Google Pixel 4a: Android's affordable answer to the iPhone SE

And that battery life.

- MICHAEL SIMON

Like Apple’s $400 iPhone SE (go.pcworld.com/ifse), the $349 Google Pixel 4a isn’t a want phone, it’s a need phone. Apple made certain sacrifices with its budget iPhone to keep the price low, and Google has done the same with its own cut-rate Pixel, dropping features like wireless charging, 90Hz Smooth Display, Face Unlock, and a dual camera that pushed the Pixel 4 XL to $900 (go.pcworld. com/p4xl).

You might think you need those features, but you probably don’t. You only want them. With just 6GB of RAM and a 60Hz display, the Pixel 4a still delivers an Android experience that’s as smooth and speedy as any premium phone. Night Sight and Live HDR+ bring a high-end feel to photo-taking that rivals anything Apple brings with the iPhone 11 Pro (go.pcworld.com/i11p). And while I’ll admit that I miss wireless charging, wired charging is plenty fast out of the box.

For a third of what Samsung charges for its new Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (see page 42), the Pixel 4a nails the bare necessities: a lightweight phone with a nice design that’ll take great pictures and last all day. Put it all together, and you’re getting the most practical Android phone ever made and the easiest buying decision you’ll ever make. You don’t even need to pick a color—it only comes in black.

A GOOGLE PHONE THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS GOOD