In 2016, Google has officially released the 2nd generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio into Malaysia. Since then, they remained the only Made by Google products officially available in our market.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop local consumers from getting their hands on other Made by Google products including Pixel smartphones. Given that Google has just launched Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL earlier this week, you might be looking to get your hands on one of them.
In terms of location, Singapore is the closest official Pixel market for Malaysia. However, it is not the best destination to purchase these new mid-range Pixel phones though since they are priced much higher in Singapore at SGD 659 (~RM 2,007) and SGD 779 (~RM 2,372) respectively.
Out of the four official markets for Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL in Asia, Japan has the lowest pricing of them all whereby the phones can be obtained for JPY 48,600 (~RM 1,842) and JPY 60,000 (~RM 2,274) respectively. Even then, those price tags are still noticeably higher than in the United States.
As a comparison, the Pixel 3a is priced at USD 399 (~RM 1,658) over there while the Pixel 3a XL goes for USD 479 (~RM 1,990). With that, it seems like you have to be ready pay a hefty price if you want to get any of these phones through parallel imports although alternatively, you can also try to get them directly from the United States through mutual contacts or via parcel forwarding.
