While the Pixel 8a may not boast the flagship hardware of its premium sibling such as the camera, RAM, screen and the lack of fast charging, whether wired or wireless, the typical user or creator will still enjoy using the Pixel 8a. I know I did! In this review, I will cover how the Pixel 8a surpasses expectations as the ultimate budget phone, delivering premium AI features and exceptional performance.

Google Pixel 8a

The biggest strength of a Pixel phone lies in its software, especially the numerous AI features integrated into the camera. There's even more you can do with Gemini, a powerful AI assistant powered by the same Tensor G3 processor as in the Pixel 8 Pro. In many ways, it is a big jump over the 7a. The 8a now supports 120hz screen refresh, whereas the 7a only supported 90hz. Its build quality now feels more like a flagship device with a nice heft to it. Google has also committed to seven years of software security updates and occasional feature drops.

I will delve into the pros and cons of using the Pixel 8a, including its AUDIO features such as its speakers and the Bluetooth audio codecs it supports.

Pixel 8a vs 7a Improvement

The Super Res Zoom on the 8a works just as well as on the flagship 8 Pro. However, because it lacks a telephoto lens, it can only provide 2x optical zoom or 8x digital crop. If you're shooting video, increase it by 5x. (Whereas the 8 Pro allows for up to 30x digital zoom.)

Apart from that, it has almost every other AI camera feature, such as Magic Eraser (shown below), Photo Unblur, Best Take, and Audio Eraser, which is quite useful for cleaning out noise in videos and making voices sound clearer without the need for a PC editor.

👉 Have a listen to what Audio Eraser can do.

The Pixel 8a features a 64MP wide and 13MP ultrawide cameras, capable of shooting in RAW format. However, unlike the 8 Pro, which supports 50MP RAW shots, the 8a is limited to 16.1MP, offering less resolution advantage. Although you won't be able to crop in as much, it will still retain more information compared to regular JPEG such as colour data and dynamic range, allowing you to colour grade in Lightroom, Photoshop, or Darktable without losing detail.

That is why its 16.1MP RAW file size is approximately three times larger than its equivalent in JPEG. However, if you are not going to colour grade, shooting in JPEG is a better option as it saves space. But is the camera really good?

👉 Watch the camera test at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay.

Camera Performance

When shooting pictures with the main camera, it was able to reproduce soft lines, good contrast, and very natural-looking colours of skin tones, greenery and flowers. The on-screen pictures closely mirrors real-life scenes, so it doesn’t lean too warm or too cool. Shooting with the 13MP ultrawide lens also maintains great colour accuracy and detail in the scene. Only when zooming in digitally you can see slight variances in colour accuracy, like in this photo. In comparison to the actual green tones, it leans slightly bluish.

Furthermore, because it crops off the main sensor, you lose resolution when zooming into distant things, even with Super Res zoom. However, even without digital zoom, the cameras are quite impressive.

The same applies in low light conditions. The AI processing just improves the image's resolution and sharpness. However, if you shoot videos in low light and do not process them afterwards, you will still see noise and fuzziness when cropping into dark areas.

Aside from that, it is quite good at shooting videos. The main advantage of Pixel phones has always been their stability. Shooting a walking shot at different zoom lengths was nearly like using a stabiliser. However, you cannot capture portrait videos with a blurred background, and also you can't video in macro mode, which are both possible with the 8 Pro.

Audio Features and Performance

In terms of audio, the Pixel 8a supports the majority of the popular low compression codecs like as LDAC, aptX HD, and LC3. It doesn't offer any decent sound customisation options aside from the sound amplifier, which only works with external audio devices like earbuds and headphones and doesn't improve sound quality. It either makes the sound thin and weak, or bright and tinny.

The speakers are loud, crisp, and clear in the midrange. There is a stereo setup, but it is basic and lacks spaciousness, so much of the sound appears to be focused in the centre of the screen.

👉 Have a listen to the sound sample.

Gaming Performance

Regarding gaming performance, it well beyond my expectations. COD Mobile cannot support both Ultra High Frame Rates and Very High Graphics, but I adjusted it to Ultra Frame Rates with forced 120hz refresh and medium graphic settings, and it played very smoothly and responsively. The same goes for the Very High graphic quality at Max frame rates.

After just one match, I could feel the phone heating up. Nevertheless, the heat distribution seems to be fairly even across the device, rather than focused around the camera bar.

Screen Brightness

Furthermore, the screen brightness is advertised as 1400 nits for HDR content and up to 2000 nits for peak brightness, but in my daily usage, the 8a falls short. It's bright enough indoors, even under bright artificial lighting.

However, even with adaptive brightness switched off, it can be difficult to see the screen in direct sunlight.

Thermals

In terms of thermals, the camera does become a little hot when used. It is never becomes uncomfortably hot to hold, but keep an eye on the temperature when shooting under the blazing sun.

Battery Life and Charging Speed

The Pixel 8a provides a full day's worth of battery life, with the battery lasting a total of 35 hours from a full charge with Always-on screen. Total screen time - 4 hours 10 mins.

Charging it from zero to full took about 1 hour 48 minutes at 18W (USB-C)

It's satisfactory, and with the inclusion of various battery-saving features, it may even last a bit longer.

Overall…

I enjoy the Pixel 8a because of all the AI capabilities surrounding the camera, such as Gemini AI, and its premium build quality, it does not feel like a budget device. In fact, if you've previously owned a low-cost smartphone, this will feel like an upgrade. While like other Pixel phones, it will be among the first Android devices to receive security updates, and seven years of it. As a result, it provides a very attractive value proposition.

Tensor G3 Concerns…

It's still powered by the Tensor G3, which some claim isn't as quick or as power efficient as the Snapdragon Gen 2 from three years ago. I can see why some people may not like the 8a because it is on Tensor. Exynos SoCs were also considered as inferior to Snapdragon, and Tensor is viewed similarly.

It's fast enough for me because I don't game much. Instead, I use it for productivity activities, which the Pixel 8a is more than capable of handling. As we've seen, it performs gaming reasonably well.

If there are any worries about the Tensor's Exynos’s antenna, I tested it with some cellular phone calls and there were no signal dropouts. The UI is smooth and responsive, with apps opening almost instantly. Furthermore, Tensor G3's entire concentration is on computational photography and AI, and the Pixel 8a is, as far as I know, the best budget device in these categories. As a content creator, this speaks to me deeply.

In other words, the Pixel 8a’s an affordable, yet sophisticated content production tool that Google will continue to support long beyond those other devices.

If you’d like to check the latest prices of these phones, click on the Amazon links below.

Check latest price:
Google Pixel 8a - Link TBA ($499 USD)
Google Pixel 8 Pro - https://amzn.to/3UX6faE
Google Pixel 7a - https://amzn.to/3O0yGBj

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