Google’s Pixel 4A smartphone is a price range mannequin priced at $349 with sufficient vital options for professional customers to make it a great company-issue gadget.

Image: Angela Lang/CNET
Google’s newest smartphone is not a brand new flagship gadget: It’s the Pixel 4A, the price range model of final yr’s Pixel 4. Owners of flagship smartphones will not be wowed by its options (that are minimal) or its design (which is straightforward), however the Pixel 4A is not designed with flagship gadget customers in thoughts. The Pixel 4A is geared towards people who find themselves price range acutely aware or do not want or need all of the bells and whistles, or firms that desire a fleet of primary, but trendy, enterprise smartphones. 

At solely $349, the Pixel 4A is priced to compete with different mid-tier smartphones from main producers, however with the additional advantage of getting “…one of the best cameras you can get on a smartphone,” in keeping with Lynn La in her evaluation on TechRepublic sister website CNET. Despite some drawbacks, the Pixel 4A has stable specs for a superb worth, and it is price contemplating as a enterprise smartphone.  SEE: Managing and troubleshooting Android units guidelines (TechRepublic Premium)  What is the Google Pixel 4A, and the way does it evaluate to the Pixel 4? The Pixel 4A is Google’s newest mid-tier Android smartphone. It takes design cues from 2019’s Pixel 4 flagship gadget and serves because the alternative for the Pixel 3A, which Google discontinued in mid-July 2020.

The Pixel 4A is undoubtedly not a flagship gadget, particularly in comparison with the Pixel 4, its closest flagship relative in Google’s smartphone lineup. In distinction to the Pixel 4, the 4A: Only has one rear digicam (no telephoto lens);Only has a 60Hz show (the Pixel 4 has a 90Hz show);Doesn’t have wi-fi charging; Doesn’t have an IP ranking (it is not water or mud resistant);Doesn’t have Soli movement sensing;Has a less-powerful chipset than the Pixel 4; andDoesn’t have configuration choices.CNET stated that the Pixel 4A seems and feels low cost regardless of its design. “Its plain polycarbonate body lacks the glossiness of the Galaxy A51, the elegance of the iPhone SE and the fun Pop Art aesthetic of its Pixel 4 brother,” stated CNET’s Lynn La in her evaluation of the 4A.

On the optimistic facet of issues, the Pixel 4A does have components in its favor over the Pixel 4: It has a headphone jack; A bigger show;A bigger battery;and the very same rear digicam because the Pixel 4’s important lens for a far lower cost. As CNET’s Lynn La stated in her evaluation of the Pixel 4A, “it takes very little effort to get the Pixel 4A to spit out a good photo.” That generally is a huge plus for enterprise customers who must take images for documentation functions, social media, particular occasions, or different workday makes use of.  Google Pixel 4A specs Display: 5.81″ OLED, 2340×1080, always on, 24-bit color Dimensions: 5.7″ x 2.7″ x 0.3″ (144 x 69.4 x 8.2 mm), 5.04 oz (148g) Operating System: Android 10 Storage: 128 GB Memory: 6 GB Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G Cameras: 12.2MP rear, 8MP entrance, 4K video seize Battery: 3,140 mAh Login safety: rear fingerprint reader Ports: USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, twin SIM (nano and e-SIM) Connectivity: Wi-Fi (no Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, Google Cast, LTE mobile Additional sources: What are the Pixel 4A important rivals? The Pixel 4A is competing in opposition to any mid-tier smartphone, however particularly two rivals stand out: The Samsung Galaxy A51 and the most recent iPhone SE mannequin. Of these two, the largest challenger for Pixel 4A market share is the Galaxy A51. In its Pixel 4A announcement put up, CNET identified that Google has had a little bit of a wrestle within the smartphone market as of late, with crew conflicts, the departure of key smartphone engineers, and the a number of month delay of the Pixel 4A.  Samsung continues to dominate the Android gadget market, and Google’s failure to make inroads is not prone to let up with competitors coming from the Samsung A51, which from pictures seems like a a lot higher-end gadget. That might not be the case, however seems depend in terms of cellular units, particularly when the Pixel 4A has already been described by CNET as feeling low cost.  SEE: Mobile gadget safety: Tips for IT execs (free PDF) (TechRepublic)Samsung and Google each have causes for investing within the Pixel and Galaxy strains for enterprise, however Google is the one dealing with an uphill battle in opposition to Samsung’s dominance within the smartphone business. There’s one other huge competitor that might drive down gross sales of the Pixel 4A, and it is Google’s subsequent mid-tier Pixel gadget due out this fall: The 4A 5G. Not so much is understood in regards to the 5G model of the Pixel 4A, however it’s solely going to price $150 greater than the just-released Pixel 4A. Anyone contemplating a mid-tier Android gadget who’s within the Pixel 4A could also be higher served by ready a number of extra months for the Pixel 4A with 5G.  Additional sources: Why ought to companies and professionals contemplate the Pixel 4A? Despite some downsides, there are loads of the reason why the Google Pixel 4A would make a superb enterprise gadget for each particular person customers and organizations in search of a brand new bulk purchase choice for workers. First off, there’s Google’s Titan M safety chip, which is on the core of the Pixel 4A. Google describes the Titan M as “enterprise grade,” and it goes a great distance towards securing units. The Titan M is built-in into the bootloader to confirm the OS hasn’t been maliciously modified and encrypt the gadget when it is locked, and it makes use of safe APIs to make sure solely trusted apps are operating on the gadget.  The Pixel 4A additionally comes with Google’s Personal Safety app, which may do issues like mechanically name 911 when a car accident is detected, or schedule security checks that mechanically notify emergency contacts when the security verify notification is not acknowledged. Both of these options might be nice for workers working within the discipline or in distant areas. Call screening can also be constructed into the Pixel 4A, and since it is manufactured by Google, the gadget will all the time be one of many first to obtain Android updates, which may imply very important safety patches get to delicate units extra rapidly.  Lastly, there are not any customization choices. That could sound like a downside, however when the one Pixel 4A you will get is black, with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage, there aren’t any particular orders to fill–it’s one-device-fits-all, which makes issues simpler for buying. The Pixel 4A can also be speculated to get “all day battery life.” Google did not qualify what meaning, however in CNET’s testing, the Pixel 4A averaged round 18 hours and 45 minutes of battery life.  Additional sources: When and the place will the Pixel 4A be out there? The Google Pixel 4A is obtainable for preorders from Google now, and can ship out starting on August 20, 2020. It might be out there on Verizon, Google Fi, or unlocked with no service. The Pixel 4A might be out there for buy at launch in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the UK, and the US. Google additionally plans to launch the Pixel 4A in India quickly. Additional sources

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