Google has once again released its entry-level phone half way through its cycle, and whilst it’s normally an obvious choice for those looking for a cheaper way into the ecosystem, it’s a little murkier this year as the Google Pixel 8a has seen a lot of improvements over last year’s model, and it’s closer to the Pixel 8 both in price and specs.
When it comes to the design the Pixel 8a looks a lot more premium this year, with much rounder corners which makes for an easier grip. The back also looks more premium swapping out its glossy design for a matte finish more similar to that of the 8 Pro. I much prefer this design as it makes gripping the device easier and also results in less fingerprints.
As far as the bezels go, it looks to be similarly sized (but obviously now more rounded), but the screen has seen a huge improvement. It’s got an Actua display and is now 40% brighter than the Pixel 7a screen, with the refresh rate now having a fantastic 120hz which means that the entire line-up will provide a silky smooth refresh rate.
When it comes to the processor, the Pixel 8a uses the same Tensor G3 chip which was absolutely buttery to use, and there’s now 7 years of support both on the security side as well as software updates side, which is longer than what was promised with the 7a. The G3 chip also makes for better battery life as well which has been the one area that had let Google down in previous years.
When it comes to the cameras, it seems to be a similar line-up to the 7a with a 64 MP primary sensor as well as a 13 MP ultra-wide angle lens. Any Pixel phone over the last few years have had cameras that absolutely impress under most conditions and the 8a is no different. This is largely due to many of the AI features that have come to the 8a.
Just like I spoke about in my Pixel 8 and 8 Pro reviews, the AI features in the Pixel 8a are such a joy to use. Best Take is a feature that identifies when you’ve taken a series of photos with another person or a group of people, which is often the case when you’re taking photos, and essentially lets you change out the face of a person in one photo and replace it with their face from another photo. It’s super useful if someone has their eyes closed, or maybe you’ve got a kid in the photo not cooperating. It works seamlessly as you go through person by person, flicking through the options available.
This is taken a step further in Magic Editor. This essentially uses AI (think Photoshop AI Generative Fill) to allow you to scale certain objects in a photo, or replace them all together. For instance, I took a photo of my sausage dog in my front yard, and was able to make him larger, but then I was able to go a step further and replace all my greenery and fence line with another backdrop that looked almost nothing like my yard.
I was really impressed with how well it was able to use Google AI to figure out what should be in place of the object you’re moving. Whilst not perfect, the example of this photo below where it knew to put a put there based on literally only a tiny bit being visible, as well as completely rebuild a deck check and give the subject shoes was impressive and will no doubt get better with time.
A more practical use of software enhancement is on the video side with Audio Magic Eraser. This uses Google AI to identify and split out sounds form your video including voice, nature, music or other background noise and lets you adjust them all individually to remove unwanted background noises. It worked fairly well and most importantly was really simple to use.
Google Gemini, which is Google’s AI search model is also available on the 8a, which is impressive for a phone of this cost, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out as well in the future as well.
Whilst the Google Pixel 8a is a fantastic entry level phone, the price increase to $850 puts it in a spot where the Pixel 8 has regularly been cheaper than it, and whilst I have no doubt the 8a will drop in price as well, it does make it a little but murkier in terms of the jump from 8a to 8 to 8 Pro, and I’d personally probably be making the jump to one of the latter models.
There’s rumours that Google will be dropping the a series in the line-up after this year and it’s easy to see why, as it’s no longer an entry level phone, yet a fantastic high-end device in its own right.
@shannongrixti The Google Pixel 8a is Google’s most feature rich entry level phone yet #GooglePixel8a #Pixel8a #GooglePixel #Google #MobilePhones #Tech #Unboxing
