On the plus side, the Pixel 3a still comes with dual stereo speakers, though one of the speakers is bottom-firing. In addition to the cheaper build materials, the Pixel 3’s IP68 water-resistance is gone, replaced by simple splash and dust resistance. That’s opposed to the more commonly-used Gorilla Glass series from Corning. The glass protecting the screen is Dragon Trail, which is made by Asahi. The polycarbonate body is the first hint of the cost-cutting measures Google has taken to shrink the Pixel 3’s flagship price down to midrange levels. The rear part of the Pixel 3a phones is made of polycarbonate, unlike the all-glass Pixel 3 and 3 XL.
The main difference is in build materials. The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are essentially carbon-copies of the Pixel 3 and 3 XL - for the 3a XL, Google chose to omit the Pixel 3 XL’s horrendous notch. Every Pixel revealed so far has tended to split opinion where design is concerned, and that’s not going to change with the Pixel 3a.
