When the Pixel 3 launched in October, it was hardly a secret. We knew everything about it, and I do mean everything. An ongoing series of leaks, including actual reviews of the phone, and multiple hands-on videos, revealed all of the Pixel 3’s secrets. Google tried to drum up some excitement before its press conference last fall, seemingly suggesting that the rumors did not tell the whole story, but that was all in vain. Fast forward to mid-January, and we have the first hands-on video review of the cheap Pixel 3 phone that Google is expected to launch in the near future.
YouTube channel Andro News got its hands on a Google Pixel 3 Lite prototype that’s actually functional. You can still scoop up unreleased Google hardware just as easy as before.
The Pixel 3 Lite has almost the same design as the more expensive model, but the clip at the end of this post highlights several notable differences. The phone is made of plastic rather than glass, and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is absent from the Pixel 3. Furthermore, the SIM card tray isn’t located on the bottom, but on the side. The most important change concerns the front camera. The Pixel 3 Lite’s selfie cam has just a single lens instead of two, as is the case with the Pixel 3.
The Pixel 3 Lite’s main camera is said to be identical to the Pixel 3, which is a great detail for those buyers looking for a cheaper phone that can offer the same great Pixel 3 camera features. However, regardless of what Andro News says about the photo quality, you’ll have to wait for Google to make this one official before getting too excited about it. For starters, the phone has a mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 670, and there’s no mention of Google’s camera-only processor that’s found inside the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
A leaked benchmark a few days ago also revealed the Pixel 3 Lite wouldn’t be powered by the same flagship Qualcomm chip found inside the Pixel 3. One other reason to worry is storage, which starts at 32GB. Because it’s a Google phone, the Pixel 3 Lite won’t take any microSD cards, which means you’ll have to rely on the cloud to expand that storage.
Other specs include a 5.65-inch 2220 x 1080 LCD screen, 4GB of RAM and a 2,915 mAh battery.
Pricing details for the Pixel 3 Lite phones have not been leaked, but don’t be surprised if this phone starts selling in stores for a premium price well before Google announces it. Google is rumored to start selling it at some point this spring, after I/O 2019, which means we’ll see it in even more leaks soon.
