After a ton of leaks, the Google Pixel 8a is finally official. This is the company’s budget Pixel phone for 2024 and the successor to the Google Pixel 7a. The Pixel 7a was launched in the US for $499, and the Pixel 8a comes with the same price tag. That is, however, not the case for the Indian market, where the 8a starts at ₹52,999, compared to ₹43,999 last year. The upgrades include the design, performance, display, battery, and camera features.
Design-wise, the Google Pixel 8a has more rounded corners than the Pixel 7a. The back is still plastic, and there is a matte aluminum frame. On the front, the phone uses Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. There is a USB Type-C 3.2 port on the bottom, stereo speakers, and an under-display fingerprint scanner. The phone is IP67-certified and supports wireless charging.
The display size is the same, as is the resolution. The upgrade is in the refresh rate. It is a 6.1-inch Full-HD+ Actua display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The display is brighter, with HDR brightness of up to 1,400 nits and peak brightness of up to 2000 nits. While this is a welcome upgrade, the Pixel 8a features pretty thick bezels around the display.
Under the hood, there is the Tensor G3 chipset, the same SOC that powered the Google Pixel 8 series. As per reports, the Pixel 8a is using a downgraded version of the Tensor G3, so it is not as powerful as the one in the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. This was also the case with the Tensor G2 inside the Pixel 7a. The phone has LPDDR5X RAM with 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. There is the Titan M2 security chip.
The battery is 4,492mAh, up from 4,385mAh last year. The wired charging is still capped at 18W.
The camera setup is identical to the Google Pixel 7a. There are two rear cameras – a 1/1.73″ 64MP primary sensor with OIS and a 13MP ultrawide. The selfie camera has a 13MP sensor with a fixed focus. Like the Google Pixel 8 series, the Pixel 8a comes with some AI features built-in, such as Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Photo Unblur, Best Take, and more.
Finally, Android 14 runs out of the box, and the phone will get Android updates for the next seven years!
The color options are Obsidian, Bay, Porcelain, and Aloe. Google Pixel 8a comes in two storage options, and here is the pricing for various markets –
- 8GB + 128GB – $499 / £499 / ₹52,999
- 8GB + 256GB – $559 / £559 / ₹59,999