Google debuts cheaper Pixel smartphones after premium handsets flop

Google unveiled cheaper Pixel smartphones on Tuesday after the company’s line of premium handsets failed to sell in large numbers.

Slower processors and cheaper materials helped Google price the Pixel 3a with a 5.6-inch screen at $399. The larger Pixel 3a XL has a 6-inch screen and costs $479. That’s roughly half the price of the company’s existing Pixel phones, before recent discounts.

The search giant announced the new phones at its I/O conference in Mountain View, California, after previewing the devices to Bloomberg News a week earlier at its headquarters. This is the latest effort by the Alphabet Inc.