The Google Pixel 8a is official, and it’s… pretty much exactly what we were expecting. Google’s new mid-range phone is virtually identical to the Pixel 8 in most respects, but Google cut a few corners in order to keep the starting price at $499, making the list price for the Pixel 8a $200 lower than the starting price for the Pixel 8.
Google is taking pre-orders for the Pixel 8a now, and it will be available starting May 14, 2024.
The smartphone has a 6.1 inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel AMOLED display with support for 60 Hz to 120 Hz refresh rates and up to 1400 nits HDR brightness.
It’s powered by the same Google Tensor G3 chip as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and supports many of the same camera features. But the Pixel 8a doesn’t have the same camera sensors as Google’s latest flagships, instead using the same 64MP + 13MP rear cameras as last year’s Pixel 7a.
You still get most of the same camera features with the new phone as you do on the Pixel 8, but there’s no support for Macro Focus and image quality might be slightly lower.
Other differences include an IP67 water and dust resistance rating (rather than IP68), dual microphones (instead of 3), a Gorilla Glass 3 shatter-resistant display (higher-priced models have Gorilla Glass Victus), and top charging speeds of 18 watts (compared with 27W or 30W for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro).
The Pixel 8a also lacks support for reverse wired charging, meaning you can’t use the phone as a power bank to charge other gadgets.
| Pixel 8a | Pixel 8 | Pixel 8 Pro | |
| Display | 6.1 inches 2400 x 1080 pixels 430 ppi 60 – 120 Hz AMOLED Up to 1400 nits HDR Up to 2000 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass 3 | 6.2 inches 2400 x 1080 pixels 428 ppi 60 – 120 Hz AMOLED Up to 1400 nits HDR Up to 2000 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass Victus | 6.7 inches 2992 x 1344 pixels 489 PPI 1 – 120 Hz AMOLED Up to 1600 nits HDR Up to 2400 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3 | ||
| RAMÂ | 8GB LPDDR5x | 12GB LPDDR5X | |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB UFS 3.1 | |
| Battery | 4,492 mAh | 4,575 mAh | 5,050 mAh |
| Charging | 18W (USB-C) Qi wireless charging supported | 27W (USB-C) 18W (wireless w/Pixel Stand 2) 12W (wireless w/Qi chargers) | 30W (USB-C) 23W (wireless w/Pixel Stand 2) 12W (wireless w/Qi chargers) |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor Face Unlock VPN by Google One Titan M2 security chip | ||
| Cameras (rear) | 64MP wide-angle (80° FoV, OIS, EIS, 8x Super Res Zoom) 13MP ultra wide-angle (120° FoV) | 50MP primary (82° FoV, OIS, EIS, Single-zone LDAF, 8x Super Res Zoom) 12MP ultra-wide (125.8° FoV) | 50MP primary (82° FoV, OIS, EIS, Multi-zone LDAF) 48MP ultra-wide (125.5 FoV°) 48MP telephoto (5x optical zoom, 30x Super Res Zoom, OIS, EIS, 21.8) |
| Camera (front) | 13MP (fixed focus) | 10.5MP (fixed-focus, dual PD) | 10.5MP (auto-focus, dual PD) |
| Camera features | Best Take Audio Magic Eraser Photo Unblur Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Super Res Zoom Motion Auto Focus Live HDR+ Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Cinematic Pan Portrait Light Magic Eraser Long Exposure Real Tone Face Unblur Panorama Manual white balancing Locked Folder Magic Editor Ultra HDR Astrophotography | Best Take Audio Magic Eraser Photo Unblur Macro Focus Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Super Res Zoom Motion autofocus Live HDR+ Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Cinematic Pan Portrait Light Magic Eraser Motion Mode Real Tone Face Unblur Panorama Manual white balancing Locked Folder Magic Editor Ultra HDR Astrophotography | Pro Controls High-resolution photography Best Take Audio Magic Eraser Video Boost Night Sight Video Photo Unblur Macro Focus Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Super Res Zoom Motion autofocus Live HDR+ Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Cinematic Pan Portrait Light Magic Eraser Motion Mode Real Tone Face Unblur Panorama Manual white balancing Locked Folder Magic Editor Ultra HDR Astrophotography |
| USB | USB 3.2 Type-C | ||
| Wireless | WiFi 7 BT 5.3 NFC GPS 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) 4G LTE | ||
| Audio | Stereo Speakers 2 microphones Noise suppression | Stereo speakers 3 microphones Noise suppression Spatial Audio | |
| Water resistance | IP67 | IP68 | |
| OS | Android 14 7 years of Feature Drops and Security Updates | Android 14 7 years of OS, feature, and security updates | |
| Dimensions | 152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm 6″ x 2.9″ x 0.4″ | 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm 5.9″ x 2.8″ x 0.4″ | 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm 6.4″ x 3″ x 0.3″ |
| Weight | 188 grams | 187 grams | 213 grams |
| Starting price | $499 | $699 | $999 |
When you compare the list prices, the Pixel 8a seems like a great value: almost as good as the Pixel 8, but $200 less.
But the Pixel 8 is half a year old at this point, and it often goes on sale for well below the list price. In March you could pick one up for $499. So if you’re choosing between a Pixel 8 and a Pixel 8a, you might want to just keep an eye out for the next sale.
Or you could wait a few months to see if the Pixel 8a starting price falls.
According to NPR and various other hard to ignore sources governments such as Israel have already used Google’s facial unlock and Google Photos features for the use of civilian targeted AI bombings. Maybe people should stop buying smartphones so as not to get randomly murdered by an Ai and loiter drone? Power targets are like when multiple targets are in an apartment high rise so it is easier for the Ai just to blow up the entire building and everyone inside I guess. This use case is against Google’s use policy, to be fair to Google.
Maybe libertarian owned, Anduril Industries will be the first private contractor to deliver thousands of Slaughterbots to a major city by 2026? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fa9lVwHHqg
They should’ve made is a smaller phone like Zenfone, that would’ve given it some kind of edge to differentiate itself from cheaper phones that it otherwise lacks. Is the chassis slippery? Vegan “leather” on Motos have made it so you don’t have to waste extra money on a case if your main problem is the lack of friction for phone retention. With “vegan leather” I can put my phone on a 45 degree slant so long as it is not a slippery surface and the phone just sticks there without moving, it is pretty awesome not having a slippery costly titanium frame. I’d buy a standalone Pixelwatch so long as it had Gemini local to make the watch usable, until then probably won’t be interested in anything Pixel unless they miniaturize it to at least sub-Zenfone size. The pricing for the 8a isn’t that competitive.
Any indication whether the 8a will have Displayport output enabled like the 8?