Forget Google's new Pixel 4 — here are 8 reasons you should actually buy the $500 Pixel 3 instead (GOOG, GOOGL)

• The Pixel 4 is Google's new flagship, but Pixel 3 owners shouldn't necessarily feel the need to upgrade.
• Starting at $500, the Pixel 3 is even a great phone to buy instead of the $800 Pixel 4. 
• The Pixel 4 has some big hardware changes, like a second camera lens and advanced facial recognition, but the core of the two phones is still the same: the pure Android experience and the best smartphone cameras. 
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New smartphones sure are exciting when they're announced — just like that, your current phone isn't the latest and greatest. 

But hold on a second. 

Sure, the Pixel 4 has a second camera lens, a first for a Pixel phone, as well as more recent specs that are common in 2019 flagships. And it has radar technology, for Pete's sake. But take a look back at the Pixel 3 — is it really that much different than the Pixel 4?

At the core, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 are essentially the same phone. You get the pure Android experience from Google, as well as the best cameras on any smartphone. 

I'd even say that buying the Pixel 3 instead of the Pixel 4 wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. 

Check out eight reasons why you should stick to your Pixel 3, and why anyone looking to buy a new smartphone could save $300 skipping Google's new hotness of 2019.

The Pixel 4 is $300 more expensive than the Pixel 3, and there aren't too many good reasons to spend an extra $300 on the Pixel 4.

If you're looking for a new design, you're not really getting it with the Pixel 4. In fact, it looks very similar to the Pixel 2!

The Pixel 3's performance isn't stellar, but it's still fine. It's a phone with 2018 specs, after all.

The Pixel 3 is getting the new astrophotography camera mode that Google announced for the Pixel 4 ...

Google confirmed in a tweet that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a phones are getting the astrophotography camera mode that Google announced with the Pixel 4 in October. 

... and the Pixel 3's camera is still one of the best smartphone cameras in the business.

The Pixel 4's second lens — a telephoto lens — isn't as exciting as an ultra-wide lens. Phone makers have been giving their phones zoomed lenses since 2016, and Google just introduced it in 2019.

The Pixel 4 doesn't have a fingerprint scanner — it only uses facial recognition, and anyone can unlock the phone when your eyes are closed, like when you're asleep.

If you already have a Pixel 3 and you're experiencing poor battery life, you might try to get a $99 battery replacement from Google's repair partner, UBreakIFix, before buying the Pixel 4 — especially if none of the above tempts you to upgrade.