While the 3A is a solid functioning phone, it can be virtually impossible to service. The problem revolves around the poor design and cost of the OLED screen used on the phone. To service the phone, you must remove the display which is primarily three components, glass/digitizer/OLED, and is held into the frame with a fair amount of adhesive. Even using proper heating equipment, it's extremely easy to damage the OLED during the removal process. The largest problem here being the replacement display price. They're often $70-$110, and you can easily purchase a fully functional used 3A (at the time of writing) for the same price! If you must service a 3A, use the following suggestion. Before you start, apply 3 glass screen protectors, one on top of the other, to the ... MoreWhile the 3A is a solid functioning phone, it can be virtually impossible to service. The problem revolves around the poor design and cost of the OLED screen used on the phone. To service the phone, you must remove the display which is primarily three components, glass/digitizer/OLED, and is held into the frame with a fair amount of adhesive. Even using proper heating equipment, it's extremely easy to damage the OLED during the removal process. The largest problem here being the replacement display price. They're often $70-$110, and you can easily purchase a fully functional used 3A (at the time of writing) for the same price! If you must service a 3A, use the following suggestion. Before you start, apply 3 glass screen protectors, one on top of the other, to the current display. Especially if the screen is cracked but still functions. It doesn't even have to be for a 3a, just as long as it fully fits. Doing so reduces the amount of "flex" experienced with the poor factory design. It also reduces additional fragmentation if you're attempting to only replace the outer glass. This also helps with heat longevity, whether you're using a hot tray, heat pad, or hot air pen. Regardless, Google could easily followed Apple with this design and used lighter adhesive, hinged upper andtwo screws on the lower.

In the 10+ years of being exclusively an Android user, every Android phone I've ever owned has been plagued with issues. Data loss was a frequent occurrence. Data migration always missed files when moving to a new device. Support was always a painful experience.My experience with my most recent Google device, the Pixel 3a, was no different than any other Android phone I've ever owned: Spectacularly frustrating.So after 10+ years of being an Android user, I'm done.The Pixel 3a is the last Android phone I'll ever own.I bought an iPhone 13 as a replacement, and it's spectacularly good. I'm very happy to have made the switch.

I moved to this phone from a Galaxy S8. The S8 was also a great phone, but I cracked the screen and decided it was time to replace it.The Pixel is great in so many ways. The camera is awesome, apps run smoothly, hang ups are rare, the Google ecosystem is very fluid, the fingerprint sensor is lightening fast, the updates are immediate, and it's about half the price of current flagships, and a few hundred less than brand new previous generation phones. The speaker and actual phone ear peace are very loud, a notable upgrade over my old S8. The battery lasts a good while. It is somewhat unfortunate that, in order to rapid charge, it requires a USB C to USB C charger, so all of my old chargers charge it at slow speeds.My only critiques are that it essentially ... MoreI moved to this phone from a Galaxy S8. The S8 was also a great phone, but I cracked the screen and decided it was time to replace it.The Pixel is great in so many ways. The camera is awesome, apps run smoothly, hang ups are rare, the Google ecosystem is very fluid, the fingerprint sensor is lightening fast, the updates are immediate, and it's about half the price of current flagships, and a few hundred less than brand new previous generation phones. The speaker and actual phone ear peace are very loud, a notable upgrade over my old S8. The battery lasts a good while. It is somewhat unfortunate that, in order to rapid charge, it requires a USB C to USB C charger, so all of my old chargers charge it at slow speeds.My only critiques are that it essentially requires a case because of the camera bulge, and a screen protector (it scratches very easily). It also isn't water resistant in the slightest, so you'll definitely want to avoid taking it near water or steamy rooms (although steam would likely get into waterproof phones, too, just in less abundance). It doesn't come with unlimited full quality Google photos, either, which is disappointing. It comes withhigh quality, which is actually compressed and the same as everyone else that signs up for Google Photos. Other than these few gripes, it's great. These weren't enough to subtract any stars.It remains to be seen how well it will hold up to age because of the slower processor, but as of now, it's an awesome phone and I'm very pleased with the purchase. I highly recommend this if you don't want to shell out for a flagship but don't want the pitfalls of a mid-range device.