Ask Paul: November 20 (Premium)

Happy Friday! Because of next week’s Thanksgiving holiday, this will be the last Ask Paul for November. So let’s get the weekend started...
Which Pixel 4a 5G?
PhilByPond asks:

I will be replacing my other half's original Pixel XL with the 4a 5G. We did the comparative analysis with the Pixel 5 and she preferred the size (identical physical dimensions to her current XL with larger display) as well as having the 3.5mm jack.

I certainly understand that and totally agree.

But in honor of this site's users' propensity to over analyze technology decisions ...

Also certainly understand that and totally agree. :)

... I am hung up on the Sub-6 / mmWave issue. We use Verizon pay-as-you-go plans in the Boston area and there is some mmWave availability. I don't feel there is any current practical benefit to mmWave technology based on where and how she uses the phone. My concern is future-proofing the phone and that it will be a feature needed/wanted within the next 3-4 years. It's not the $100, but not wanting to pay for something that has no or low value. Any thoughts about mmWave that will help my decision making?

Your spouse somehow managed to get four years out of the first-generation Pixel, which is commendable and somewhat amazing. I think the bigger concern I’d have here is whether that will be possible with the Pixel 4a 5G because of its midmarket processor. But given the previous success, I hope/assume that it will be good for three years. And it will be supported with new Android versions through that time period, so let’s further hope/assume that Google will continue to optimize its platform releases for this generation of handsets.

Whether mmWave will make a difference over the next three years will vary somewhat by person, but I’m going to guess that it will not impact your spouse’s day-to-day experience in the slightest, even if the world returns to normal and we’re able to be out in the world as before, commute to work, and so on. I don’t think this kind of connectivity would matter to me, either: Yeah, it’d be nice to download an entire season of a Netflix show in a minute or whatever, but you’d also have to pay for that bandwidth, and is that really something anyone needs regularly?

I would personally go for the $500 version.
Google, Nest, and Microsoft
gregsedwards asks:

Is the Google/Fitbit acquisition getting any closer to fruition and moreover, what do you expect the outcome to be? Should we expect Google to just run Fitbit as a separate organization (a la Nest) or do you think they're planning to absorb Fitbit's technology to their other wearables and fitness offerings, such as Google Fit and WearOS?

Fitbit indicated in its most recent earnings report that it expects the deal to be approved before the end of 2020, and I’m actually kind of surprised it’s taken this long. Addressing the most obvious concerns, Google has always been upfront about how it will use the data coll...