Google Pixel 8a Review: The Best Budget Smartphone of 2024

Design and Build Quality

The Pixel 8a showcases Google’s minimalistic design philosophy with a sleek and compact form factor that feels comfortable. The device features a plastic back with a matte finish, offering durability and a grip that prevents accidental slips. The smooth edges and relatively lightweight body make it ideal for one-handed use, catering to those who prefer practicality without compromising on style.

One of the critical design elements of the Pixel 8a is its colour options. The device stands out without being overly flashy and is available in vibrant shades like Seafoam Green and Charcoal Black. The minimalistic approach extends to the button placement, with the power and volume buttons located conveniently on the right side, offering easy access without disrupting the phone’s clean aesthetic.

Display Quality

The Google Pixel 8a is equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED display, boasting a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. This Full HD+ screen delivers sharp visuals and vibrant colours, making it a joy for everyday activities like browsing the web, watching videos, and playing games. The OLED panel provides deep blacks and high contrast ratios, ensuring images and videos look stunning, even in bright sunlight.

Despite being a budget device, the Pixel 8a’s display supports a 90Hz refresh rate, offering smooth scrolling and a more responsive touch experience. This feature, often reserved for higher-end models, enhances the overall user experience, especially during gaming sessions and content consumption. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, adding an extra layer of durability against scratches and minor drops.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the Google Pixel 8a is powered by the custom-built Google Tensor G3 chip, also found in the more expensive Pixel 8 models. This chipset, coupled with 8GB of RAM, ensures that the Pixel 8a can easily handle multitasking, offering a seamless experience whether switching between apps, streaming videos, or playing graphics-intensive games.

The Tensor G3’s AI capabilities are particularly noteworthy. They enable advanced features such as real-time language translation, intelligent photo editing, and improved voice recognition. These features enhance the device’s usability and position the Pixel 8a as an intelligent choice for those looking for a budget-friendly phone with premium capabilities.

Storage options include 128GB of internal storage, which should be sufficient for most users. However, the Pixel 8a does not support expandable storage, so users who need more space might have to rely on cloud storage solutions.

Camera Capabilities

Google’s Pixel phones are renowned for their exceptional cameras, and the Pixel 8a is no exception. The device features a dual-camera setup on the back, with a 12.2MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The primary camera benefits from Google’s computational photography expertise, delivering stunning photos with accurate colours, excellent dynamic range, and impressive low-light performance.

Night Sight, one of Google’s flagship camera features, is available on the Pixel 8a. It allows users to capture clear and detailed photos even in near darkness. Conversely, the ultra-wide lens is perfect for landscape shots and group photos, offering a wider field of view without significant distortion.

On the front, the Pixel 8a sports an 8MP selfie camera, which performs admirably in various lighting conditions. It supports features like Portrait Mode and Face Retouching, enabling users to take flattering selfies easily. Video recording is also robust, with the Pixel 8a supporting 4K video at 30fps, providing high-quality footage with excellent stabilization.

Battery Life and Charging

The Pixel 8a is equipped with a 4,400mAh battery, which might seem modest compared to some competitors, but Google’s software optimizations ensure that the device can easily last a full day on a single charge. Whether using the phone for work, entertainment, or navigation, the battery life is dependable, making it a reliable companion for daily tasks.

Regarding charging, the Pixel 8a supports 18W fast charging, which is slower than other mid-range devices but still adequate for most users. Additionally, the phone supports wireless charging, a feature not always available in budget smartphones, adding to its appeal.

Software Experience

The Pixel 8a’s software experience is one of its strongest selling points. Running on the latest version of Android 14, the device offers a clean and intuitive interface without any bloatware. Google’s Pixel UI is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it ideal for both Android veterans and newcomers.

Moreover, Pixel phones are often the first to receive software updates and security patches, ensuring users can access the latest features and protections. Google has also committed to providing at least three years of major OS updates for the Pixel 8a, making it a future-proof investment.

User Experience and Additional Features

Beyond its core specs, the Pixel 8a delivers a user experience tailored to Google’s vision of what a smartphone should be. The integration of Google Assistant is seamless, offering voice commands and intelligent suggestions that make daily tasks more efficient. Features like Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness learn from your usage patterns to optimize performance and power consumption.

Another highlight is the Pixel 8a’s8a’s integration with Google Photos, which offers unlimited storage for high-quality photos and videos. This is a significant advantage for users who take many pictures and want a hassle-free way to back them up. The phone also supports Google’s Recorder app, which allows speech to be transcribed in real-time, making it a valuable tool for students, journalists, and professionals.

Security and Updates

Google prioritizes security, and the Pixel 8a benefits from regular security updates that keep the device protected from the latest threats. The phone features a fast and reliable rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, allowing for quick and secure access to the device. Additionally, the Pixel 8a supports Face Unlock, providing an alternative authentication method.

Google’sGoogle’s commitment to software updates is another strong point. The Pixel 8a is guaranteed to receive three major Android updates and five years of security updates, ensuring that the device remains up-to-date with the latest features and security enhancements for years to come.

Value for Money

The Google Pixel 8a is priced competitively, making it one of the best value-for-money smartphones on the market. With its combination of premium features, excellent camera performance, and a smooth software experience, the Pixel 8a offers a package that is hard to beat in its price range. It’s an excellent choice for users who want a high-quality smartphone without breaking the bank.

Comparison with Competitors

The Pixel 8a stands out for its camera performance and software experience compared to other smartphones in the same price range. While some competitors may offer slightly better hardware or faster charging speeds, the Pixel 8a’s8a’s strength lies in its overall balance of features and Google’s robust software ecosystem.

For instance, the Samsung Galaxy A54 offers a larger display and battery but needs more camera performance and software updates. Similarly, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite may be slightly lower but requires a more refined software experience and long-term support than the Pixel 8a.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Excellent camera performance, especially in low light
• Clean, bloatware. Apologies for the confusion earlier. Let’s continue with the in-depth review of the Google Pixel 8a.

Pros:

• Exceptional Camera Performance: The Google Pixel 8a continues Google’s tradition of outstanding mobile photography, excelling in daylight and low-light conditions. The Night Sight feature, in particular, ensures that even photos taken in near darkness are bright and detailed.
• Pure Android Experience: On stock Android 14, the Pixel 8a offers a clean, fast, and bloatware-free experience. Regular updates directly from Google mean you’re always at the forefront of the latest features and security patches.
• Solid Build Quality: Despite its budget-friendly price, the Pixel 8a is well-constructed, featuring a Gorilla Glass 5 front and a sturdy plastic back that feels durable and premium in hand.
• Smooth Performance: Powered by the Google Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8a handles multitasking, gaming, and day-to-day activities with ease. The 90Hz OLED display adds to the smoothness, making every interaction feel more responsive.
• 5G Connectivity: The Pixel 8a supports 5G, ensuring fast internet speeds for browsing, streaming, and downloading in areas with 5G coverage.
• Excellent Software Integration: Features like Google Assistant, Recorder with real-time transcription, and seamless Google Photos integration make this phone highly functional and user-friendly.

Cons:

• No Expandable Storage: The lack of a microSD card slot means users are limited to the 128GB of internal storage. This could be a drawback for those who need more space for apps, photos, and videos.
• Average Battery Life: While the 4,400mAh battery is decent, it’s not exceptional. Heavy users may need to top up by the end of the day, although software optimizations help extend battery life somewhat.
• Limited Fast Charging: At 18W, the fast charging is slower than that of some competitors in the same price range, which offers 25W or even 33W charging speeds.
• Plastic Build: Although the plastic back is durable and keeps costs down, it doesn’t have the same premium feel as glass or metal finishes on some competitors.
• Lack of High-End Features: While the Pixel 8a offers excellent core features, it lacks high-end extras like an always-on display or a high-refresh-rate display beyond 90Hz, which some users might expect in 2024.
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Pixel 8a in Everyday Use

In everyday use, the Pixel 8a is a reliable and capable smartphone. Its modest size makes it comfortable to carry and easy to use with one hand, which is increasingly rare in today’s market of large-screen devices. While not as large as some competitors, the display offers vibrant colours and sharp details, making media consumption enjoyable.

Multitasking is smooth, thanks to the combination of the Google Tensor G3 chip and 8GB of RAM. Apps open quickly, with little to no lag, even when running multiple applications simultaneously. Gaming performance is also commendable for a phone in this price range, handling popular titles like “PUBG Mobile” and “Asphalt 9” without significant drops in frame rate.

The software experience is another highlight. The Pixel 8a runs a clean version of Android 14, with no unnecessary bloatware to slow it down. The integration of Google’s services is seamless, and features like Google Assistant, which can be activated with a simple voice command, work flawlessly. The phone’s AI-driven features, such as real-time language translation and intelligent photo editing, are practical additions that enhance the user experience.

The camera, as expected from a Pixel device, is outstanding. In daylight, photos are sharp, with accurate colours and excellent dynamic range. Portrait mode, which can blur the background and keep the subject in sharp focus, works exceptionally well. The ultra-wide camera is a valuable addition, allowing users to capture more in a single shot without compromising image quality.

Night Sight remains one of the standout features, enabling the Pixel 8a to capture impressive low-light photos that other smartphones in this price range struggle to match. The front-facing camera can also produce clear, well-exposed selfies, even in challenging lighting conditions.

While not groundbreaking, battery life is sufficient for most users. The Pixel 8a lasts a full day of moderate use, including browsing, streaming, and social media. However, power users who engage in gaming or extensive video recording might need to charge the device by the evening. Wireless charging is a nice touch, making it convenient to top up the battery throughout the day.

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 8a is a well-rounded smartphone that offers excellent value for its price. Its exceptional camera performance, smooth software experience, and dependable build quality make it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a capable and affordable Android device. While it may lack some of the high-end features found in more expensive models, the Pixel 8a excels where it matters most, making it one of the best budget smartphones of 2024.

For those in the market for a phone that delivers flagship-level camera capabilities and a clean, user-friendly software experience without the premium price tag, the Pixel 8a is hard to beat. Its combination of performance, features, and support from Google’s software ensures that it will remain a relevant and powerful device for years.

FAQs

What is the camera quality like on the Google Pixel 8a?

The Pixel 8a features a 12.2MP primary camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. Both perform exceptionally well, particularly in low-light conditions, thanks to Google’s advanced computational photography features like Night Sight.

How does the Google Pixel 8a perform in gaming?

Powered by the Google Tensor G3 chip and 8GB of RAM, the Pixel 8a handles most mobile games smoothly. While it may not be the top choice for hardcore gaming, it performs admirably for casual gaming and can easily handle popular titles.

Does the Pixel 8a support wireless charging?

Yes, the Pixel 8a supports wireless charging, a welcome feature at its price point.

What version of Android does the Pixel 8a run?

The Pixel 8a runs on Android 14, offering a clean, bloatware-free experience directly from Google with regular updates and security patches.

How long will the Google Pixel 8a receive software updates?

Google has committed to providing at least three major OS updates and five years of security updates for the Pixel 8a, ensuring it remains up-to-date with the latest features and security enhancements.

Is the storage on the Pixel 8a expandable?

No, the Pixel 8a does not support expandable storage. It comes with 128GB of internal storage, which should be sufficient for most users.