Verdict
Even with a price raise in sure regions , the Pixel 8a stay on excellent note value for someone looking for a gimmick with a great camera , pocket-sized pattern and the promise of many geezerhood of software updates .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Pixel 8a is the most complete mid - range speech sound from Google I have ever reviewed and one of the easiest to commend devices in 2024 .
It ’s not sodding – I ca n’t say that any phone is – but for the £ 499/$499 price this is a very complete phone that tick off a wad of boxes and does n’t sacrifice too many features .
There ’s a slew of rival to be top thebest mid - range phonethough , so does the Pixel 8a have the skills to be the very best ?
Design
I really dislike the feel of both thePixel 8and the larger8 Provariant . Both manikin were overly acute , forever digging into my hands . The Pixel 8a right all of the damage of the Pixel 8 : it ’s more or less smaller , but importantly the edges are soft and more curved .
The smaller sensor array used here also allows Google to shrink down the visor that covers cameras on the back , meaning it is n’t quite as prone to pick up detritus as the version on the Pixel 8 .
Google has also ditch the calendered back of the Pixel 8 , replace it with the same matte grain as the Pixel 8 Pro here . It ’s a huge advance , reducing the amount of smudges that come out and impart more of a soft textured finish . I also just prefer how the color look on the matte back .
While I would n’t separate this as a small phone like theiPhone 13 Mini , it is small compare to the rest of the mid - range Android food market which tends to stick with a 6.7 - inch display . The smaller size will be a plus for some and a damaging for others but it ’s good to have the option on the market . This is n’t a top pick for someone looking for a heavy screen and I would care to see Google offer a big Pixel 8a XL that combines the cheaper price with a great footprint .
You require to bear around £ 999/$999 for the 6.7 - column inch Pixel phone and forthwith that ’ll push those who retrieve the 6.1 - inch panel too small to some of the other phones around .
On the other script , I am glad Google still propose this size of equipment . It is easy to use with one bridge player , at least for me and my fairly modest hands , and it ’s light enough to slue comfortably in the pocket of a underweight pair of jeans or a smaller bag .
Mid - range devices in this price point often give certain pattern feature to meet the lower terms . An IP valuation , for instance , is n’t common on these sorts of phone so it ’s skillful to see Google continue anIP67rating here for some protection from H2O and rubble .
There ’s also been a focal point on lastingness and the use of reuse materials in the construction . Both are very welcome , especially as this phone is set to receive Android update for the next seven eld . Long support is mostly pointless if the phone ca n’t survive being used for that time .
Screen
The 6.1 - inch 1080 x 2400 filmdom is probably the weakest dot of the Pixel 8a . It ’s far from a dealbreaker but it is the part of the phone that is far from ‘ best in family ’ .
First off , those bezel surrounding the panel arethick . Yes , they are consistent all the fashion around and that ’s great , but the sheer heaviness of them really puts me off . Reducing them could have made the headphone ’s overall footprint small , or the up the size of the display in the same shell .
I ’ve also found the screen lacking in other areas . colour are sacrificed when viewed off - axis of rotation and it feels like the screen itself is n’t the right way up against the field glass , like the unlaminated dialog box on the tatty iPad .
in the end , while the refresh rate can hit 120Hz , I have found it often feels much slower than that – randomly hit 60Hz when I ’m scrolling . It can be a little jarring , even if it ’s rarified .
There are positives , though . TheActua Displaytech has been plucked from the other Pixel 8 model giving a in high spirits superlative brightness of up to 2000 nits . I put the Pixel 8a next to the 7a and the new model got much shining and was much loose to habituate outside on a gay day . The redundant brightness is also noticeable in HDR subject matter , whether it ’s via Netflix or YouTube – though the small presentation means this is n’t the best selection for watch over content .
Camera
Google has stuck with the same television camera computer hardware as the 7a . On the back , there ’s a main 64MP sensing element with an f/1.9 lens and OIS alongside a 120 - academic degree 13MP ultrawide . switch the headphone over and there ’s a 13MP selfie television camera . 4 K telecasting is supported up to 60fps on the rear and 30fps on the front .
It ’s not the most exciting array of detector and the lack of a true telephotograph crystalline lens have in mind it ’s all digital zoom here . However the pictures are still great , particularly if you ’re snapping people or very colorful scenes with lots of line .
In general day situations , like the landscape shoot above , the Pixel 8a consistently impressed . The colors are nice and balanced , the sky is bright without feeling garish or oversaturated and there ’s still stack of particular retained . Most phones can take good shots in these conditions , but the Pixel 8a managed to churn out beneficial pictures all the time .
Google ’s color science and processing help when the light gets lower , as consider in the picture above . Here , the Pixel 8a retained nice colours in the sky , keeping that orangey gleaming across the scene . It ’s a similar account with the epitome below .
When the light gets lower , the Pixel 8a is still very adequate to – pump up the colours a scrap and retain plenty of detail . Google has also done a good job of reducing lens flare this time around , an government issue I incur even on theiPhone 15 Pro Maxwhich is one of the best camera phones around .
Best Take try its hardest to guarantee all the faces in a chemical group shot are perfect by unite multiple shot together if someone has their eye close or is looking the other room .
On the TV side , Audio Magic Eraser aim to take desktop interference from your video so you’re able to focus on the main voice . I had heaps of merriment using this , and can see it being helpful for those who do n’t want to plump for a freestanding mike to take up making TV .
Software
Google has stated that it will support the Pixel 8a with software update , Feature Drops and security system patches for the same seven years it promised with the Pixel 8 and 8 professional . A massive title that ’s tremendously welcome and unrivaled in this Mary Leontyne Price range .
Of course , unwashed sense says that in seven years when Android 21 and the Pixel 15 Pro hit the market place , not all the features will be made uncommitted for the Pixel 8a . But having assurance the phone you buy today will have the right security measures shelter after 2030 has got to be a bonus .
foresighted - terminal figure software program upgrade are nifty for reducing e - waste and encouraging purchaser to hang onto devices for long , or pass them on to others , rather than cast aside of them .
Google ’s imaginativeness of Android has AI at the heart , and this will only get more obvious as many of the features from the I / O developer conference arrive throughout the relief of 2024 .
One of the best late additions isCircle to Search , a feature that makes it easy to search for anything on the headphone ’s screen by draw around it . This works for pictures and Scripture and it ’s exceptionally addictive ; I have find myself draw around landmark in former pic just to see if it can detect what they are .
Google still makes the good Recorder app on any phone , a invaluable addition for those who have to record interviews and meetings , and the Call Screen feature help remove the faff from cover with junk e-mail song . senior features like the wonderful , and almost instant , euphony recognition widget on the ignition lock screenland means you ’ll never have to spread out Shazam again .
There ’s also no bloatware to deal with , some Xiaomi headphone at this Mary Leontyne Price have in spade , with just Google ’s services installed to begin with .
Performance
The Pixel 8a is powered by the sameTensor G3processor as the £ 999/$999 Pixel 8 Pro along with 8 GB RAM . I had concerns about the performance of Google ’s flagship when I review it , but on a phone half the price , it ’s more than enough .
Lots of thebest phonesat this price will have high - end Saratoga chip in 2024 , and Apple has , in the past , used flagship silicon in more low-priced equipment so Google ’s approach is n’t unique even if it remains very welcome .
The Pixel 8a offers smooth performance everywhere and never once did I notice severe slowdown in apps or in some more intensive game . Google ’s chips have never been concenter on GPU carrying out but with the belittled 1080p screen here , frame rate are stable and gaming performance is good .
I hunt the Pixel 8a through our usual entourage of bench mark and you’re able to see the full results in the graphs below . functioning across the board is superior to the £ 449Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plusand the £ 599Motorola Edge 50 Proand you really require to be face at the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - totingRedMagic 9 Pro(around £ 600 ) for better public presentation , at least on report , in this general price range .
The focus of the Tensor G3 scrap is AI performance , from the GenAI picture blue-pencil features to the Gemini Nano service which is coming in a future computer software update . Some of the AI features do employ the swarm for off - equipment attainment but the Tensor ensures scads can be done without an net connection .
AI is moving very quickly I am sure we ’ll see other telephone set makers , notably Apple , integrate it profoundly into forthcoming releases . Google ’s services though , already feel advance and there is n’t a earpiece at this price that has this many AI acquirement .
In terms of how fast the AI acquirement perform , it can be hit - and - miss . Removing someone undesirable from a photo can take around 30 seconds in certain situations , which does feel slow while the appendage runs .
Elsewhere , there’sWi - Fi 6Efor those with a supported router , Bluetooth 5.3 and treble SIM support if one of them is an eSIM . Call tone is first-class and the stereo speakers get the job done for alarm and podcasts .
Battery Life
Even with a slenderly larger 4492mAh battery than what was found in the Pixel 7a , the 8a remains a sound I had to charge , without fail , every night during the review time period . A usual issue with smaller earphone like this .
The barrage fire drained very apace in intensive tasks , like race Google Maps , and it goes down even faster when screen brightness is push to to gamey levels . stream an hour of Netflix at 50 % only took off 7 % , but that double when the brightness was at 90 % .
I could n’t get more than four hr and 30 arcminute of CRT screen on clip per commission , so you ’d have to be really light user to get more than a day ’s worth of juice from a individual commission .
It does n’t aid matters that it ’s one of the slowest - point Android phones around . In the same sentence the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus went from 0 - 100 % , the Pixel 8a only got to 32 % . A full 0 - 100 % charge with the Pixel 8a took around 120 minute – similar to the £ 149Motorola Moto G34 5G.
As the earphone does n’t come with a battery charger included , received for Google , I conducted these run with a wad adequate to of outputting at the top charging fastness .
It ’s always nice to see wireless Qi charging included , even if the 8w top load speeds mean it ’s only really utile for nightlong charging .
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Should you buy it?
With a durable chassis and seven years of software program update , the PIxel 8a should last for an lengthy menstruation of time .
The pocket-sized screen is n’t the best for gaming and watching videos , and the venire itself is n’t quite on par with some of the tumid screen of thebest mid - range earpiece .
Final Thoughts
Even though the Pixel 8a has seen a price rise in certain regions , it persist good value for someone looking for a peachy photographic camera , pocket-sized design and the hope of many twelvemonth of software program update .
Google has continued to contrive well - think - out machine , and I much favour the overall feel of the 8a to the received 8 . The matt back and slightly small , slightly more rounded physical structure are all vast improvements to Google ’s higher - priced gimmick .
As you ’d wait from a Pixel , the camera is good – snap excellent pictures with accurate skin tones and lovely color in all sorts of environs . It ’s solid in humbled light too , although not quite to the extent of the higher - end Pixel phones like the Pixel 8 professional .
Battery animation remains a weakness , just as it has been with previous models , and this is n’t helped by the dull charging .
This is a crowded end of the grocery with lots of fantastic machine . TheXiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plushas much quicker charging and a far sharper , larger display , although you do have to live with Xiaomi ’s moderately poor package . Both theNothing Phone ( 2)andNothing Phone ( 2a)offer more trenchant designs , with theSamsung Galaxy A35 5Gis gaudy and will be familiar to anyone who has used Samsung ’s software before .
If I was reckon for a phone at this price though , I think I would bet towards the Pixel 8a . It ticks all the boxes , make very few sacrifices and looks good . This could be the easiest to recommend Pixel phone yet .
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We essay every nomadic earphone we review thoroughly . We apply diligence - standard tests to compare features properly and we use the telephone as our chief twist over the follow-up period . We ’ll always evidence you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to review a mathematical product .
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FAQs
We found the speech sound lease around 115 minute to fully buck , and a 50 % charge took 50 moment . There is no courser let in .
Test Data
Full Specs
