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Google’s Pixel A-series of budget smartphones is almost always a sure bet, offering minimal cuts to hardware while still packing the Pixel line’s trademark software perks, all at a pretty sizable discount. As the first A-series phone to release since the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro upped the focus on AI, the Pixel 8a has a lot to live up to. But while its feature set succeeds just about as well as any a series phone before it, the 8a takes a slight hit to the most important A-series feature—value.
The Pixel 8a is almost identical to the Pixel 8
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
The Pixel A-series always feels a bit like magic. At first glance, this is a regular Pixel 8. It has the same Tensor G3 processor, the same AI features, the same Titan M2 security chip, a very similar 120Hz “Actua” display, and for the first time, even an option to upgrade to 256GB of storage.
That said, Google had to cut some corners to slash the Pixel 8’s usual $699 price tag down to $499. The biggest hit is potentially to the cameras, which are unchanged from the Pixel 7a, but there’s also decreased durability, a smaller screen with thicker bezels, a slightly smaller battery, and significantly slower charging.
None of these are deal breakers for the typical user. The camera issues are subjective (more on that later). The IP67 (as opposed to IP68) rating just means you can’t drop it in water quite as deep as the Pixel 8 for quite as long, but both should hold up evenly in a rainstorm. The screen space is just .1-inch smaller (down from 6.2-inches), which means all types of content will still hold up without making you squint. The battery is actually improved over the Pixel 7a, so its 4,492 mAh is well within range of the base Pixel 8’s 4,575 mAh. And while the 18W charging speed is much slower than the base Pixel 8’s 27W, it’s still on par with the iPhone 15’s, keeping it in line with the competition.
These issues can add up when taken as a whole, but they’re about the smallest tweaks Google could have made, and the 8a certainly doesn’t feel cheap when in the hand.
AI on the Pixel 8a
Google is able to make its budget phones so similar to its base models because, unlike the iPhone, the vast majority of the Pixel line’s selling points come from software. When Apple debuted the iPhone 15, it made a big deal of better cameras, a thin and light titanium frame (on some models), the move to USB-C, and a new shortcut button. When Google debuted the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, its focus was on AI.
That hasn’t changed on the Pixel 8a. Because it has the same chip as the Pixel 8 and even the Pixel 8 Pro, it has access to most of the same tricks as its older siblings.
Longstanding Pixel features like Magic Editor and Live Transcribe are both here, as are new features including Best Take, Magic Editor, and Audio Magic Eraser. Even Gemini is here, letting you replace Google Assistant with an LLM-powered AI. And all this works just as well as on any other Pixel 8 phone. Which is to say, usefulness is mixed.
Live Transcribe is probably my favorite Pixel feature, although because my job requires plenty of interviews, I’m maybe a bit biased. It’s hidden away under Settings > Accessibility > Live Transcribe, and can jot down a conversation as it happens. The accuracy isn’t perfect and it can’t differentiate between speakers, but it’s good enough for reference. It also represents significant savings, since similar services charge a subscription fee or place serious limits on how much you can transcribe. If you find yourself frequently translating speech to text, a Pixel phone is maybe worth buying for Live Transcribe alone.
If not, there’s still Live Caption, which applies the same tech to videos, games, calls, and other media. Live Translate adds in a layer of Google Translate, and was about on point for my basic English-to-Spanish questions. As a bonus, Live Translate also works on text messages.
Another solid feature is Audio Magic Eraser, which can almost completely eliminate background noise from your videos. Just click on “Audio” while editing the video, and you’ll be impressed by the results. In a test video, I had it pointing right at my desk fan, and couldn’t hear it at all (certainly not the case in the unedited video).
There’s also Circle to Search, which isn’t unique to Pixel but makes it easier to search Google by image. It’s more of a magic trick than anything else, as it essentially functions as a shortcut for Google’s pre-existing tap-to-search function. Still, it correctly identified the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker in the image below.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Call Assistant is handy, too, acting as a sort of virtual secretary. There’s a ton of features here, from cleaned-up audio during calls to call screening that can even ask simple questions for you. Call Assistant can also wait on hold for you with toll-free numbers. This is one of the features that Google seems to update every few months—it’s a fan favorite, and the Pixel 8a gets full access to it.
Unfortunately, that’s about everything nice I have to say about Pixel AI. The other headlining features on the 8a involve generative text and imagery, and really come across more as toys than anything else.
This is most prevalent in Magic Eraser and Magic Editor, two features that Google loves to spotlight but still aren’t quite there. These work by intelligently cutting subjects out of frame, or even moving them around. Selections are nice and precise—it was easy to select just my cat or just a car while editing. But the results are, as on past Pixel phones, prone to smudges and blurs.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Best Take fares a little better, but its use cases are highly situational. Essentially, Best Take allows groups of people to take several shots of themselves in quick succession, then mix and match them to make a “best” version of their group photo. Sometimes, the cut-and-pasting works out. Sometimes, heads are the wrong size or mouths end up with beards in them. In any case, good luck getting a group of people to gather around your Pixel to troubleshoot a selfie for more than a few minutes.
Video Boost and Night Sight Video are genuinely useful, but so weirdly restrictive that it’s worth mentioning. Both of these features are exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro and use cloud processing to amp up details and lighting in videos. Because of that cloud processing, there’s no technical basis for Google making these features exclusive to its most expensive phone—they really should be on the 8 and 8a.
Finally, there’s Gemini, which feels like installing a virus on your phone. While Gemini Nano is promised to come via a future update, the 8a currently runs Gemini via the cloud—a much worse proposition. Do this at your own risk, as turning Gemini on replaces the Google Assistant, which is far more handy in many respects.
When enabled, holding the power button or saying “Hey Google” will open up a question box for Google Gemini, but there’s not much point to using this shortcut over the Gemini web app. You’ll need internet access for Gemini anyway, and there’s no extra tools provided by the shortcut that the web app doesn’t have yet.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Meanwhile, you’ll lose access to Google Assistant, which can do handy things like enable Interpreter Mode (the easiest way to launch Live Translate) or run smart home routines. Yes, enabling Google’s fancy new AI actually makes your phone less useful.
If you find yourself stuck with Gemini, go to Settings > Digital Assistants From Google and select Google Assistant to turn it off.
It’s clear that Google still has a ways to go when implementing generative AI on its phones, but that could change come Google I/O on May 14.
The Pixel 8a is a solid performer
Despite the Pixel marketing relying so much on “feature drops,” its Tensor G3 chip means the 8a is a solid performer for more traditional tasks, too.
In the synthetic benchmark Geekbench 6, which simulates common tasks like editing photos, compressing files, or manipulating spreadsheets, the Pixel 8a scored a respectable 1,652 on single-core tasks and 4,233 on multi-core tasks. By comparison, the Pixel 8 Pro scored 1,766/4,537 (likely due to its extra four extra GB of RAM), and the iPhone 15 Pro scored 2,938/7,250. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a base iPhone 15 to compare against, although public scores put it around 2,557/6,381.
That might sound bad, but the iPhone 15 is $300 more than the Pixel 8a, and synthetic scores are never quite a complete picture.
In a more hands-on gaming test, the Pixel 8a could run Genshin Impact on maximum settings at around 45–50 frames-per-second (fps) depending on how much action was happening on screen. The caveat was this triggered the game’s “overclocked” setting, which warns of excessive heat and battery drain. Sure enough, about a half hour into my session, the phone was a bit too warm to comfortably handle.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
The highest performance I could get without overclocking was on the medium settings with a 30 fps cap. Here, the game ran at a smooth 30 throughout, which is functional.
Unfortunately for Google, the Pixel 8 Pro also had the same limitations. You’re probably better off going for another brand if you’re looking for the best gaming phone.
The Pixel 8a screen is smooth
What’s weird is that no Pixel 8 model gives you the option to play Genshin Impact above 60 fps, despite all being able to hit a 120Hz refresh rate.
Granted, the feature is hidden—go to Settings > Display > Smooth Display to turn it on (the phone will remind you that this will impact battery life). But even with it turned on, performance was apparently low enough that the game didn’t recognize it, which wasn’t an issue on my iPhone 15 Pro.
That’s a shame, because the screen holds up well in all other respects. The 8a carries over Google’s “Actua” technology, which essentially means an OLED with a high peak brightness. It’s not as bright as the “Super Actua” display on the 8 Pro, but its 2,000 nits of peak brightness are on par with the iPhone 15 (although the 8a does offer 200 fewer max nits on HDR content).
I was comfortable using the phone outdoors at less than 60% brightness most of the time, and below 50% brightness indoors. That’s a boon for battery life.
Pixel 8a Battery Life
Speaking of battery life, the Pixel 8a is long lived in both daily use and intensive tasks like gaming. During anecdotal use browsing the internet, taking photos, and messaging with friends, I rarely saw it dip below 70%. In more serious tasks, I walked away stunned by what it could do.
Leaving the phone (mostly) idling in Genshin Impact on the recommended Medium/30 fps settings, I got seven and a half hours of play before it finally died. While I wasn’t continually controlling my character, I was situated in an area that constantly shone with multiple different kinds of particle effects.
Battery life extended to a whopping 17 hours and 24 minutes when streaming a 24-hour Fortnite gameplay video at 480p.
Both tests were conducted at 50% brightness with adaptive brightness off, and neither test showed any abnormalities during occasional check-ins.
Like with the Pixel 8, Google promises “up to 72-hour battery life with Extreme Battery Saver,” but even with moderate regular use, you’ll likely only need to charge the 8a overnight, so you can leave your pocket charger at home.
Testing the Pixel 8a Camera
The Pixel 8a’s camera is a strange beast, in that it’s not definitively worse or better than the regular Pixel 8 camera setup.
That’s because it uses the same sensors as the Pixel 7a, which are actually better than the Pixel 8’s on paper.
The Pixel 8a boasts a 64MP wide camera and 13MP ultrawide camera on the rear, plus a 13MP pinhole selfie camera on the front, while the regular Pixel 8 has a 50/12MP rear camera setup and a 10.5MP front camera.
However, the standard Pixel 8 has larger pixels, wider apertures, and better light sensing, which can result in deeper colors.
I unfortunately didn’t have a standard Pixel 8 in hand for this review, although our sister site PCMag referred to the Pixel 8’s cameras as “terrific,” while only calling the 7a’s camera’s “above-average.”
With my limited experience shooting with the Pixel 8a at night, during the day, up close, and far away, it’s an opinion I would mirror. These are good cameras, but this certainly isn’t a camera phone.
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt
Video is capable of shooting at a maximum of 4K/60 fps, which is more than enough for the average person, and even includes “Speech Enhancement,” which works sort of like a live Audio Magic Eraser. The catch is that Speech Enhancement only works on 30 fps videos. But because Audio Magic Eraser works on any videos you capture, it’s not a major loss.
Should you buy the Pixel 8a?
In most respects, the Pixel 8a is essentially identical to the Pixel 8. And that’s where its biggest problem pops up.
There’s no doubt about it: When buying at sticker price, the Pixel 8a is the most value you can get in an Android phone right now, and probably the best choice for most people. But at $500, it’s also just close enough to the regular Pixel 8’s price to be a bit of an awkward middle child.
That’s because the Pixel 8 has seen frequent sales as of late. In December, the 256GB Pixel 8 hit $531 at Best Buy. In March, it fell down to $499 through Best Buy, Amazon, and Google, and even $469 on Woot.
If you’re buying at the standard $699 starting price, the Pixel 8 probably isn’t worth it anymore, but deals like those are only likely to become more common as it ages. And while the differences between the Pixel 8 and the 8a are minor, it does offer an overall more polished experience, one worth spending $30 to $50 more on.
If you need the best mid-range Android phone right now? The Google Pixel 8a is a great choice, especially if you snag a bundle deal. But if you can wait a bit? Keep an eye out for its older, sleeker sibling.
