Google Pixel 3 vs Google Pixel 3a

Phone compassion

The Pixel 3 is an incredible phone. With its latest competitor, the pixel 3a, fast approaching though you’re probably wondering which one’s better so today I’ll be reviewing the software and hardware of both phones to see exactly which is better for your money.

Similarities

• Both phones have stunning 12.2 megapixel cameras and electronic image stabilization which allows you to record 4K at 30fps.

• Both phones have the same 4gb of ram as well as 64gb of storage.

• Both pixels have the same simplistic software which is great for all ages as well as a finger print scanner on the back of the phone.

Differences

• The pixel 3 has a slightly better chipset with its Snapdragon 845 in comparison to the 3a’s Snapdragon 670.

• The pixel 3 also has better graphics with its adreno 630 in comparison to the 3a’s 615.

• The pixel 3’s prossesor is also far superior with its Octa core (2.5 GHz, Quad core, Kryo 385 + 1.6 GHz, Quad core, Kryo 385) in comparison to the 3a’s Octa core (2 GHz, Dual core, Kryo 360 + 1.7 GHz, Hexa Core, Kryo 360).

• The 3a’s a tiny bit thicker and wider than the pixel 3 and weighs 1gram less than the pixel 3.

• The pixel 3 is said to be water and dust proof where as the pixel 3a is not.

• The pixel 3 has much superior camera software with its digital zoom, auto flash, face detection and touch to focus where as the pixel 3a only has its basic fixed focus.

• The pixel 3 costs around £600 in comparison to the 3a’s £400 price tag.

• Lastly the pixel 3a has a battery capacity of up to 3000mah in comparison to the pixel 3’s 2915mahs but then again the pixel 3a does not support the pixel 3’s wireless charging.

So which ones better?

It depends on what you use the phone for. If you just want a phone that you can make calls on, text, check your emails on and play simple games like solitaire then the pixel 3a is the phone for you but if you want a phone for the camera, graphics and for playing demanding games like pubg mobile© then go for the pixel 3.

Oculus Rift – Is it still worth it?

Is it worth it, Virtual Reality

I’ve been using the Rift for over a year now so I have a pretty good understanding of what’s good and bad about it. Today I’m going to go over the positives and negatives of the Rift.

Positives

•You can install games and apps for your rift from your phone.

•The rift supports both the oculus store and the steam VR store giving you a massive variety of games to play.

•The rift controllers are comfortable, I mean REALLY comfortable!

•If you have glasses you can buy prescription lenses for the rift or you could purchase a cover for the rift which acts like a spacer, allowing you to wear glasses with the rift.

Negatives

•The rift is PC powered so as well spending over £400 on the headset and extra sensors you would have to spend around £900 just to get a computer which is compatible with the Rift.

•Due to the rift being PC powered this means that there is a massive cable following you around which is rather annoying, especially when you’re playing games like robo-recall which relies on you having 360° of freedom.

•Like any VR headset you need to setup the headset when you first buy it. I can say from experience that the Rifts setup is the worst due to the poor tutorial. I’ve had to set my rift up over five times now and every time it asks me to put a sensor into the wall. It’s EXTREMELY annoying.

Is it still worth it?

Quick answer: no. The Rift is just too much of a hassle to setup and with all of the extras you have to buy like sensors and VR covers it’s just not the best headset for your money anymore. Oculus have recently stopped selling the Rift due to the release of their new tethered, no external sensor headset, the rift S which is selling for the same price as the Rift.

There is also the 100% wireless headset, the oculus Quest, selling at £400, the same price as the rift S, but doesn’t have as good graphics in comparison to the rift S.

Strix RX 480 graphics card

PC components

This card is amazing. With three fans, 8gb of onboard memory and RGB lights this graphics card is the best card for your money. I’ve been testing the card now for 3 months and still have nothing to complain about. It’s truly the best for gaming and VR due to the Asus GPU II customisation software which allows you to adjust the cards sound, performance and looks and priorities the settings. This card, in my opinion is better than its competitor, gtx 1050Ti due to the sheer performance increase. I would definitely recommend this card.

Blue Snowball Review

PC components

The blue Snowball. One of the cheapest microphones out there. For under £50 it’s simply a go to microphone for anyone with a small budget. The slick spherical white design gives the microphone a professional look. The sound quality of the microphone is alright but if you have a substantial amount of background noise I wouldn’t recommend this microphone as it picks up absolutely everything! If you do purchase this microphone I would also recommend using a pop filter with the snowball as the audio levels spike when pronouncing sounds such as ‘T’s’. Alternatively you could just cover the microphone with a sock instead of purchasing a pop filter (it works just as well). All in all it’s a great microphone if you have a quite setup but if, for example, you have a noisy room or computer I wouldn’t recommend this microphone for you.