Google Debuts Cheaper Pixel Phones After Premium Handsets Flop

Google unveiled cheaper Pixel smartphones after the company’s line of premium handsets failed to sell in large numbers, according to Bloomberg.

Slower processors and cheaper materials helped Google price the Pixel 3a with a 5.6-inch screen at $399. The larger Pixel 3a XL has a 6-inch screen and costs $479. That’s roughly half the price of the company’s existing Pixel phones, before recent discounts.

The new phones have a poly-carbonate back instead of glass or metal The handsets lack wireless charging The main processor is a slightly slower Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor. They have 64 gigabytes of storage, but lack the 128 gigabyte option of the more-expensive models. Battery life is 30 hours, slightly more than the regular Pixel 3. An AR feature for 3-D navigation in Google Maps is coming to the phone as a preview, while the camera app gets a Time Lapse feature.

The search giant announced the new phones at its I/O conference in Mountain View, California. This is the latest effort by the Alphabet unit to jump-start a consumer hardware business that has struggled to compete with industry giants Apple and Samsung.

Google unveiled a slew of other new technology, including updates to its digital assistant, increased privacy controls and a new smart speaker. The event was also disrupted by an airplane flying over the outdoor amphitheater to protest the company’s impact on local news.

People will soon be able to search Google Maps and YouTube in private "incognito" mode, a feature that has been available on the company’s Chrome browser for years. Google will also put privacy controls on the first page of settings menus in its apps. Users of Android mobile software will be able to authenticate a login to a Google account by tapping a button on their phones.