Call, search, navigate and more – all with your Google Assistant.
Google also teased two other devices slated for release in the fall. One is a version of the Pixel 4A that costs $500 and will be compatible with 5G wireless networks. The other is Google’s next premium phone, the Pixel 5, which will also have 5G capability.
Google has made a big push in the smartphone market, but it hasn’t become a major player despite being the maker of Android, the world’s most widely used mobile operating system. Android powers almost nine out of every 10 smartphones shipped globally. Still, Pixel sales have been lackluster for years. Google executives have blamed the slump on fierce competition in a premium phone market dominated by Apple and Samsung.
“When you build a phone, there’s a bunch of things that come together that were affected by COVID in this case.”Brian Rakowski, Google
The challenge of selling its well-reviewed high-end phones led Google to create its midtier line last year. The Pixel 3A helped to lift Google’s smartphone business but was discontinued last month. The Pixel 4A will face stiff competition from budget phones from Apple and Samsung, the iPhone SE and the Galaxy A51, both going for $400.
“Google has to find a way to convince consumers to buy it,” Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techsponential, said of the 4A. “There’s been a marked divide between how well the Pixel line has been received from people in the know and the relative lack of mainstream market success.”
Selling devices is a crucial part of Google’s effort to get Android and its other services in front of more people. The search giant makes the vast majority of its $160 billion in annual sales through personalized ads. Getting more people on its Android software means the company can get more data on users to refine its targeted advertising.
The $349 price tag brings Google back to its mobile phone roots. Before the company unveiled the first Pixel phone in 2016, Google worked with handset makers including HTC and LG to manufacture the Nexus line of phones. The devices ran a “stock” version of Android that was free of bloatware, a derisive term for software that carriers and device makers force onto phones. The Nexus 5, a particularly beloved model among Android fans, sold for $350 when it debuted in 2013.
Play music and videos with your voice
“Play my Discover Weekly on Spotify”
“Set volume to 50%”
Stay in touch with hands-free calls, texts and emails
“Call Caroline”
“Text Sam ‘On my way'”
Get quick directions and local info
“Where’s the nearest coffee shop?”
“Give me directions to the airport”
fter months of delays, Google on Monday unveiled the Pixel 4A, a budget phone carrying a $349 price tag that’s less than half the cost of last year’s Pixel 4 flagship.
The 4A is Google’s latest entry in the midtier phone market and comes as the company struggles to gain traction in the premium phone game. The lower price is unintentionally timely. The coronavirus pandemic has hammered economies and cost jobs. Consumers may well be looking to save money while still staying connected through new technology. (Read CNET’s in-depth review of the Pixel 4A.)
The new phone is a further price cut for Google, whose previous midtier model — last year’s Pixel 3A — cost $50 more. It also comes with reduced options. The 4A is available in just one size — a 5.81-inch display — and one color scheme, black with a pastel blue power button. The 3A came in two sizes and three color schemes.
The device’s screen stretches across the front surface of the device, covering all but a small “hole punch” camera at the top left corner of the display. The phone also does away with some of the high-end bells and whistles of the $800 Pixel 4, like Google’s Soli chip, which uses radar to let people control apps by swiping and gesturing their hands through the air. (One retro thing the 4A does have, though, is a headphone jack.)
“Add eggs and bread to my shopping list”
“Set an alarm for 7.00 a.m.”
Search the web and get quick answers
“How much is £50 in euros?”
“Tell me the latest news”
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