Google is to sell a range of lower-cost smartphones as part of an effort to jump-start sales of its Pixel brand. The Pixel 3a and larger Pixel 3a XL will cost £399 and £469 respectively, making them roughly half the price of the seven-month-old Pixel 3 originals. Until now, Google had charged one of the highest entry-point prices for an Android handset, with its basic model costing £70 more than Samsung's Galaxy S10e and £40 more than Huawei's P30, and no option to buy a "mid-range" alternative.The new versions share many of the features of the more expensive Pixels, including OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays for rich colours and the firm's much-lauded Night Sight facility, which uses machine-learning based artificial intelligence to enhance images taken in low-light conditions.In addition, they will also provide use of Google's new augmented reality maps, which superimpose arrow graphics over views of the scene ahead. The new phones do, however, include a 3.5mm headphone socket unlike the premium versions. Google shipped close to 20% more Pixel phones over the October-to-March period compared with the same six months the previous year, according to market research firm IDC. However, it still only accounted for a 0.3% share of the global smartphone market, making it the 26th bestselling brand. "The Pixel 3's price-point in the ultra-high-end meant fierce competition from Apple, Huawei and Samsung," commented IDC's Marta Pinto.
