The Pixel 3a is a very important product to Google. It marks a return to cheaper but good phones, and it brings many of the excellent features from the £739 Pixel 3 to under £400. The camera is simply better than anything else at this price and so is the software.

Pros: great camera, good screen, great software and support, headphone socket, relatively small, fairly inexpensive, squeezable sides

Cons: poor battery life, average performance, no wireless charging, no water resistance, no expandable storage or dual-sim support, large bezels

Since Google rebranded the Nexus program with Pixel smartphones, it has driven the price up pretty considerably, to compete with the other flagship smartphones out there. But, Google has decided to go back to its

I was hoping to see a smaller Google phone, not simply a cheaper version. The 3a isn't that much smaller than my Pixel XL, and its taller height is unnecessary. Although I don't mind the plastic body, there isn't much weight savings, though the intent here is economy.

Google's return to the mid-range is a bold yet highly impressive move for the company. Punching through the flagship-killing market – potentially ringing the death knell for the regular Pixel 3 in the process – Google's Pixel 3a is the antithesis of what we've come to expect from cheaper variants of...

Camera is just as good as the Pixel 3's; Significantly cheaper; Superb colour-accurate display

Battery life is only better than average

Fantastic camera image quality in all conditions; Stock Android with guaranteed updates; Brilliant all-round mid-ranger;

Budget rivals have ditched display bezels; Single camera not as flexible as multi-lens competition; Plastic build not for everyone;

After making Pixel smartphones for three years, Google wants to widen its range. But while the company is making a cheaper variant, it's rather guarded in its approach.

The Google Pixel 3a might be the perfect antidote to the £1000 smartphone – and an answer to Google's dwindling smartphone sales. With flagship devices commanding ever higher prices, and people choosing to upgrade their phones far less in general, cheaper handsets are becoming more important.

Last year, the Pixel 3 proved that it's possible to use software to create a thoughtful phone that's just as powerful, and sometimes easier to use than competitors crammed full of the latest high-end components.

On the plus side, many will be thrilled to hear that these phones mark the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack to Google phones. Battery life was, in my testing, excellent. The 3a and 3a XL feature bigger batteries than the flagship, and likely aren't as power hungry thanks to less powerful...

With the Pixel 3a , Google is this year also entering in the highly competitive middle class. But what losses do you have to accept in comparison to the more expensive Pixel 3 Fewer than expected, as our test of the latest Pixel smartphone shows.

Handy format; Stereo speakers; Top camera; Solid battery life

No wireless charging; Restricted storage space; Old-fashioned design