Google updated The Pixel 8a slightly to make it better than the Pixel 7a. It’s the same 499$ price with an updated display and better chipset. It is a mid-range phone so it sits behind the Pixel 8. Pixel 8 is currently available for 549$ and for an extra 50$, you are getting a much more complete package. Overall Pixel 8a is a solid mid-range phone under 499$. Let’s take a look at the Pixel 8a’s insights to understand what exactly it has to offer.
Design & Build Quality
8a has more rounded edges. Slightly rounded than the 7a and that’s the main design change here. There are new colors and new matte textures. There is regular Black (Obsidian) and White (Porcelain). Then there are new Green (Aloe) and Blue (Bay). And these two are more saturated. The rest of the build is still the same. The rails and camera bar are all aluminum. It still has the plastic back. The front glass is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. For water and dust resistance we are getting IP67 protection.
Display
They improved some of the things on display. It is the same size 6.1 inches. But now it is an Actua display. So the display gets much brighter with the peak brightness of 2000 nits. Now we have noticeably good outdoor visibility. Brightness is improved by 40% compared to 7a. And this change will make a difference in everyday life. It’s a 120Hz display instead of last year’s 90Hz. It’s another good update but everyone is not going to notice the difference. Because Smooth Display is turned off again by default. So you need to turn it on manually and that makes it a 60Hz phone out of the box. The good thing is it’s dynamic up to 120Hz. So it’s not locked in 120Hz all the time. It can go down depending on what you are doing which will save more battery.
Camera
Not many changes in the camera, it still has the same 64 MP main camera sensor. Still has a 13 MP ultrawide with a 120˚ field of view. Ultrwide has both the OIS and EIS. Software is the main magic here. With good optimization, it should be taking better photos than the 7a. For selfies, we are getting a 13 MP ultrawide camera. The main camera can take 4K up to 60 fps videos and 240fps slo-mo. 4K up to 30 fps video support for the front camera. It has all of the Google camera features. With Google’s AI features 8a could be the best mid-range camera phone.
Performance & OS
It comes with a new Google Tensor G3 (4 nm)Tensor G3 from last year’s flagships. It is a very capable chipset. Tensor is all about software optimization for hardware. So it does not have many raw performances. But with software 8a feels smooth. It has all of the flagship features from the Pixel 8 & Pixel 8 Pro. It is the first A series phone from Google to come with Gemini Nano. Call assist, Pixel VPN, Magic Eraser Audio pixel all of the features are good. It has the best speech-to-text transcription speed and more. They promised 7 years of OS updates, security updates, and feature drop updates for the 8a. So It is a reliable phone that will last for a long time.
Battery & Charging
It has a 4492 mAh battery, slightly larger than the 7a. It is a one-day phone, which is acceptable for most people. The charging speed has not improved yet. But it still has 7.5W wireless charging.
Conclusion
For the first time, they are offering a 256GB variant in the A series. Google has been saying It is their most durable A series phone. It’s true, they made some right changes in Pixel 8a and made it the best mid-ranger under 500$. But it’s a mid-range phone after all and compared to Pixel 8 it lags in some key areas. If you purchase the Pixel 8, you will receive a phone with slimmer bezels, a brighter display, larger camera sensors, a bigger battery, faster charging, and IP68. All of this with an extra 50$ as I said earlier. So if you can’t afford that 50$ go for the Pixel 8a.
