The Google Pixel 3a XL Review: Does Mid-Range Make Sense?

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• RSAUser - Thursday, June 27, 2019 - link

  /looks at phone without a screen protector that's over 2 years old without any scratches
  What are you talking about? Depends on the person.

• Oyeve - Thursday, June 27, 2019 - link

  And most people are idiots who don't care about sound quality. Thats why there are so many bitch-buds on the market. For those of us who actually own very good headphones we all know blue headphones are garbage. We want loud high quality sound and BT does not come even close. I use a Fiio amp and good wired headphone on all of my phone because BT sucks.

• grant3 - Thursday, June 27, 2019 - link

  The idea that plastic is "more prone to dents & scratches" than aluminum is laughable.
  The idea that plastic is "less durable" than glass is laughble.
  Yet this author is happy to make such a claim with literally no experience let alone proof to support his assertion.

• fred666 - Friday, June 28, 2019 - link

  plastic is the superior choice because it is light, lets the magnetic waves through and absorbs (some of) the shock instead of breaking like glass or transmitting it to the components like metal.

• MadManMark - Monday, July 1, 2019 - link

  I know, I consider the plastic a feature, not a compromise!

• deskjob - Thursday, June 27, 2019 - link

  I must be an unicorn. I stopped using a case with the OG pixel. Haven't looked back. Maybe I am more careful or less clumsy when it comes to gadgets. I've dropped it once from about 4ft onto sidewalk, fortunately only got minor chip around one corner. Otherwise the no scratches anywhere. So yeah that info matters to me.
  
  Also headphone jack is one of the main reasons I am even considering the 3a XL. True, most people don't care because they don't care about sound quality in general. That's cool. There are still some people out there who do care about sound quality. I use a bluetooth speaker for podcasts, but wired for anything else.

• nucc1 - Sunday, June 30, 2019 - link

  You get the case for that once or twice a year drop just like you. This way, you're far less likely to need repairs and it's more freedom from worrying about your phone.
  
  Without a case, the phone can start looking really worn out after a year and it might make you replace it sooner than you have to.

• MadManMark - Monday, July 1, 2019 - link

  You're not alone. If people like to spend $1000 on a phone and then wrap it up in quasi-bubble wrap to make it chunky, that's fine. I like to buy phones for just a few hundred (due to their trade-in program this one cost me $210 net, after I bought an iPhone 6 to trade in) and then just USE it. I put on a screen protector, but as far as a case: if there is a scratch on the plastic back, there is a scratch. It doesn't affecgt anything, and I'll be upgrading in a few years again anway. Who is always looking at the BACK of their phones in the first place?

• grant3 - Friday, July 5, 2019 - link

  I think the screen on the 3a xl is probably stronger than the body.
  
  I bought a case for mine because i drop it a lot, but for the last few years people have been starting to convince me the screen protector is not really needed.

• melgross - Thursday, June 27, 2019 - link

  Very high quality polycarbonate? I’ve done extensive work in materials; wood, metal and plastic. I’ve used numerous brands of polycarbonate. They are all the same.
  
  The differences between utilization is what you’re noticing. Differing thicknesses, differing tapering of the thickness over the sheet used in the body. Differing curves, giving different impressions as to strength and resistance to indentation from pressure, etc.
  
  The different textures also leave thoughts as to quality. But the plastic is all the same. Pretty much exactly so.
  
  One of the benefits is that there should be no dents due to banging the device, which is the opposite to what you have with the necessarily thin metal used, which is strong, but a dent magnet, in many designs, particularly in cheaper devices. Polycarbonate, while like every other plastic, is soft, in fact, it’s noticeably softer than the otherwise much more easily broken acrylic. Both can have anti scratch coating applied, but that substantially increases the cost, and isn’t used with textured finishes. Besides, it wears off on devices that are constantly being fondled by their owners.