Since the end of 2018, there have been rumors of an available Pixel 3 Lite version, and over the past months we've been constantly faced with features and functionality leaks. Here's everything we know about the budget Google Pixel, including the estimated price and release details, as well as what buyers are expected to see.
Read also: Best smartphones
Pixel 3 Lite - Design
Back in November, the Russian mobile technology site Rozetked.me posted photos of a Pixel 3-like smartphone codenamed “Sargo” and identified as “Pixel 3 Lite”.
The phone looks almost identical in design and size, with a similar design to the Pixel 3, albeit with some notable differences.
The Lite casing in the photos is completely white and appears to be made of shiny plastic rather than glass like the standard Pixel 3. Despite significant changes, the phone still offers the signature split visor design found on other Pixels, and also an angled main camera and a rear-center fingerprint sensor.
The shiny “G” logo on the bottom half of the phone and the brightly colored power button that appears yellow instead of green on the white Pixel 3 makes it look more like the Pixel 3 XL.
Also in the photo you can see the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which is completely absent from Google phones since the 2017 Google Pixel 2 series.
Retouched images (and videos) of the Pixel 3 Lite and the larger Pixel 3 Lite XL have since appeared on both 91mobiles.com and the OnLeaks Twitter account.
Apart from showing how a phone can look in both black and white, they also draw attention to the obvious location of the SIM tray (on the side of the phone, not the bottom) and the presence of a USB Type-C port that is missing. on standard Pixel 3 models.
Along with confirming the presence of a headphone jack on both devices, information on 91mobiles and OnLeaks also contained the dimensions of the phone (151.3 x 70.1 mm x 8.2 mm for the Pixel 3 Lite and 160 x 76.1 x 8.2 mm for the XL ), suggesting that both models will be slightly larger than their more expensive counterparts, and the smaller model will also be slightly wider than the Pixel 3.
Pixel 3 Lite - Screen
As stated in the initial leak, the Pixel 3 Lite's display will be a 5.56-inch panel with rounded corners (most likely an LCD, not OLED), with large black bezels on the sides, no notches.
Based on leaks from OnLeaks, the larger Pixel 3 Lite XL will presumably have a nearly 6-inch 18.5: 9 bezel-less display with a resolution of 2220 x 1080 pixels. This means that despite the “XL” name, it will receive a significantly smaller screen than the one found on the Pixel 3 XL (6.3-inch).
Pixel 3 Lite - performance and battery
Rumor has it that the phones are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 or 710 chipset (most likely the first) - a much more modest, albeit expected, solution compared to the flagship Snapdragon 845 found in other smartphones of the current generation.
Several sources also claim that at least the smaller Pixel 3 Lite will have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, but there is no word about expanding memory with microSD cards yet (which is not in the standard Pixel 3 and 3 XL).
The smaller Lite is also expected to have a 2915mAh battery, just like the standard Pixel 3.
Pixel 3 Lite - camera
According to the renders, the smartphone will not have the same dual wide-angle cameras as the existing Pixel 3s. Instead, the single sensors on the front and back of both models are expected to be 8 and 12 megapixels, respectively.
Whether Google plans to use the same Sony IMX363 sensor that was installed on the Pixel 3 for these new cameras is unknown.If the Pixel 3 Lite's camera is about as good as the Pixel 3's, this could very well be a phone worth buying.
Pixel 3 Lite - Price and Release Date
Less than two weeks after the initial Rozetked leak, another Russian website, Wysla.com, showed pictures of a very similar device, housed alongside a host of mainstream phones, notably Apple's newest iPhones, the iPhone XS and iPhone XR.
So the Lite name not only offers less hardware, but implies that it will have a comparatively lower price tag to compete with other new products.
It seems that the smartphone can become a direct competitor to the iPhone XR. The iPhone XR is currently on sale for $ 749 and serves as Apple's entry-level flagship.
Apple and Google last offered more competitive phones when the iPhone 5C and Google Nexus 5X were released (although some might argue that the iPhone SE was also relatively affordable).
And of course, in February, Japanese site Nikkei reported that Google's Pixel 3 Lite would be cheaper than Apple's iPhone XR. Given that the Pixel 3 itself is already cheaper than the iPhone XR, we expect the Lite to be much more affordable. The report also says that Google will continue with its annual strategy for launching its flagship phones. If confirmed, it would mean the Pixel 4 will be announced in the fall, probably shortly after the iPhone 11.
According to rumors, the appearance of new items on the market is planned for this spring, but this is only an assumption, Google has not announced a more precise date yet.
According to MySmartPrice, the Pixel 3 Lite has model number G020B and may be marketed as Pixel 3a, while Pixel 3 Lite XL has model number G020F and may be marketed as Pixel 3a XL. The report added that both phones are manufactured by Foxconn and will be released in India "shortly" for less than INR 40,000 ($ 555).
That's all there is for now, but we'll continue to search the web for more specific information on the actual launch date as well as potential pricing for both devices.
