Google Pixel 3a day one availability in the UK: EE, Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone

Damien Wilde | May 7 2019 - 8:56 am PT

The Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL will be available in the UK from day one at EE, the Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone; three of the largest smartphone retailers in the nation.

With the launch of the Pixel 3a and 3a XL imminent stateside, Google has doubled-down on the Pixel brand in the United Kingdom by making the two mid-range devices available right from the get-go.

Stores confirmed to us directly that the Pixel 3a will be available the morning following the US launch event at I/O 2019 in San Francisco. Of course, the time difference plays a crucial role, but for anyone looking to pick up what will arguably be one of the best mid-range handsets of 2019, this is massive news.

As forerunners of the 4G revolution within the British Isles, it stands to reason that EE would be at the forefront of the wave of retailers picking up the device. The brick and mortar stores all include “loud and proud” POS units for the already-available Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that the carrier will now offer these two new Google-branded handsets.

While we have received explicit confirmation by store staff that the devices are heading to EE, the Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone, we were unable to confirm with several other major UK carriers. Most notable of those were O2 and Three stores, where staff were unable to confirm day one availability for the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Staff at several Three stores were simply unaware of the Pixel 3a launch at all — although not explicit, this does indicate that Three UK may not launch the Pixel 3a right away.

Conversely, this isn’t an indication that the carriers will not stock the device at all. Currently, you’re able to walk into a Three or O2 store and purchase the Pixel 3 and 3 XL on contract immediately. It’s because of this, that we do expect both carriers to pick up Google’s next piece of Pixel hardware, however we’re still awaiting official confirmation of when that may occur.

As for UK pricing, we were unable to confirm the official GBP cost, but we still expect some parity with the US suggested retail price which is rumored to be around $400 for the Pixel 3a and $479 for the Pixel 3a XL, we would assume that even with a positive UK exchange rate pricing in the region of £450 to £550. Not exactly the best prices but you get all that stock Android goodness, plus the best single lens camera setup in the business.