TL;DR
- Google will be rolling out Android 12L for the Pixel 3a and 3a XL.
- This latest update is expected to be the last update these phones will get.
It has been three years since the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL came out on the market. Now it looks like the time has come for these reliable handsets as they will be getting their final update today.
According to 9To5Google, both the Pixel 3a and 3a XL will be updated from SP2A.220505.006 to SP2A.220505.008 at some point today. Also known as Android 12L, this update marks the last time these devices will receive an update.
Despite previously announcing that updates would stop in July four months ago, Google kept the 3a and 3a XL on its security patch list a little longer than expected, giving the smartphones a small VoLTE roaming update in June and now Android 12L.
With the Pixel 3a and 3a XL riding off into the sunset, it’s easy to forget how big of an impact these phones had not only on the Pixel portfolio but on the market in general.
If you remember, these devices were the first Google phones to sport the “a” name. The 3a and 3a XL branched off of the divisive Pixel 3, and was Google’s first foray into the mid-range market.
By cutting out a few things here and there, Google was able to drop the price to nearly half of the Pixel 3. Even though some features weren’t included, the 3a and 3a XL managed to deliver much of what the original Pixel 3 offered without sacrificing much in return. The affordable price paired with the solid performance helped Google to secure success in the mid-range market, which paved the way for Google to continue the “a” series in future iterations. That success also turn the heads of other big-name companies that later tried to enter the market as well.
If you’d like to learn more about the impact these phones had on the industry, check out our feature on the Pixel 3a.
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