Essential Phone vs Google Pixel 3a vs Apple iPhone 12 - specs comparison

Display

Size:

5.7 inches

5.6 inches

6.1 inches

Resolution:

2560 x 1312 pixels, 504 PPI

2220 x 1080 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio, 444 PPI

2532 x 1170 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 457 PPI

Technology:

IPS LCD

OLED

Screen-to-body:

84.85 %

73.93 %

87.24 %

Peak brightness:

1200 cd/m2 (nit)

Features:

Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Scratch-resistant glass (Dragontrail), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

60Hz refresh rate, HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 MSM8998

Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 SDM670

Apple A14 Bionic

Processor:

Octa-core, 2450 MHz, Kryo 280, 64-bit, 10 nm

Octa-core, 2000 MHz, Kryo 360, 64-bit, 10 nm

Hexa-core, 3100 MHz, 64-bit, 5 nm

GPU:

Adreno 540

Adreno 615

Yes

RAM:

4GB LPDDR4

4GB

Internal storage:

128GB

64GB (eMMC), not expandable

64GB (NVMe), not expandable

Device type:

Smartphone

OS:

Android (10, 9.0 Pie, 8.1 Oreo, 7.1 Nougat)

Android (11, 10, 9.0 Pie)

iOS (14.x)

Battery

Capacity:

3040 mAh

3000 mAh

2815 mAh

Type:

Li - Ion, Not user replaceable

Not user replaceable

Li - Ion, Not user replaceable

Battery life test results:

link

Charging:

USB Power Delivery

USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe wireless charging

Max charge speed:

Wireless: 15.0W

Camera

Rear:

Dual camera

Single camera

Dual camera

Main camera:

13 MP (Laser and PDAF)

12.2 MP (OIS, PDAF)

12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF)

Specifications:

F1.9; 1/3.09"

F1.8; 28 mm; 1/2.55"; 1.4 μm

F1.6; 26 mm

Second camera:

13 MP (Black and White, Laser and PDAF)

12 MP (Ultra-wide, Sapphire crystal lens cover)

Specifications:

Aperture size: F1.9; Sensor size: 1/3.09"

Aperture size: F2.4; Focal Length: 13 mm

Video recording:

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)

Features:

Video calling, Video sharing

EIS

OIS, HDR, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording

Front:

8 MP

12 MP (EIS, HDR, Slow-motion videos)

Video capture:

3840x2160 (4K UHD)

1920x1080 (Full HD)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Design

Dimensions:

5.57 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8 mm)

5.96 x 2.76 x 0.32 inches (151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm)

5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 inches (146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm)

Weight:

6.53 oz (185.0 g)

5.19 oz (147.0 g)

5.78 oz (164.0 g)

Materials:

Back: Ceramic; Frame: Titanium

Back: Plastic

Back: Glass; Frame: Aluminum

Resistance:

Splash, Dust; IP54

Water, Dust; IP68

Biometrics:

Fingerprint (touch)

3D Face unlock

Features:

Notification light

Keys:

Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key

Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key

Colors:

Black, Gray, Blue, White

Black, Purple, White

Black, White, Red, Green, Blue

Cellular

5G:

n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79, n260, n261, Sub-6, mmWave

LTE (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), 21(1500 Upper), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS)

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), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)

LTE (TDD):

Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+)

Bands 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2600+)

Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 42(3500), 46, 48(3600)

UMTS:

Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100)

Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)

Data Speed:

LTE-A Pro Cat 16 (1000/150 Mbit/s)

LTE-A Cat 11 (600/75 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s

LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s

Dual SIM:

Yes

SIM type:

Nano SIM

Nano SIM, eSIM

HD Voice:

Yes

VoLTE:

Yes

Multimedia

Headphones:

No 3.5mm jack

3.5mm jack

No 3.5mm jack

Speakers:

Earpiece, Loudspeaker

Earpiece, Multiple speakers

Features:

aptX-HD

Dolby Atmos

Screen mirroring:

Wireless screen share

Additional microphone(s):

for Noise cancellation

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth:

5.0

Wi-Fi:

802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band; MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot

802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax (Wi-Fi 6), dual-band; MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot

USB:

Type-C (reversible)

Type-C (reversible), USB 2.0

Lightning

Features:

Mass storage device, Video out, Charging, Headphones port

Charging, Mass storage device

Charging, Headphones port

Location:

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning

Sensors:

Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer

Other:

NFC, VoIP, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling)

Hearing aid compatible:

M3, T3

M3, T4

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval:

Date approved:

Jun 26, 2017

Feb 25, 2019

FCC ID value:

2ALBB-A11 link

A4RG020G link

Measured SAR:

Head:

0.28 W/kg

1.15 W/kg

Body:

0.76 W/kg

1.13 W/kg

Simultaneous Transmission:

0.92 W/kg

1.59 W/kg

Wireless Router:

0.70 W/kg

1.19 W/kg

Buyers information

Price:

$ 700

$ 399

$ 829

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

USB-C to Lightning Cable, Documentation

Availability

Officially announced:

May 30, 2017

May 07, 2019

Oct 13, 2020