Pixel 3a was Google’s first budget smartphone. Photo: Sam Rutherford / Gizmodo
Every time a Pixel smartphone approaches its expiration date after battling a good fight against Apple’s market dominance, I’m tempted to give it a proper Viking funeral. The next models that deserve this commemorative treatment are the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Both phones were the first in the range of economical smartphones from Google and both will be missed when they receive their latest software update sometime in July.
Android Police discovered this when they approached Google for another update to the Pixel 3a, which came out earlier this week. The update includes the necessary security fixes and fixes for starter crashes and random awakenings on the display. However, the official support page for these phones has not been updated to reflect this information, and it still lists the latest update from this month as the latest guaranteed.
As early as 2019, Google promised to support the Pixel 3a series with up to three years of software and security updates. It has since expanded on these offerings for its newer Pixel devices. Models like the Pixel 6 guarantee security updates for four years from the launch date. (Initially, Google promised five on the debut of Pixel 6, but alas.)
If you remember, the Pixel 3a was Google’s first budget device. It came in cool, vibrant colors, like bright lavender with a prominent neon orange power button. 3a also introduced the idea that you can get an Android device with a capable camera and consistent software updates starting at $ 400.
Since then, the Pixel A-Series has spawned a whole category of devices, with names like Samsung and Motorola entering the ring with offers at similar prices. The two companies have also committed to a software update schedule, with Motorola offering up to four years of security updates and Samsung offering five.
Last year, Google told The Verge that “the frequency and categories of updates will depend on the capabilities and needs” of Pixel’s hardware. Indeed, it seems that the capabilities of the Pixel 3a are no longer for this world. This is a problem for Pixel 3a owners, who hoped to receive the update to Android 13. But this is not expected until the fall, long after the July deadline.
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