Google Pixel 8a review: Pixel power for less

Google introduced its first A Series phone in 2020, giving the option for a more affordable model, the Pixel 4a. Each subsequent year, Google has launched its new Pixel flagship phone and then followed up about 6 months later with a new A Series model. In 2024, that sees the launch of the Pixel 8a, a more affordable alternative to the Pixel 8 flagship.

Offering the device at a mid-range price, Google’s form is rather like Apple’s approach to the iPhone SE. It makes some compromises on hardware, but keeps essential elements like core power. Unlike Apple, however, Google gives the A Series a fresh design, so it’s a phone that, arguably, has fewer compromises.

I’ve been living with the Pixel 8a to gauge how it stacks up alongside the Pixel 8 and whether this is a mid-priced phone worth buying.

---

The Disconnekt Downlow

The Google Pixel 8a has a lot going for it. There’s flagship power, there’s long software support and you’ll always be at the front of the upgrade queue. It’s bloat-free, giving you the Android experience that Google wanted. It brings most of Google’s flagship AI features with it, while offering a camera that in day-to-day use is excellent – which doesn’t always happen that this price point.

The battery life is good, but the charging could be faster. The display is good, but the bezels are a little wide, while the phone feels a little hollow, compromises to bring it down to this price. The cameras don’t match the range offered on the full-fledged Pixel 8 devices, but the experience does. This is a great mid-price phone – exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Pixel A-Series.

Buy from £499 on Amazon

---

The reasons you should choose the Google Pixel 8a

Google tends to wear its heart on its sleeve when it comes to hardware and the reason that the Pixel 8a is attractive is laid out from the start. It has the same core power as the flagship phone, but it’s nearly half the price. It offers many of the same camera features – including Magic Editor – but it’s much more affordable. It offers 7 years of OS and security updates for a Pixel experience that’s little different to those bigger phones. You’d be foolish not to look at the Pixel 8a and see that it offers a better mid-price proposition than many of the other phones in this segment.

The design is, visually, pretty much the same as existing Pixel 8 devices, the camera bar stretching across the back, neatly presenting the two lenses on the rear. There’s a nice feeling to the curvy back and the IP67 rating means that this is a phone that won’t complain if it gets wet. It’s a compact device, the 6.1-inch display meaning it’s more pocketable than the Pixel 8 Pro flagship, though it’s interesting that the Pixel 8a is slightly larger overall than the Pixel 8, which has a larger display. More on that later.

But it’s the power that you’re really getting here. Google’s Tensor G3 hardware that sits in the Pixel 8a also powers the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel Tablet. It’s not the most powerful hardware around – most phone fans would pick Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 any day of the week – but that hasn’t stopped me returning to the Pixel 8 Pro as my main device for the last 6 months. That the Pixel 8a has the same power, rather than stepping down, is one of the big pros.

It means you get pretty much the same performance you do from those flagship phones; it doesn’t struggle with games, it’s adept a multi-tasking. There’s flagship performance, which is great in a phone that’s less than £500. This is supported by a 4,492mAh battery, which is good for the day, although many mid-price devices have relatively large batteries and lower power consumption – so you might find other devices last a little longer.

And the software experience shines. I’ve mentioned the long software support that you’ll get, but Pixel phones also benefit from being the first to get updated to new Android versions, as well as offering features that are often exclusive to Pixel. It’s also mercifully free of bloatware, which can’t be said for its rivals.

There are, then, plenty of reasons to pick the Pixel 8a. If you can’t justify the expense of the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro, you’ll get much the same experience here and in many cases, it’s little different to that flagship experience of the other Pixel devices. But there are some compromises you need to know about.

What the Pixel 8a could do better

Let’s return to what I said about the size of this phone. It has a smaller display than the Pixel 8, but the body is larger. How has that happened? The bezels are wider. That’s also the first thing you notice when you lift the Pixel 8a out of the box and turn it on. Wide bezels aren’t uncommon on more affordable devices – it was the same on the Pixel 7a – but this is one area where there’s been a compromise.

The Pixel 8a otherwise has a comprehensive range of specs for the display, although it’s only Gorilla Glass 3, compared to Gorilla Glass Victus on the Pixel 8. That will mean it could scratch more easily. But the thing I noticed the most coming from the Pixel 8 Pro, was the lower brightness of the Pixel 8a.

The Pixel 8 Pro is one of the brightest phones around (at the time of writing) with 2,400 nits peak, but the Pixel 8a stops at 2,000 and I notice that the display doesn’t quite have the same visual impact and I’m constantly bumping the brightness up. To put this into context, the Pixel 8 is also 2,000 nits, and if you’re coming from an older Pixel device, it will probably be brighter than your old phone, but there’s some restraint in auto-brightness here, that could be better.

Google hasn’t really joined in with the fast charging game either. Sure, it will charge at 18W, but compared to a phone like the Nothing Phone 2a‘s 45W charging, the Pixel 8a is some way behind the pack. I also think this phone feels a little hollow: tap the back and this isn’t the same quality as you get from the Pixel 8 Pro, even if it does look great.

But Google had to make some changes when presenting this phone as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 8. If it didn’t, there would be no place for the Pixel 8. On balance, the negatives that the Pixel 8a comes with are acceptable at this price – especially when you look at the camera in more detail.

Let’s talk about the Google Pixel 8a camera performance

The Pixel 8a camera is essentially the same hardware as the Pixel 7a. In Google’s world, that doesn’t mean a huge amount, because Google has pushed the benefits of computational photography right from the launch of the Pixel family. The Pixel 8a has a 64-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera. There’s no dedicated zoom, so compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, this is where it’s noticeably different in performance. While Google’s Super Res Zoom works hard to clean up digital zoom, it just can’t compete with a dedicated lens. The Pixel 8 Pro will give you sharp zoomed images that the Pixel 8a can’t match.

In good light, there’s very little difference between the results you’ll get from the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 8a. Plenty of detail, a nice natural saturation, good edge detection and bokeh on portrait images.

In low light there’s a little more difference: the Pixel 8a has a smaller aperture and smaller sensor, so needs to use a slightly longer exposure and higher ISO to get the same image as the Pixel 8 Pro. It has the same benefits of Night Sight to clean things up, but the Pixel 8 Pro is better in low light shooting.

Google’s AI offering isn’t as exclusive as it once was. From 15 May, all Google Photos users will be able to access features like Magic Editor through the app – including iPhone users. However the Pixel is the native environment for this AI magic and I’m sure that any enhancements in computational photography that Google develops will land on the Pixel first. You also get unlimited use on the Pixel, whereas other Google Photos users will be limited, unless they subscribe.

Should you buy the Pixel 8a?

If you want to be front of the queue for updates, you want power in a mid-price handset, you want a class-leading camera and you want the reassurance of 7 years of updates, then the Pixel 8a could be the phone for you. The experience of using this phone is great and at this price point, likely to be one of the best mid-range phones of 2024.

But there are compromises. Rivals offer larger batteries and faster charging. It’s also not a huge display for the money. The build could be more solid around the back and those bezels could be narrower. But if you can live with that, then the Pixel 8a is a solid choice.

FAQs