OnePlus 7 v/s Google Pixel 3a: Which one to buy?
What's the story
Google has launched its first-ever mid-range smartphones, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL in India. These devices feature mid-end internals while bringing flagship camera features at relatively lower costs.
However, in the country's cost-sensitive smartphone market, the Pixel 3a series will be pitted against the much-anticipated OnePlus 7 which is set to go official on May 14.
So, which one should you buy?
Design
OnePlus 7 v/s Google Pixel 3a
The Pixel 3a looks exactly like the flagship Pixel 3 with a notch-less rectangular display, prominent bezels along with a dual-tone matte and glossy finish on the rear. However, being a lower-cost model, it has a polycarbonate body.
In comparison, the OnePlus 7 will retain OnePlus 6T's design with a bezel-less waterdrop notched screen and a premium all-glass body.
Winner: OnePlus 7.
Display
All about the screen
The Pixel 3a offers a 5.6-inch gOLED display with a resolution of 2220x1080 pixels. However, given the sizeable bezels, the phone offers a relatively lower screen-to-body ratio than other modern-day offerings.
On the other hand, the OnePlus 7 will feature an edge-to-edge 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a full-HD+ (2340x1080 pixels) resolution.
Winner: OnePlus 7 for its higher screen-to-body ratio and a marginally sharper display.
Main camera
For the shutterbugs
Pixel 3a offers flagship camera performance, thanks to its 12.2MP (f/1.8) rear camera with dual-pixel phase detection, OIS, and EIS. Further, it offers top-of-the-line computational photography features such as Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom etc.
In comparison, OnePlus 7 features a dual-lens setup comprising a 48MP (f/1.7) Sony sensor and a 5MP depth sensor.
Winner: Pixel 3a for offering flagship camera performance.
Information
For the selfie lovers
For taking selfies, the Google Pixel 3a offers an 8MP (f/2.0) camera whereas the OnePlus 7 is tipped to come with a 16MP (f/2.0) camera. On paper, the upcoming OnePlus 7 looks good.
Internals
Under the hood
Pixel 3a is powered by a mid-end Snapdragon 670 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
In comparison, the upcoming OnePlus 7 will outshine Google's offering with a flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, upto 8GB of RAM and upto 256GB of storage.
Winner: OnePlus 7 for its much snappier performance.
Nitty-gritty
Connectivity options, battery life and other features
Like Pixel 3a, the OnePlus 7 will offer the latest connectivity options except for a headphone jack. Moreover, the Pixel device comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor while OnePlus' flagship killer will offer an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Lastly, Pixel 3a packs a 3,000mAh battery with 18W fast-charging while OnePlus 7 is said to house a 3,700mAh battery with 30W fast-charging support.
Winner: OnePlus 7.
Information
Pricing: The key factor
The Google Pixel 3a is priced at Rs. 39,999 while the larger Pixel 3a XL comes at Rs. 44,999. In comparison, the OnePlus 7 is tipped to start at Rs. 37,999 in India.
Our verdict
How things stack up?
Google's experiment to offer flagship camera performance on a mid-range device is a good idea, implemented badly. The Pixel 3a looks outdated, lacks heavily on the performance front, and costs a lot as an overall package.
And, if you can settle with decent photos, OnePlus 7 will be a more premium and supremely fast option at a cheaper price point.
Winner: OnePlus 7.