Bright and fast display
The design of the Pixel 8a remains largely unchanged. Overall, it's a bit rounder around the edges, but the prominent camera bar on the back remains. When it comes to colors, you can choose between Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white), Aloe (green) and Bay (blue).
Significantly more has happened with the display. The smartphone is now equipped with a 6,1-inch Actua OLED display that delivers an impressive 2.000 nits at peak brightness and still shines at a strong 1.400 nits during continuous use. This makes it 40 percent brighter than the display of the Pixel 7a and achieves the same brightness values as the more expensive Pixel 8.
Google has also tweaked the refresh rate and increased it to 120 Hz - a significant jump from the 90 Hz of its previous models.
More performance with Tensor G3
The Pixel 8a is powered by the Tensor G3 processor, which is also used in Google's current flagship models. Together with 8 GB of RAM, the processor ensures that the Pixel 8a can easily handle demanding apps and multitasking tasks.
One criticism of the Pixel 7a was the limited storage space of 128 GB. Google has also received this and for the first time an A-series model is offering a 256 GB storage version alongside the standard 128 GB version. It was about time, because you're still looking in vain for a storage expansion option.
Tried and tested camera with new software functions
The camera configuration remains unchanged from last year's model with the 64-megapixel main camera and the 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. What is new, however, are the improved software functions that were adopted from the more expensive Pixel models. Features like Magic Editor, Best Take and Magic Eraser are now an integral part of the camera package.
Google's decision to extend the seven-year update promise, which was previously only reserved for the flagship models, to the future A models is very welcome. The Pixel 8a would be the first A model to benefit from the extended update promise. Older devices like the Pixel 6a or 7a are limited to five years of updates.
Bigger battery
Google has added a few milliamp hours to the battery, which means that the Pixel 8a's battery now has 4.492 mAh. In comparison, the Pixel 7a had a slightly smaller 4.385 mAh battery. Even if the difference is not too big, in combination with the efficient energy management of Android 14, a longer runtime should be possible. Google itself promises a runtime of more than 24 hours.
The smartphone can be charged either wirelessly, with up to 7,5 watts, or wired with up to 18 watts. A wired charging process should take around 2 hours, which means that the Pixel 8a is guaranteed not to break any speed records.
Specifications
| Display | Size | 6,1" Actua display (155 mm) |
| aspect ratio | 20:9 | |
| Resolution and technology | 1080 x 2400 with OLED at 430 ppi, Smooth Display (up to 120 Hz) | |
| Glass | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | |
| Features | Always-on display with live display, now playing, HDR, 1.400 to 2.000 cd/m2 peak brightness | |
| contrast ratio | > 1.000.000:1 | |
| color depth | Full 24-bit color depth for 16 million colors | |
| measures and weight | Size | 152,1x72,7x8,9mm |
| Weight | 188 g | |
| battery and charging | Battery life | More than 24 hours, up to 72 hours in extreme power saving mode |
| capacity | Typical: 4.492 mAh, Minimum: 4.404 mAh | |
| Features | Fast charging function, wireless charging (Qi certified) | |
| RAM and internal storage | RAM | 5GB LPDDR8x RAM |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 storage | |
| Processors and security | processors | Google Tensor G3, Titan M2 security chip |
| Safety | Google One VPN, End-to-End Security, Tensor Security Core, Titan M2 Security Chip, Trusty | |
| Updates | 7 years of operating system and security updates and feature drops | |
| camera | reverse camera | 64 MP wide-angle camera, 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, various functions such as HDR, night vision |
| Front camera | 13 MP, fixed focus, field of view: 96,5° ultra wide angle | |
| Rear camera video | 4K video recording at 30/60 fps, 1080p at 30/60 fps | |
| Front camera video | 4K video recording at 30fps, 1080p at 30fps, slow motion video up to 240fps | |
| Connectivity and location | Technologies | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth® version 5.3, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou |
| mesh | 5G Sub 6GHz, LTE and other bands | |
| Colors and scope of delivery | Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, Aloe (limited), USB-C® to USB-C cable, quick switch adapter, SIM tool |
Prices and availability
The Pixel 8a is now available via the Google Store can be pre-ordered. Prices start at 549 euros for the 128 GB storage option or 609 euros for the variant with 256 GB storage. The smartphone will be available in stores from May 14th. By the way, the Google I/O (developer conference) also takes place on that day.
Source: Google
