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Intro
While it's technically the latest, the Pixel 7a surely wouldn't be the only Pixel phone released in 2023. Actually, the Pixel 8 series is now official, making the final chapter of 2023 an exciting one for Google in the best way possible. The Pixel 8 is certainly a proper flagship, with a new and improved chipset, better camera and tons of AI software features, brighter new display, and so much more.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 7a is supposed to be Google's affordable phone for 2023, but its illogical pricing isn't making a strong case for it. Given the mere $100 difference in price with the Pixel 7 flagship, it's difficult to justify why anyone would get that one instead of the mostly similar but somewhat more premium Pixel 7. But we digress.
There are actually rumors that the Pixel 7a could be the last member of the affordable Pixel series, and it would make sense for the Pixel 8 to sort of act as its spiritual successor, so it's quite interesting to see how things will transpire for Google's compact phones going forward.
In 2024, the Pixel 9 series got launched, and it definitely improved on all areas that made the Pixel 8 great. It's certainly the one to consider if you're into the latest compact Pixel phones. That said, both the Pixel 7a and Pixel 8 are more than viable alternatives; while they may lack some of the newest bells and whistles, they're still insane value.
Get Google Pixel 8 Pro at Amazon and save $270
Google's 2023 Pixel 8 Pro flagship is available at Amazon. At the moment, the 128GB model in Obsidian is 27% off. That saves you $270 on the high-end camera phone with a Tensor G3 chip.
The Google Pixel 8 is available at Amazon right now. The smartphone sells for 29% off, which equates to $200 in savings. Keep in mind that only the Obsidian-coated Google phone is available at such low prices.
One of the best budget phones is still available for purchase at Amazon. The phone currently sells for 32% off, giving you $160 in savings. Offer valid only on the model in Charcoal. Limited quantities are available.
The Pixel 7a is unapologetically Pixel, with a familiar and friendly design language that's mostly in line with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Gone is the black strip at the back of the phone, one of the signature device elements of the Pixel 6 series. Instead, the Pixel 7a has a so-called 3D Metal Visor in the same color as the side frame of the phone. As you might expect of an 'affordable' Pixel, the back side of the phone is made of plastic, while the frame of the phone is built from recycled aluminum.
The big difference, however, is in the size itself. The Pixel 8 boasts a 6.2-inch display, a smidgen larger than the 6.1-inch one on the Pixel 7a, but at the same time, the Pixel 8 is the more compact and lighter phone, so it surely has a way more efficient design.
The Pixel 8, on the other hand, is a fresher take on the Pixel design, with slightly more curved edges and contours. The 3D Visor at the rear is slightly larger, and the device is available in a slew of fresh new colors.
The Pixel 7a box comes neatly stuffed with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable in the box, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C adapter, the usual booklets, and a SIM ejector tool. No charger in the box of this one; this is the new normal.
The Pixel 8 comes with Google's new Actua display, which can hit up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. That's neat and would surely leave the Pixel 7a in the dust when it comes to overall brightness. The Pixel 8 also allows up to 120Hz of refresh rate, but its display is not an LTPO one like the Pixel 8 Pro, so the user can only manually switch between 60 and 120Hz in the settings.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 7a can only display content in either 60 or 90Hz, with no dynamic switching in-between, so the experience is certainly worse. Aside from that, the Pixel 8 has a much brighter display with noticeably superior outdoors legibility.
In terms of display size and qualities, the Pixel 7a reiterates the Pixel 6a specs for the most part. It comes with a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display with relatively thick bezels, a punch-hole display, and a fingerprint scanner embedded into it. Notable is the bump to 90Hz refresh rate, which makes interface navigation noticeably smoother and more rewarding. The phone supports displaying HDR content.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
The Pixel 7a and the Pixel 8 both come with in-display fingerprint scanners and photo-based face unlocking on board. The fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 7a is fast and snappy, but you have to make good contact with the scanning area. You can also use the faster and more convenient Face Unlock, though it definitely isn't as secure as the fingerprint scanner.
At the same time, the Pixel 8's face unlock is rated as secure as possible, so you can unlock the phone and use the photo face unlock for authenticating fintech apps.
Performance and Software
Will the generational leap from Tensor G2 to G3 be noteworthy?
Although it's perceived as "affordable", the Pixel 7a is actually powered by the flagship-grade Tensor G2 chipset, which is the same one that clicks and ticks inside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. It's fast enough as of today's standards, but it should be stressed once more that Google's line of custom Tensor chips were never about raw performance and high benchmark scores. Instead, it puts artificial intelligence as well as machine-learning at the forefront.
In my personal experience, performance on the Pixel 7a is more than decent. You will have to adjust your expectations accordingly, though, so don't expect any record-breaking fps numbers in 3D games.
With my regular usage, the Pixel 7a is perfectly capable of handling everything I throw at it with ease. The smoother display definitely leaves the impression that the phone is much faster, which definitely helps with its perceived performance. There's just 128GB of storage available on board, so you will most likely have to rely on a cloud-based storage solution at some point.
The Pixel 8, on the other hand, comes with the 64 bit-only nona-core Tensor G3 chipset, as well as a faster GPU and a new TPU unit for AI and ML computations. The Pixel 8 comes with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of native UFS 3.1 storage.
In terms of software support, the Pixel 7a comes with Android 13 and will get three major software updates as well as five years of security support. This means that you should expect Android 14, Android 15, and Android 16 to grace the latest Pixel phone, and it will receive security patches until 2028. In fact, Android 15 with many new features has recently arrived.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 will receive the humbling seven years of software updates and major Android versions up to 2030, which is great news!
Camera
The Pixel 7a gets new cameras, can we expect the same for the Pixel 8?
The Pixel 7a comes with a 64MP wide-angle camera utilizing the imaging prowess of a brand-new camera sensor for the Pixel lineup - the Sony IMX787. At 64MP, it sounds like a very decent bump in resolution, but don't expect the Pixel 7a to output 64MP photos.
Google uses quad-binning to combine four pixels into one, outputting 16MP photos. Said four pixels can let in way more light than a single one, thus improving the low-light capabilities of the phone.
The ultrawide-angle camera is also a new one. The Pixel 7a comes with the 13MP Sony IMX712 sensor, whereas most previous Pixel phones relied on the 12MP Sony IMX386 previously.
At the same time, the Pixel 8 comes with a 50MP main camera with improved light sensitivity thanks to the wide f/1.68 aperture on deck. The ultra-wide, however, remains a 12MP one. The selfie camera is a 10.5MP one, but unlike the Pixel 8 Pro, we don't get autofocus.
In broad daylight, there's hardly any difference between the camera samples taken between the two phones, or if there's any, it's not something worth noting. Great dynamics and details, as well as that signature Pixel style with enhanced contrast and colors, is what you get with either. Interestingly, the Pixel 7a stands its ground to the Pixel 8.
The low-light performance of the two phones is quite comparable, with the only difference being an ever-so-slightly better dynamics on the Pixel 8. Still, nothing too drastic at all.
When it comes to portraits, the Pixel 8 disappoints. The background blur is too severe and looks too improper, while the Pixel 7a has that more natural look that appears more pleasing to the eye.
With a 4,385mAh battery on board, the Pixel 7a strikes a very decent balance between battery capacity and overall size: it's quite compact but lasts a punch!
As far as Pixels go, that's a fairly decent battery that can potentially last you more than a single day. And if you're not shy about enabling the Extreme Battery Saver mode here and there, the phone might even last you longer.
When it comes to the Pixel 8, there's a 4,485mAh battery on the inside, but Google doesn't expect drastically better battery life in comparison with the Pixel 7. Around 30 hours and up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode is what we expect to get out of the new Pixel.
The Pixel 7a doesn't come with a charger in the box, and the Pixel will likely not feature the essential wall adapter either. The Pixel 7a supports up to 18W wired charging and debuting on an affordable Pixel 7.5W wireless charging.
That's quite slow compared to most flagships supporting up to 15W, but even having wireless charging on the Pixel 7a is a win. The Pixel 8, on the other hand, gets 30W wired charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
In our test, the Pixel 8 charges much faster than the Pixel 7a, which is normal to expect. Still, the difference is stomachable.
Although slightly pricier than its predecessor, the Pixel 7a is a very decent offering, pairing almost flagship specs at a mid-range price. Surely, for $100 more you can get a Pixel 7, but don't be so quick to shoot down the Pixel 7a just yet. It's a sensible phone that focuses on the basics and will easily last you a lot if you give it the chance.
The Pixel 8 seems like excellent value, though if you've already invested in the Pixel 7a, then you probably shouldn't be considering the Pixel 8. Yet, if you're coming from a much older Pixel phone, the getting a Pixel 8 would make a ton of sense: it will be supported for a long, long time.
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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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