There is much speculation as to why Google put out the Pixel 3a but here are the most noticeable reasons that I picked up on as to why Google released the Pixel 3a.
Apple Success
Apple has had major success in the sales area of the iPhone XR. There is no hiding the fact that while the iPhone XS is a great phone it’s very expensive and Apple needed something in that sweet spot price point that they have had so much success with over the years. Google just like Apple went up with the price of the Pixel 3 to $999 for a base model and there is no phone by Google in that sweet spot of 400-700 dollars. The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL put them in that sweet spot to be competitive with Apples XR series.
Pixel 3 Quality Issues
The Pixel 3a is much cheaper than the Pixel 3 but unlike the Pixel 3, the Pixel 3a comes with 4 gigs of ram and not 3 like the first gen Pixel 3 this gives users incentive to trade in their phones and upgrade to a cheaper phone with fewer issues and more ram.
Google Fi
Google is desperately trying to get people onto Google Fi offering 50 percent off sales on the flagship Pixel 3 phone from $1000 to $500 dollars. The Pixel 3a will allow them to offer deals on Google Fi using a cheaper phone and offering better deals to get on Google Fi.
Leftover Hardware
No one has said this but I think part of the reason Google is doing Pixel 3a is they had extra hardware from the Pixel 2 launch. The Pixel 3a has very close to the same hardware specs as the Pixel 2 and I wonder if this is a way for Google to try to get rid of that old hardware by changing the name and offering the hardware at a lower price point and reducing cost more by adding a headphone jack.
Google Needing To Expand
Google has been getting heat from shareholders to expand into other markets as online advertising revenue has slowed down a bit over the years. Adding the cheaper Pixel 3a is another way to offer a cheaper phone and to show more unit sales to their investors come earnings time. I would like to point out that Google’s hardware business is small in comparison to other phone manufacturers but it’s still bigger then Microsofts entire Surface business which is number five in the PC manufacturing business. This just shows you how huge the smartphone business is and while Google wants to grab some piece of this market.