Small wonder

Google’s only smartphone offering in India shines through

- Afzal Rawuther

Google Pixel 4a

Price ₹ 31,999

QUICK SPECS

DISPLAY 5.81 inches OLED, HDR

PLATFORM OS - Android 10, Chipset - Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G (8 nm)

MEMORY Internal 128GB 6GB RAM

CAMERA MAIN: 12.2 MP, SELFIE: 8 MP

BATTERY Li-Po 3140 mAh, non-removable, Fast charging 18W

In an era where a large-sized screen is often thought of as a prerequisite in a phone by most people, the Google Pixel 4a presents itself as a breath of fresh air. And it is not just the screen size that’s unusual. The Pixel 4a is unlike any other mid-range Android smartphone on sale right now.

Let’s start with how it feels in your hand. At a time when every other manufacturer offers a mix of glass and metal at this price point, Google chose to go with a polycarbonate back. Outrageous, you’d think. But actually, in more ways than one, that is an incredibly smart move. Compared to the huge slabs of metal and glass that we are used to holding, the Pixel 4a aided by its tiny dimensions seems featherlight and that can only be a good thing. With its soft touch finish and curved edges, it is also a lot easier to hold and use. The capacitive fingerprint reader is positioned perfectly and is a joy to use, unlike a number of in-screen ones. Another advantage to the plastic build - it is a lot more resilient to drops.