Welcome to our guide on the Google Pixel 8a! We’ll explore its features and drawbacks to help you decide if it’s right for you. From design to camera and performance, we’ll cover it all. Let’s dive in and see what this phone offers!
Google Pixel 8a Review with Detailed Specifications
Google Pixel 8a Design & Build:
The Pixel 8a, like the old Pixel 7a, has a small 6.1-inch display. It’s a tiny screen for a 2024 smartphone, but it still has thick bezels around it, making it less compact than you’d think. There’s a noticeable chin at the bottom, but the Pixel 8a has more rounded corners like the Pixel 8, making it more comfortable to hold.
The materials of the Pixel 8a are similar to the Pixel 7a. It has Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, with no pre-installed screen protector, so you might want to add one to avoid scratches. The slightly curved metal frame gives it a premium feel, which is good. The back is plastic, but unlike the glossy Pixel 7a, the Pixel 8a has a frosted matte finish. This new finish feels nicer, less plastic-like, and doesn’t attract fingerprints as easily.
The Pixel 8a comes in four colors: Obsidian Black, Porcelain White, and two brighter options, Bay (Blue) and Aloe (Green). Initially, the look might be surprising, but it grows on you. The camera bump is still there, matching the phone’s color, and it doesn’t wobble when lying flat.
Overall, the Pixel 8a improves slightly on last year’s design without any major issues.
Google Pixel 8a Display:
Both the Pixel 8a and Pixel 7a have similar display technology. The Pixel 8a has a 6.1-inch OLED panel with a 2400×1080 resolution, offering crisp visuals, great contrast, and natural colors. It supports HDR10 for services like Netflix, making it enjoyable for watching movies despite its smaller size. The selfie camera hole is present but doesn’t interfere much with full-screen viewing.
The Pixel 8a and 7a have similar color reproduction and detail levels, but the Pixel 8a is much brighter. This makes it easier to see in bright daylight and helps reduce reflections. The Pixel 7a’s display is slightly warmer in most cases, but the Pixel 8a’s NightLight mode is much warmer, effectively filtering blue light for evening use.
The Pixel 8a has a refresh rate that scales from 60Hz to 120Hz for supported apps, providing a smooth experience.
Google Pixel 8a OS & Features:
The Pixel 8a comes with Android 14 right out of the box. The Pixel 7a has also been upgraded to Android 14. Google promises 7 years of OS updates and security patches for the Pixel 8a, compared to 5 years for the Pixel 7a, which still has 4 years left.
Both phones run Google’s stock Android, but there are some differences in features. Both have great security features, including the Titan M2 security chip for storing biometrics. They both have an in-display fingerprint sensor and fast face recognition.
Both phones also have Google’s spam filter and safety features like car crash detection and crisis alerts. The Pixel 7a is starting to get some AI features that are on the Pixel 8a, such as “circle to search,” where you can draw a circle around something and Google will search for it.
However, not all AI features from the Pixel 8a have made it to the Pixel 7a. For example, AI wallpaper is on the Pixel 8a but not on the Pixel 7a. Google Photos on the Pixel 8a also has the magic editor tool and other features that the Pixel 7a doesn’t have yet.
Google Pixel 8a Processor & Gaming:
The Pixel 8a is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset and 8GB of RAM, which is a significant performance upgrade over the Pixel 7a’s Tensor G2. This improvement is especially noticeable when gaming. While the Pixel 7a struggles with higher graphic settings in games like Genshin Impact, the Pixel 8a handles them smoothly with a stable frame rate.
The Tensor G3 also runs cooler than the G2, so the Pixel 8a remains reasonably cool even after an hour of gaming. This means no performance throttling and no overly hot phone. The Pixel 7a, on the other hand, gets quite warm during intense gaming sessions.
The Pixel 8a includes the same basic Google gaming mode as before, which is quite limited. It would benefit from a more advanced gaming mode like those found on other phones.
Google Pixel 8a Cameras:
The Pixel 8a has the same camera hardware as the 7a. Both have a 64MP primary camera with optical image stabilization, used for portrait modes and night sight, which activates automatically in low light.
In good lighting, both phones produce photos with natural colors and vivid subjects. They handle HDR well, but the Pixel 8a is better in low light, with night mode exposure up to 6 seconds compared to the 7a’s 3 seconds. This results in better contrast and less grain in low-light photos.
Both phones also have a 13MP ultra-wide camera, which performs similarly and is good for fitting more into your photos. The front camera on both is 13MP, and they are both fine for selfies. Both phones can also record 4K video with the front camera.
The main difference comes with editing tools. The Pixel 8a has new AI features that let you move objects around in the frame, resize subjects, or delete them entirely.
Both phones can record 4K video with good audio capture, thanks to a dual mic setup. The Pixel 8a’s videos look sharp, with natural tones and good handling of strong lighting. Google’s audio eraser feature helps manage wind noise.
Google Pixel 8a Ports & Buttons:
There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, but it has a speaker grill and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. The SIM card tray is also at the bottom, and there’s a noise-canceling microphone at the top.
On the bottom, you’ll find the power on and off button and the volume rocker. Usually, the power button is on the top and the volume rocker is on the bottom, but it’s different for this phone.
Google Pixel 8a Audio Quality:
Both phones have stereo speakers with comparable audio quality, loud enough to be heard over background noise without sounding too tinny.
The Google Pixel 8a is okay for watching videos and listening to music. The audio quality is good, but the screen is small. You can watch HDR content on it, which looks nice.
Google Pixel 8a IP Rating:
The Pixel 8a has IP67 certification & Widevine L1 support. so it can handle splashes and even brief submersion.
Google Pixel 8a Connectivity:
It has good connectivity with 5G bands, but some Pixel phones have had connection problems in the past. We’ll need to test it to be sure. It also supports Wi-Fi 6, and the US version has Wi-Fi 6E.
It has Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC support, which is handy for connecting to other devices and making payments. It can use either a regular SIM card or an eSIM.
Google Pixel 8a Battery Life:
The Pixel 8a has a slightly larger battery than the Pixel 7a, with a 4,492mAh capacity compared to 4,385mAh. This small increase has resulted in solid battery life so far. In my testing, the Pixel 8a has lasted all day on a single charge, including plenty of background audio streaming and about 6 to 7 hours of screen-on time.
However, charging is still slow. The Pixel 8a supports 18W wired charging, the same as the Pixel 7a, which is quite slow. It also has 7.5W wireless charging, but this is equally slow.
Quick Overview of Google Pixel 8a
| Features | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.1″ OLED Display, 120Hz RefreshRate, 2000 nits (peak) Brightness and 2400×1080 Resolution |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3 (4 nm) |
| OS | Android 14 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| ROM | 128GB/256GB |
| Camera | Rear Camera: 64MP + 13MP Selfie Camera: 13MP |
| Battery | 4,492mAh Battery + 18W Wired Charging, 7.5W Wireless Charging |
Overall, the Pixel phones have two main strengths: the OS and the camera. These are the key features to consider when buying a Pixel 8A. However, there are some drawbacks. The charging speed and performance are not as so much good.
Another downside is its price, it is available on Flipkart- Rs 52,999, which with bank offer will get you Rs 49,999, it is in this price range that offers features you will get almost features in a 25k-30k range. So, under Rs 50K, it’s still overpriced.