Mobile, but setting up an eSIM on Verizon looks rather convoluted especially for a corporate account that I don't have direct access to.

11GB is "system" and 5GB was "other apps". There really isn't any crapware on the phone. It's just stock Android.

 

[LunarMist]

Well, just in case the previous owner dumped a body off I-40 you don't want to be involved.

 

[Stereodude]

Well, just in case the previous owner dumped a body off I-40 you don't want to be involved.

Playing along with your hypothetical... How would that involve me?