The Google Pixel line is known for its amazing cameras and clean software experience, but sometimes those flagship features come with a flagship price tag. This is where the Pixel 8a comes into play.
The Pixel 8a is Google’s latest mid-range offering and offers many of the same features as its more expensive siblings at a more affordable price of
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Is the Pixel 8a worth it?
If you’re looking for a phone with a fantastic camera, a clean software experience, and a reasonable price, the Pixel 8a is a great choice. It offers the same features as Google’s flagship Pixel 8 phone at a cheaper price.
Plus Points:
- Brighter screen
- AI features
- More than 7 years of software and security updates
- Affordable price
Minus Points:
- The camera could be more improved
Google Pixel 8A Review
Google recently announced the Pixel 8a. The Pixel 8a is the company’s latest entry-level option to the Pixel series. It features an updated design compared to its predecessor, along with the latest Tensor G3 chipset and 120Hz display.
Starting with the packaging, the Pixel 8a comes in the same basic white box as other recent Pixel phones, barely larger than the phone itself. As you can imagine, there isn’t much to find inside, and the only accessories you get are a USB-C charging cable and a USB-A to USB-C adapter.
A few minor adjustments were made along the way. The Pixel 8a screen is slightly smaller at 6.1 inches but runs at 120Hz with similar sustained and maximum brightness levels. The difference compared to the Pixel 7a is that the screen colours are more vivid and the viewing angles are better. Google appears to have given this screen the same Actua branding as the Pixel 8.
Moving on to the phone itself, it looks quite similar to the Pixel 8, with roughly the same size. The Pixel 8a is slightly larger and heavier despite having a slightly smaller display and battery. The back is also made of plastic instead of glass. There’s still an aluminium frame on the sides, but the camera bar on the back is plastic.
One notable design element of the Pixel 8a is its bezel. We thought it would be large based on the photos, but in reality, it’s unusually chunky by modern smartphone standards and the display looks smaller than it is.
The display itself has been updated with higher peak brightness and refresh rate compared to the Pixel 7a. The display can get very bright outdoors, and the phone defaults to 60Hz, so a higher refresh rate is appreciated, even if you have to manually enable it.
Google Pixel phones are known for their cameras, and the Pixel 8A continues that tradition by shining brightly. It has a 64MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a 13MP selfie camera on the front.
Like the Pixel 8 series, Magic Editor lets you move around the subject in a photo, and the software creates a background to fill and match the scene. Best Take lets you swap faces for those in similar photos, in case you blink when taking a few group selfies.
Audio Magic Eraser lets you remove annoying sounds, like birds chirping, from the background of your videos. Google dominated the market with AI software last October. Since then, manufacturers have not only released their own similarly focused AI tools but have also adopted some of the same tools as Pixel phones thanks to their inclusion in several Android updates.
At this price point, the benefits of AI are still there, but the 8a isn’t unique in offering this option. Another big upgrade is seven years of update support. Like the Pixel 8, you’ll now get monthly security updates and major Android OS updates for a whopping seven years, the longest in the industry.
Whether or not a phone like this will be able to run what’s supposed to be Android 21 in 2031 is anyone’s guess. Previous Pixel models often felt like they were dying prematurely due to their short three-year update period.
The phone has 8GB of RAM, which Google is already saying isn’t enough for some of the AI features it wants to build in the future. The company says that features like its generative AI-based smart response system require models to be kept in memory 24/7, which reduces the memory available to the OS and thus requires more memory in the phone.
By utilizing the Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8a features a slightly larger 4,492mAh battery, resulting in longer battery life. That’s more than the Pixel 7a’s 4,386mAh capacity, so it’s no surprise that it outperformed the Pixel 7a in Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test.
The Pixel 8a reaches 12 to 20 hours on a full charge. That’s better than the Pixel 7a’s 10 hours and 5 minutes, but still a long way from the OnePlus 12R’s extended battery life. A conversation about the best phone battery life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have a Google Pixel 8a?
Pixel 8a is packed with AI-powered features. The latest A-series phone, the Pixel 8a, is now available. It’s powered by the same Google Tensor G3 chip used in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro and includes some of my favourite Pixel features to date.1
What is the difference between Google Pixel 8 and 8a?
There are a lot of features you get on the Pixel 8 that aren’t available on the Pixel 8A, including the ability to wirelessly charge other devices on the back of the phone, a slightly larger screen, and a macro focus mode on the camera. Camera and higher durability rating.
How to charge Google Pixel 8a?
At the bottom is a USB Type-C 3.2 port for charging and data transfer. The Pixel 8a also supports wireless charging and is Qi-certified for compatibility with Qi wireless chargers. The back of the device has a velvety smooth finish and the sides are made of metal.
Does Pixel 8a have a headphone jack?
The Pixel 8a doesn’t have a headphone jack, so you’ll have to switch to wireless headphones or earbuds like the Pixel Buds. But at least the stereo speakers are bigger and the soundstage is wider.
Conclusion
As much as we enjoy using flagship phones, their prices have skyrocketed, putting these phones out of reach for many people on a tight budget. This is why I’ve been a fan of mid-range phones for years. Because the Pixel 8a is exactly what I’m craving – it offers incredible value without breaking the bank.
While it’s disappointing that the camera performance hasn’t improved as much as we’ve seen over the past few years, the Pixel 8a still makes up for it in other ways. I think the bigger story here is how the Pixel 8a offers much more usability with AI features and gets seven years of software support.
You can also add a brighter screen, longer battery life, and an attractive design, all of which add to its credibility as the cheapest phone around. These improvements come without raising the price of the phone, which is a huge deal in my book these days.
This means you’ll get more value out of the Pixel 8a, especially if you plan on keeping it for the next seven years. I’m not one to pay more than $1,000 for a phone, so this is the phone I’d buy with my own money.
