At the bottom of this post I recommend what case you may want to consider for your new Pixel 3a.
I wasn’t planning on buying a new phone this week. Then, as part of Google I/O the company announced a phone with a deal that could not be passed up with the introduction of the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. I’ve long purchased used iPhones which have resulted in incredibly low cost of ownership. I often justified my indulgence in iPhones by buying used. However, my iPhone 6s was finally showing its age and the battery life had severely decreased.
side note: Readers of this blog know I’m a huge fan of Ting and yes, the Pixel 3a can be brought to the network. I checked and am awaiting my new SIM card (it requires the Nano SIM C10). Google FI is also a fantastic option for those looking to save money.
Enter Google’s extremely tempting offer for the Pixel 3a
The Pixel 3a retails for $399 through the Google store. Clicking on special offers at the top of the Google Store you’ll see that with a purchase you also receive $100 to spend at the Google Store, note that this is not the same as Google Play.
So you’ll get to choose from a variety of different products including Google’s speakers, accessories, outdoor security devices etc. What’s more is the mention of trading in your iPhone. This is what put me over the edge. I was offered $252 for my iPhone 6s 64GB. So the real cost was $420 (after tax) – $252 credit to my credit card once I return my phone = $168. Not bad for a phone which boasts some really great features and this doesn’t include the $100 Google Store credit (we’ll probably opt for the $99 Google Home which will be a nice addition to our Google Home Mini).
I won’t get into all of the specs on the phone here but I’m looking forward to the improved camera which includes portrait mode and night sight. In addition the phone has a battery life of up to 30 hours and can provide 7 hours of use with a 15 minute fast charge.
After I purchased my Pixel 3a I set out to find a case. Even though many details of the phone were leaked there still were limited options for cases on Amazon. What options were listed, many had fake reviews. There is no way a phone case could have a legitimate review on launch day.
Sure, you can buy a Pixel 3a case directly from a case manufacturer but I refuse to pay full retail, which is often the case when buying direct. However, I found that Spigen, a reputable cell phone case company had several options that were going to be available shortly. It seemed like their cases were already on the way to Amazon’s warehouse as of this writing (May 9, 2019). Here is a link to all of the cases they are offering, both for the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. I like a little extra protection and opted for the $15.99 Spigen Tough Armor for the Pixel 3a which is a step up from their Rugged Armor variant. It is the two piece style cases I prefer which have a combination of TPU and polycarbonate. The case for my Pixel 3a is slated to arrive next Tuesday, May 14. I’m sure I’ll be much happier than if I were to have purchased any of the cases shown above and will update my thoughts on the case once I receive it. I hope this post helps others save some time as they search for a case for their Pixel 3a. I’ll also be adding the glass screen protector that I end up purchasing.
Update May 9, 2019: Just two days after ordering my Pixel 3a it has arrived! So far I am impressed, and am getting used to the differences between the Andorid and iOS. I used their built in tool and included transfer adaptor to transfer all of my data from my iPhone to my Pixel 3a. I can’t believe how easy they make it to transfer your data.
Update May 24, 2019: I received the Spigen Tough Armor case for the Pixel 3a and am very happy with it. It offers really great protection with the two layers and is not that much more costly than the cheap cases on Amazon. The rear stand is a nice feature and the case leaves plenty of room around the headphone jack for bulkier headphones.
I also purchased and received the Sparin tempered glass screen protectors for the Pixel 3a. It looks like these have since been removed from Amazon but here is the link to them for the Pixel 3a XL. I liked the easy install process with the included stickers to act as hinges which avoids any fingerprints, the cleaning wipe and finally the stickers to remove any dust. I was able to get it attached with no bubbles. The one downside is the screen protector just barely covers the screen width which is good for case compatibility but bad if you don’t attach it perfectly. The set comes with 4 screen protectors but you may want to avoid this is if will bother you if your install isn’t perfect.
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