Galaxy A50 vs Moto G7 vs Pixel 3a, battle on the carriers' midrange hill
5.96 x 2.76 x 0.32 inches
151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm
5.19 oz (147 g)
6.24 x 2.93 x 0.3 inches
158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm
5.86 oz (166 g)
6.18 x 2.96 x 0.31 inches
157 x 75.3 x 8 mm
6.07 oz (172 g)
6.3 x 3.06 x 0.33 inches
160 x 77.7 x 8.4 mm
6.3 oz (179 g)
5.96 x 2.76 x 0.32 inches
151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm
5.19 oz (147 g)
6.24 x 2.93 x 0.3 inches
158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm
5.86 oz (166 g)
6.18 x 2.96 x 0.31 inches
157 x 75.3 x 8 mm
6.07 oz (172 g)
6.3 x 3.06 x 0.33 inches
160 x 77.7 x 8.4 mm
6.3 oz (179 g)
Compare these and other phones using our Size Comparison tool.
Now that carriers managed to shift that full price phone burden to subscribers, people are either keeping their phones longer, or increasingly looking into affordable midrangers that now do most of what you can do with a flagship, save for the camera prowess. This market shift has slowly started to increase the number and quality of midrange offerings from carriers, even though the US still lags behind other countries in that respect.
It was usually last year's flagship from Samsung, LG, Apple and the like, that is this year's midranger, but with the arrival of Samsung and Google's A-series of phones, things have shaken up a little in that particular market segment. This is why we pit the newly-minted Galaxy A50 against the perennial Moto G7 favorite and the homebrew Pixel 3a to gauge who's boss in the value-for-money segment on US carriers.
Galaxy A50 vs Moto G7 vs Pixel 3a design and specs
On paper, the A50 has the best specs of these three puppies, with the largest, 4000mAh battery, fastest charging, the highest 128GB storage amount, extra wide-angle camera, and the highest sensor resolution, if anyone is still counting pixels.
The Pixel 3a, however, beats it where it counts in the camera area - it has the largest pixel sensor size of all three, presuming a better low-light performance, as well as 4K video recording abilities. Other than that, the three phones' processors are decidedly midrange.
While the A50's 6.4-inch OLED panel is brighter, with higher resolution, and the best minimum brightness compared to the 5.6" OLED display of the Pixel, or the 6.2" LCD screen of the Motorola, its color accuracy leaves something to be desired in comparison with the other two.
Last but not least here, design differences! The A50 and G7 have much larger screen diagonals than the Pixel 3a, yet they don't have a much bigger footprint due to the better screen-to-body ratio, and yet the Pixel feels most manageable in the hand, if you are willing to sacrifice some screen estate.
The Galaxy A50 and the Pixel are unapologetically plastic which is a breath of fresh air in a $350 phone you don't want to baby, whereas the Motorola goes with today's typical glass body. Samsung pledged to bring high-end features downmarket and the in-display finger scanner of the A50 is a case in point, making it as modern as they come at this price.
Galaxy A50 vs Moto G7 vs Pixel 3a camera prowess
- Pixel 3a: 12MP f/1.8 main + 8MP front cam, 4K30 video
- Galaxy A50: 25MP f/1.7 main + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide + 5MP depth, 25MP front cam
- Moto G7: 12MP + 5MP depth cam, single LED flash, 4K30 video, 8MP front cam
We know what you've gathered around for, you can live without some internal storage or a bit shorter battery life, but when it comes to picture quality, that can not be rectified once the phone is purchased, right? Well, it may come as a shocker, but the Pixel 3a is football yard ahead of the direct competition here. Not only is it the only one with an optically-stabilized camera sensor, but it is also capable of cool 4K video recording, something that the A50 lacks.
As for the image quality - well, it's the same camera kit and most of the software available on the Pixel 3, one of the best mobile cameras out there. The A50 and Moto G7 ain't bad when there is enough light around, but once the sun starts to set down or once you press the video recording button, the Pixel 3a is dribbling flawlessly around them on the way to the goal posts. Check out some of its stills and video samples for better illustration.
Pixel 3a kills it in both day and night shots
If we have to rank the cameras on the three phones, despite the wide-angle prowess of the Galaxy A50, the G7 takes slightly better shots at night, and is capable of 4K video recording, so it would go second, whereas Samsung has more pleasing day shot colors. The first place in camera abilities, however, is unequivocally for the Pixel 3a.
Galaxy A50 vs Moto G7 vs Pixel 3a battery life and charging speeds
Don't look now, but the 4000 mAh battery pack of the Galaxy A50 does what it says on the tin - keeps you powered through the longest of days, with nearly 11 hours of screen-on time on our demanding battery test.
While impressive, the difference with the Pixel and the Motorola that both behave admirably for their battery capacities, is not that big, considering the 30% larger battery pack on the A50. In short, you won't be disappointed with all three phones when it comes to endurance, and all three have fast charging that will top up their power units for about 1.5 hours which is pretty quick.
Galaxy A50 vs Moto G7 vs Pixel 3a prices and wrap-up
So, which one should you get? The Pixel 3a is $399 retail, but can go down to $299 on promo, the A50 is $349 but can be $240 with Verizon's discounts, while the Moto G7 is the cheapest of the bunch at $299, and can often be found at $200 even.
If your budget is of concern, go with the Moto G7 - it is a well-rounded midranger that doesn't excel in any one point, but will disappoint in no respect, either. For two to three Benjamins, it's a no brainer.
If the camera part is not that important to you, the Galaxy A50 steps it up many notches - from its "all-screen" design with in-display finger scanner, to its longest endurance on a charge, and the generous 128GB memory amount.
If you are the socialite type that needs good photos and videos in any situations Google's stellar computational photography algorithms and optically-stabilized video can now be had on the cheap for less than four Benjamins. Besides the aging design and the lack of LED notification light, however, the Pixel 3a downsides aren't many at that price, so if you can trade those for the excellent camera and the quick software updates, Google's midrange Pixel rings as a winner, and it should, as it is the most expensive of the bunch.
|
|
|
| Google Pixel 3a | Samsung Galaxy A50 | Motorola Moto G7 |
Design
| Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5.96 x 2.76 x 0.32 inches 151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm |
6.24 x 2.93 x 0.30 inches 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm |
6.18 x 2.96 x 0.31 inches 157 x 75.3 x 8 mm |
| Weight | ||
| 5.19 oz (147.0 g) | 5.86 oz (166.0 g) | 6.07 oz (172.0 g) |
| Materials | ||
| Back: Plastic | Back: Plastic | Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3) Frame: Plastic |
| Resistance | ||
| Splash | ||
| Biometrics | ||
| Fingerprint (touch) | 2D Face unlock, Optical in-screen fingerprint | 2D Face unlock, Fingerprint (touch) |
| Keys | ||
| Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key | Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key | Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key |
| Colors | ||
| Black, Purple, White | Black, Coral, Blue, White | Black, White |
Display
| Size | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5.6-inch | 6.4-inch | 6.2-inch |
| Resolution | ||
| 2220x1080px, 18.5:9 ratio, 444 PPI | 2340x1080px, 19.5:9 ratio, 403 PPI | 2270x1080px, 19:9 ratio, 403 PPI |
| Technology | ||
| OLED | Super AMOLED | IPS LCD |
| Screen-to-body | ||
| 73.93 % | 85.24 % | 82.58 % |
| Features | ||
| Scratch-resistant glass (Dragontrail), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor |
Hardware
| System chip | ||
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 SDM670 (10 nm) | Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 9610 (10 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 SDM632 (14 nm) |
| Processor | ||
| Octa-core 2000 MHz Kryo 360 |
Octa-core 2300 MHz ARM Cortex-A73 and ARM Cortex-A53 |
Octa-core 1800 MHz Kryo 250 |
| GPU | ||
| Adreno 615 | Mali-G72 MP3 | Adreno 506 |
| RAM | ||
| 4GB (LPDDR4) | 4GB | 4GB (LPDDR4) |
| Internal storage | ||
| 64GB (eMMC) | 128GB, available to use: 107 GB | 64GB |
| Storage expansion | ||
| not expandable | microSDXC up to 512 GB | microSDXC up to 512 GB |
| OS | ||
| Android (12, 11, 10, 9.0 Pie) | Android (10, 9.0 Pie), Samsung One UI | Android (9.0 Pie) |
Battery
| Capacity | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3000 mAh | 4000 mAh | 3000 mAh |
| Type | ||
| Li - Ion | ||
| Charging | ||
| USB Power Delivery | Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging | Motorola TurboPower |
Camera
| Rear | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single camera | Triple camera | Dual camera |
| Main camera | ||
| 12.2 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 28 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
25 MP (PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 27 mm Sensor size: 1/2.8" Pixel size: 0.9 μm |
12 MP (PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Pixel size: 1.25 μm |
| Second camera | ||
| 8 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/4" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
5 MP (Depth information) | |
| Third camera | ||
| 5 MP (Depth information) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/5" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
||
| Flash | ||
| Dual LED | LED | LED |
| Video recording | ||
| 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps) EIS | 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps) Hyperlapse, EIS | 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps) Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing |
| Front | ||
| 8 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) | 25 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) | 8 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) |
Connectivity & Features
| Bluetooth | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| WLAN | ||
| 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot | 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot | 802.11 a,b,g,n,dual-band Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot |
| USB | ||
| Type-C, USB 2.0 | Type-C, USB 2.0 | Type-C, USB 2.0 |
| Hearing aid compatible | ||
| M3/T3 | ||
| Location | ||
| GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers) |
| Other | ||
| NFC, VoIP, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | NFC, ANT+, VoIP, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | VoIP, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync |
Multimedia
| Headphones | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack |
| Speakers | ||
| Earpiece, Multiple speakers | Earpiece, Loudspeaker | Earpiece, Loudspeaker |
| Features | ||
| aptX-HD | Dolby Atmos | Album art cover, Background playback |
| Screen mirroring | ||
| Wireless screen share | Wireless screen share | Wireless screen share |
| Radio | ||
| FM | FM | |
| Additional microphone(s) | ||
| Noise cancellation | Noise cancellation | Noise cancellation |
Cellular
| 4G (FDD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3) | Bands 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 66(AWS-3) |
| 4G (TDD) | ||
| Bands 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2600+) | Bands 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2600+) | Bands 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2600+) |
| 3G | ||
| Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 5(850), 8(900) | Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) |
| Data Speed | ||
| LTE-A Cat 11 (600/75 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s | LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s | LTE-A Cat 7 (300/100 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
| Dual SIM | ||
| Yes | ||
| SIM type | ||
| Nano SIM | Nano SIM | Nano SIM |
| HD Voice | ||
| Yes | ||
| VoLTE | ||
| Yes | ||
Regulatory Approval
| FCC approval | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date approved: Feb 25, 2019 FCC ID value: A4RG020G | Date approved: Feb 11, 2019 FCC ID value: A3LSMA505F | |
| Measured SAR | ||
| Head: 1.15 W/kg Body: 1.13 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.19 W/kg |
Head: 0.34 W/kg Body: 0.45 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.44 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.20 W/kg Phablet: 1.07 W/kg |
|
Buyers information
| MSRP | ||
|---|---|---|
| $ 399 | $ 350 | $ 299 |
| In The Box | ||
| 18W USB-C power adapter, 1M USB-C to USB-C cable (USB 2.0), Quick Start Guide, Quick Switch Adapter, SIM tool | 15W TurboPower charger, USB-C Cable, SIM pin, Guides | |
Availability
| Officially announced | ||
|---|---|---|
| May 07, 2019 | Feb 25, 2019 | Feb 07, 2019 |
See the full
Google Pixel 3a vs Samsung Galaxy A50 vs Motorola Moto G7 specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Popular stories
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: