Google Pixel 3a vs Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer

Compare recorded specifications, size and practical differences.

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Key differences

Calculated from recorded specifications using minimum difference thresholds. These are differences, not an overall ranking. For three phones, numeric highlights compare the two extremes.

  • Weight

    Pixel 3a: 26 g lighter

    Pixel 3a:
    147 g
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    173 g
  • Width

    Pixel 3a: 4.6 mm narrower

    Pixel 3a:
    70.1 mm
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    74.7 mm
  • Screen diagonal

    Pixel 3a: 0.79 in smaller diagonal

    Pixel 3a:
    5.6 in
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    6.39 in
  • Chipset

    Pixel 3a:
    Qualcomm SDM670 Snapdragon 670 (10 nm)
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)
  • Rear camera layout

    Pixel 3a:
    Single
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    Triple
  • Depth

    Mi 9 Explorer: 0.6 mm thinner

    Pixel 3a:
    8.2 mm
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    7.6 mm

Physical size

Relative size, not calibrated actual size. Front and side outlines share one scale and a bottom baseline. Generic outlines use recorded body dimensions, excluding camera bumps.

  1. 1. Pixel 3a

    Height:
    151.3 mm
    Width:
    70.1 mm
    Depth:
    8.2 mm +0.6 mm versus Mi 9 Explorer
  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    Height:
    157.5 mm +6.2 mm versus Pixel 3a
    Width:
    74.7 mm +4.6 mm versus Pixel 3a
    Depth:
    7.6 mm

Weight

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. Pixel 3a

    147 g

  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    173 g

    +26 g versus Pixel 3a

Screen size

Approximate rectangular screens calculated from recorded diagonal and aspect ratio at one relative scale. Rounded corners and cutouts are not subtracted. These are not phone outlines or calibrated actual sizes.

  1. 1. Pixel 3a

    Screen diagonal:
    5.6 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    18.5:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    79.6 cm²
  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    Screen diagonal:
    6.39 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    19.5:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    100.2 cm²

Mi 9 Explorer has approximately 25.9% more rectangular screen area than Pixel 3a.

Memory variants

Each row compares the same storage capacity. Cells show recorded RAM alternatives, not combined maxima. Not recorded does not mean unavailable in every market.

No unambiguous storage/RAM pairings are recorded. See the original specifications below.

Pixel 3a: Original memory entry

64 GB · 512GB 4GB

Mi 9 Explorer: Original memory entry

256 GB · 8/12 GB RAM

Practical features

Explicit Yes and No values are shown directly. Qualified or regional records retain their details. Unknown means the record is missing.

1. Pixel 3a

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
Yes
Memory card support:
No

2. Mi 9 Explorer

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
No
Memory card support:
No

Battery capacity

Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.

Recorded battery capacity

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. Pixel 3a

    3000 mAh

  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    3300 mAh

    +300 mAh versus Pixel 3a

Specifications

Open a section for more detail. On narrow screens, swipe sideways or use Left/Right arrow keys while the table is focused. Unknown means missing data, not No. Recorded zero values are shown as recorded.

1. Pixel 3a2. Mi 9 Explorer

Everyday essentials
Everyday essentials — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Dimensions (HxWxD)
  • 151.3 Х 70.1 Х 8.2 mm
  • 157.5 Х 74.7 Х 7.6 mm
Weight
  • 147 g
  • 173 g
Technology
  • OLED
  • Super AMOLED
Screen size
  • 5.6" inch
  • 6.39" inch
Screen resolution
  • 1080 x 2220 px
  • 1080 x 2340 px
Internal memory Recorded storage / RAM variants. Entries are alternatives, not a combined maximum. Ambiguous formats stay as recorded.
  • 64 GB
  • 512GB 4GB
  • 256 GB
  • 8/12 GB RAM
Memory card support
  • No
  • No
Battery Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.
  • 3000 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Po
  • 3300 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Po
Operating system OS
  • Android 9.0 (Pie)
  • Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10
Chipset
  • Qualcomm SDM670 Snapdragon 670 (10 nm)
  • Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)
NFC
  • Yes
  • Yes
Headphone jack
  • Yes
  • No
Display
Display — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
Display colors
  • Type OLED
  • 16M
Screen area
  • 79.6 cm2
  • 100.2 cm2
Screen format
  • 18.5:9 (height:width)
  • 19.5:9 (height:width)
Screen to body ratio
  • 75.0%
  • 85.2%
PPI /points per inch/
  • 441 PPI
  • 403 PPI
Screen protection
  • Asahi Dragontrail Glass
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Camera and Video

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Camera and Video — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Rear camera, main
  • 12.2 MP
  • Single
  • 48 MP
  • Triple
Camera specs
  • 12.2 MP
  • f/1.8
  • 28mm (wide)
  • 1/2.55''
  • 1.4µm
  • OIS
  • dual pixel PDAF
  • 48 MP
  • f/1.5 (12GB RAM model) or f/1.8 (8GB RAM model)
  • (wide)
  • 1/2"
  • 0.8µm
  • PDAF
  • Laser AF - 12 MP
  • f/2.2
  • 54mm (telephoto)
  • 1/3.6"
  • 1.0µm
  • laser AF
  • 2x optical zoom - 16 MP
  • 13mm (ultrawide)
  • 1/3.0"
Functions
  • HDR
  • HDR
Video
  • 1080p@30fps
  • 1080p@30fps
Front camera, selfie
  • 8 MP
  • Single
  • 20 MP
  • Single
Specifications
  • 8 MP
  • f/2.0
  • 24mm (wide)
  • 1.12µm
  • 20 MP
  • f/2.0
  • 0.9μm
DxOMark Main Score *
  • 101
Unknown
DxOMark Photo *
  • 104
Unknown
DxOMark Video *
  • 95
Unknown
Performance

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Performance — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Processor CPU
  • Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz 360 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver)
  • Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485)
Graphics processor GPU
  • Adreno 615
  • Adreno 640
Antutu 7 score *
  • 159213
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Single Core *
  • 1603
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Multi-Core *
  • 5206
Unknown
GeekBench 4 RenderScript *
  • 6426
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Battery *
  • 4895
Unknown
GeekBench 5 Single Core *
  • 345
Unknown
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core *
  • 1300
Unknown
General specs
General specs — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Release date
  • 2019
  • May
  • 2019
  • February
Colors
  • Just Black
  • Clearly White
  • Purple-ish
  • Transparent Black
Historical recorded price Legacy catalogue value; date unknown. Not a current offer.
  • 400 EUR
  • 530 EUR
Body build
  • Front glass
  • plastic body
  • Back glass (Gorilla Glass 5)
  • aluminum frame (7000 series)
Communication and Connectivity
Communication and Connectivity — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
SIM card
  • Nano-SIM
  • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM
  • dual stand-by)
Network
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 2(1900)
  • 3(1800)
  • 4(1700/2100)
  • 5(850)
  • 7(2600)
  • 8(900)
  • 12(700)
  • 13(700)
  • 17(700)
  • 20(800)
  • 25(1900)
  • 26(850)
  • 28(700)
  • 32(1500)
  • 38(2600)
  • 40(2300)
  • 41(2500)
  • 66(1700/2100)
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 2(1900)
  • 3(1800)
  • 4(1700/2100)
  • 5(850)
  • 7(2600)
  • 8(900)
  • 12(700)
  • 17(700)
  • 20(800)
  • 28(700)
  • 38(2600)
  • 39(1900)
  • 40(2300)
Speed
  • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
  • LTE-A (3CA) Cat11 600/75 Mbps
  • HSPA
  • LTE-A
GPRS
  • Yes
  • Yes
Edge
  • Yes
  • Yes
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • dual-band
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • hotspot
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • dual-band
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • DLNA
  • hotspot
GPS
  • Yes
  • with A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • GALILEO
  • Yes
  • with dual-band A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • BDS
  • GALILEO
  • QZSS
USB
  • 2.0
  • Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
  • 2.0
  • Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
  • USB On-The-Go
Bluetooth
  • 5.0
  • A2DP
  • LE
  • aptX HD
  • 5.0
  • A2DP
  • LE
  • aptX HD
Music and Audio
Music and Audio — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Radio Unknown
  • No
Others
  • Always-on display
  • Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
  • HDR10 -DCI-P3
  • Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Other features
Other features — specifications for Pixel 3a, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationPixel 3aMi 9 Explorer
Dop
  • Sensors Fingerprint (rear-mounted)
  • accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass
  • barometer - Fast battery charging 18W -USB Power Delivery 2.0 - Versions: G020A
  • G020E
  • G020B
  • Sensors Fingerprint (under display)
  • accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass
  • Infrared port - Fast battery charging 27W (Quick Charge 4+) -Fast wireless charging 20W - Also known as Xiaomi Mi 9 Transparent Edition