The Google Pixel 8 was officially announced in late 2023 bringing quite a few improvements with it at the time, though it’s since been succeeded by the new Pixel 9 series. The Pixel 8 can often be found at a sharply discounted price these days, but it’s also pretty similar in specs to the Pixel 8a. Which of these devices should you actually buy? Good question. Let’s dive in and take a brief look at the Pixel 8 vs Pixel 8a.

Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 8: Specs

	Google Pixel 8a	Google Pixel 8
Display	6.1-inch OLED 120Hz refresh rate 2400 x 1080 resolution 20:9 aspect ratio	6.2-inch OLED 120Hz refresh rate 2400 x 1080 resolution 20:9 aspect ratio
Processor	Google Tensor G3	Google Tensor G3
RAM	8GB	8GB
Storage	128/256GB	128/256GB
Battery	4,492mAh 18W wired charging 7.5W wireless charging No charger included	4,575mAh 27W wired charging 18W wireless charging (with 2nd-generation Pixel stand) 12W wireless charging (with other Qi-enabled chargers) No charger included
Cameras	Rear: 64MP wide camera ƒ/1.89 aperture OIS + EIS 13MP ultra-wide camera, 120deg FoV ƒ/2.2 aperture Front: 13MP ƒ/2.2 aperture	Rear: 50MP wide camera ƒ/1.7 aperture OIS + EIS 12MP ultra-wide camera, 125deg FoV ƒ/2.2 aperture Front: 10.5MP ƒ/2.2 aperture
Connectivity	5G 4G LTE Wi-Fi 6e Bluetooth 5.3 NFC	5G 4G LTE Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.3 NFC
Operating System	Pixel UI Android 14	Pixel UI Android 14
Water resistance	IP67	IP68
Colors	Aloe, Bay, Obsidian, Porcelain	Hazel, Rose, Obsidian, Mint
Dimension and weight	152.4 x 73.7 x 10.1mm 192.8 grams	150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm 187 grams

In many ways, the Google Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 are so similar that they’re easy to compare. They share nearly identical displays, dimensions, software experiences, and update commitments, many of which we’ll get to in a minute. That said, the similarities also make it far more difficult to find daylight between the two when deciding which one is right for you.

In some ways, however, the similarities pay off for fans of the more affordable Pixel A series. Both phones pack the same Tensor G3 chipset, Titan M2 security core, and identical options for both RAM and storage. As a result, they produced almost identical results in our performance benchmarks and day-to-day usage.

As you can see in the graphs, the more affordable Pixel 8a delivers results nearly identical to those of the Pixel 8 and, in our graphically intensive stress testing, actually maintains its performance better than the flagship. While benchmarking numbers don’t usually mean too much in an average day of mixed usage, they’re often a good indicator of how well a phone will keep up, and the Pixel 8a has no problem cruising through a day of web browsing, social media scrolling, and light gaming just as well as its premium counterpart.

On top of that, the Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 ship with Android 14 out of the box and one of the best update commitments in the industry. Google decided to keep pace with Apple’s lofty promise when it added seven years of Android updates, feature drops, and security patches to the Pixel 8 series in late 2023, and now the Pixel 8a gets the same benefit. That not only puts it on par with the flagships but ahead of its similarly priced rivals.

All of these shared features also mean that both the Google Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 support the same set of AI-powered features and lean heavily on Gemini as Google transitions to its powerful new assistant (with Google also confirming Gemini Nano on-device support that will land in a future Feature Drop). You can tap into helpful extras like Circle to Search, generative wallpapers, Live Translate, and several calling features like Hold for Me, Call Screen, and Smart Replies. Both phones have plenty of photo editing options, too, which we’ll come back to down below.

Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 8: Design, size comparison, and colors

I don’t blame you if you feel like you’re seeing double looking at the picture above. Google’s Pixel design is pretty well nailed down at this point, with flat displays and camera bars across the board, but the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a are about as close to twins as you can get.

The two devices are nearly the same height, width, and thickness despite the Pixel 8 offering an extra tenth of an inch of display real estate, sitting at 6.2 inches to the Pixel 8a’s 6.1 inches. Yet, despite its slightly smaller display, the Pixel 8a offers almost the same specs as its more polished counterpart. There’s only a weight difference of a few grams between them, something I hardly noticed while carrying both around for a few days. Both phones have 60 to 120Hz Actua Displays with 14 hundred nits of HDR and 2,000 nits of peak brightness, and they feel just about identical if you’re swiping up and down or mindlessly scrolling social media. Just note that the Pixel 8a comes locked at 120Hz by default, so you’ll have to opt in for the variable refresh rate. On top of that, the OLED panels have the same 1,080 by 2,400 resolution, meaning that the more affordable Pixel is just a hair more pixel-dense.

Honestly, I’ve found that the best way to tell the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a apart is the latter’s much rounder corners, making it feel a bit smaller in the hand — something that I thoroughly appreciate as a person with smaller hands. Google’s premium Pixel 8 sports glossy Gorilla Glass Victus on the back, too, while the Pixel 8a has a matte composite (it’s plastic, call it plastic) back that looks a bit more like the Pixel 8 Pro. Personally, I prefer the feeling of the 8a when I reach into my pocket, mostly because I know I won’t pull out a phone that’s covered in smudges. The flagship Pixel 8 is the slightly more durable of the two, using Gorilla Glass Victus on both the front and back and carrying an IP68 rating against water and dust to the Pixel 8a’s IP67.

 

Both Pixels also share matching in-display fingerprint readers and matching buttons and ports scattered around their aluminum frames. To my eye, both fingerprint readers seem to register at the same speed, so it’s nice to see Google keep one standard fingerprint reader instead of going cheaper for the mid-range. Also, you’ll find the power and volume controls on the right edge with a lone SIM tray holding down the left. The USB-C port is also flanked by a pair of stereo speakers.

Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 8: Camera

Although the camera bars on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a may look the same, they have a few differences across their dual-camera setups. The Pixel 8a’s budget camera setup offers more megapixels to play with, pairing a 64MP primary camera and a 13MP ultrawide sensor. Don’t be fooled by the bigger numbers, though, as the individual pixels are slightly smaller on both sensors, meaning that the cameras aren’t quite as well equipped for lower-light scenarios. The Pixel 8a’s ultrawide sensor also has a slightly narrower 120-degree field of view and misses out on Macro Vision — a software feature that both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro support.

Moving over to the more premium Pixel, it pairs its 50MP primary camera with a 12MP ultrawide sensor, both of which are larger than the options on the Pixel 8a. On top of having slightly larger individual megapixels, the Pixel 8’s primary camera is capable of a 2x in-sensor crop, giving you a little bit more optical zoom range before switching to digital zoom.

Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a have dual rear cameras, but the flagship packs a bit more punch.

The Pixel 8a has a slightly sharper selfie camera, too, with 13MP to the Pixel 8’s 10.5MP, though the results are pretty similar from both sensors based on our tests.

As you can see in the samples below, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a are just about neck and neck in some of the most common shooting scenarios. They’re well matched in color and details, and even the ultrawide shots are almost identical despite the slightly different fields of view.

Google Pixel 8a Google Pixel 8

There are a few slight differences when it comes to capturing selfies, though. Despite both phones defaulting to 1x zoom when you flip the camera around, not all definitions of 1x zoom are created equal. The Pixel 8a offers a much wider frame than the Pixel 8, making it much easier to fit additional people and background details into your selfie. Both shots look good as far as colors go, but it’s somewhat surprising to see such a difference between the default zoom lengths.

Google’s Pixel 8 also handles its longer zoom lengths much better than the Pixel 8a. Its larger sensor seems to maintain both color and detail better than the smaller sensor on the mid-range phone. The difference is most noticeable on finer lines like the name of the ship below and the details in the wood planks of the dock.

As far as camera features go, Macro Vision is the only major omission from the Pixel 8a — everything else is almost exactly the same. Neither device offers Google’s new Pro controls, but both can tap into Night Sight, Top Shot, Portrait Mode, Cinematic Pan, and punch in with Super Res Zoom up to 8x.

Both phones also offer similar video features, with up to 4K recording from the front and rear sensors. However, the Pixel 8 packs a few more options regarding the frame rate, with 24fps available on both front and back and 60fps on the selfie camera. Google’s Pixel 8a, on the other hand, is limited to 30fps from the selfie camera at both 4K and 1080p.

Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 8: Battery life and charging

Given their similar overall size and specs, it’s no surprise to see the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a toting nearly identical batteries. The Pixel 8 has the slightly larger cell of the two — 4,575mAh to the Pixel 8a’s 4,492mAh — but our battery testing showed that the mid-ranger stretched its juice further in most cases. In fact, it put up better numbers while on a Zoom call, snapping photos, recording 4K video, and even significantly better 4K playback performance. Outside of the lab, both phones can easily power through a full day of usage. I got into a habit of using adaptive charging overnight and regularly found myself hitting the end of the day with at least 20% remaining.

However, one area where there’s a little bit of daylight between the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a is in their charging setups. The Pixel 8 is much quicker, supporting up to 27W wired charging with a compatible USB PD PPS charger, while the Pixel 8a tops out at 18W. There’s a big difference in wireless charging capabilities, too, with the more expensive device capable of up to 18W with the second-generation Pixel Stand and 12W with other Qi-enabled pads while the mid-ranger is limited to 7.5W, no matter the charger.

While the difference in charging speed from 18W to 27W may not sound too vast, our controlled testing showed that the Pixel 8a took about 20 more minutes to reach a full battery than its Pixel 8 counterpart, so it might pay to spend just a little bit more if you need to get back up and running in a hurry.

Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 8: Price and availability

If you’re close to making your decision between buying the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, I guess you should know how much each phone will cost you. Well, for starters, both phones are widely available in the US, both unlocked and on deals through major carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.

If you’re leaning toward the Pixel 8a, it starts at $499 with 128GB of storage — the same price as the previous Pixel 7a. It’s also available in four colors: Bay, Aloe, Obsidian, and Porcelain. Should you decide you need 256GB of storage right off the bat, it’ll set you back $559, and you’re limited to the Obsidian finish.

On the other hand, if you’re leaning toward the flagship Pixel 8, it kicks off at $699 with the same 128GB of storage. It launched in three colors, Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose, but Google has since added a fourth Mint color that’s a little softer than the Pixel 8a’s Aloe option. You can upgrade to 256GB of storage for the same $60 fee, bumping your price to $759.

Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 8: Which should you buy?

Now that we’ve gone through every last piece of the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8a, it’s about time to decide which one is right for you. Unlike a lot of comparisons where we end up saying that the right one comes down to your personal preference, there’s a pretty clear winner here — but it comes with a caveat.

The easy answer when choosing between the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a is to tell you to buy the flagship Pixel 8 — one of the best Android phones around — but only to do so when you can find it on sale. These two phones share so much in common, from the chipset to the camera quality to 90% of their respective designs, that Google is relying on the difference in price to sway people one way or another.

At MSRP, it's a tricky call, but recent sales for the Pixel 8 make the Pixel 8a a tough sell.

When compared at full price, the Pixel 8a seems like a great deal, given how many flagship specs it boasts, but as soon as you factor in discounts, the $200 gap suddenly feels much smaller, and the Pixel 8’s more premium aspects like faster charging and better materials feel that much more attainable.

Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 8: FAQ

The Google Pixel 8a is already one of the best affordable smartphones around, offering great value at a great $499 price point. Deals come often in the tech world, though, and Google’s budget offering is getting a really nice $100 discount right now, bringing the cost down to just $399.

Get the Google Pixel 8a for just $399

This offer is available from Amazon, and the discount applies to the following color variants: Porcelain and Bay. The Obsidian and Aloe models are excluded, but these are currently going for $449, which is still a pretty good discount.

At $499, the Google Pixel 8a is a fantastic proposition, but at $399, it is a total steal. The device is pretty close to being considered a high-end device. For starters, the performance is pretty amazing, considering it has a Google Tensor G3 processor and 8GB of RAM. It’s also packed with a great camera system, primarily because of Google’s AI smarts in computational photography. We were also fans of the OLED screen, which displays rich colors and deep blacks. Not to mention, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, a very nice treat for such an affordable handset.

We were also quite surprised by the battery life improvements, thanks to the Tensor G3 optimizations and slightly larger battery compared to the Pixel 7a. You can learn all about our Pixel 8a battery tests here. And if you want a phone for the long haul, Google is promising seven years of updates with the Pixel 8a, including both Android upgrades and security patches.

This is actually a record-low price tag for the Google Pixel 8a. We’ve never seen the price go this low in the past, and we’re not sure how long the deal will last. If you’ve made up your mind on buying this phone, go get it as soon as possible. The offer might end soon!

The Google Pixel 8a is already one of the best affordable smartphones around, offering great value at a great $499 price point. Deals come often in the tech world, though, and Google’s budget offering is getting a really nice $100 discount right now, bringing the cost down to just $399.

Get the Google Pixel 8a for just $399

This offer is available from Amazon, and the discount applies to the following color variants: Porcelain and Bay. The Obsidian and Aloe models are excluded, but these are currently going for $449, which is still a pretty good discount.

At $499, the Google Pixel 8a is a fantastic proposition, but at $399, it is a total steal. The device is pretty close to being considered a high-end device. For starters, the performance is pretty amazing, considering it has a Google Tensor G3 processor and 8GB of RAM. It’s also packed with a great camera system, primarily because of Google’s AI smarts in computational photography. We were also fans of the OLED screen, which displays rich colors and deep blacks. Not to mention, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, a very nice treat for such an affordable handset.

We were also quite surprised by the battery life improvements, thanks to the Tensor G3 optimizations and slightly larger battery compared to the Pixel 7a. You can learn all about our Pixel 8a battery tests here. And if you want a phone for the long haul, Google is promising seven years of updates with the Pixel 8a, including both Android upgrades and security patches.

This is actually a record-low price tag for the Google Pixel 8a. We’ve never seen the price go this low in the past, and we’re not sure how long the deal will last. If you’ve made up your mind on buying this phone, go get it as soon as possible. The offer might end soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wntIdo–PwA

Should you buy the Otterbox Commuter for the Pixel 8a?

The Pixel 8a is one of the best cheap Android phones available, borrowing plenty of the best features from its flagship counterparts. An updated processor, the continuous addition of AI smarts, an impressive camera, and a seven-year software commitment make this sub-$500 phone a solid buy. Of course, there have been some compromises along the way, and like any new release, Google’s mid-range offering is not without its issues. We take a look at some common Pixel 8a problems and potential solutions on how to fix them!

Should you buy the Ringke Onyx for the Pixel 8a?

There are a lot of cheap TPU case for the Google Pixel 8a, but the Ringke Onyx stands out from the crowd. It doesn’t have a flashy design or any gimmicks — it’s just a really solid case that ticks all the right boxes.

The case arrives in a simple, eco-friendly package, although I couldn’t find any indication that the case itself uses any recycled materials. Regardless, the flexible TPU material slips very easily onto the Pixel 8a, so it’s ideal if you remove your case often.

I really liked the rough texture on the back of the case, which looks great and adds just a hint of extra grip. The camera bar is completely covered, but it’s still slightly raised so you can still appreciate the key design element of the Pixel 8a.

The sides of the case have a nice microdot pattern that adds even more grip, making the Ringke Onyx very comfortable to hold. The buttons are raised and have a nice click to them, and there are even holes on both bottom corners for a lanyard. I really appreciate this small detail, since most cases have only one set for a strap or none at all.

The lip just barely peeks over the edge of the screen, but there was extra care taken here too. The area in the middle, which is where you will swipe with your thumb for navigation, is lower than the corners, top, and bottom. That made it very easy to use swipe gestures while still keeping the vulnerable Gorilla Glass 3 screen safe.

However, due to its thin design, the Ringke Onyx offers only basic protection. There are air pockets in the corners, but that’s about it. Ringke says it meets military-grade drop protection standards, but if you’re rough on your phones I’d recommend a thicker case.

Small details like the lanyard holes, curved lip, and grippy texture put this case over the top.

The Ringke Onyx is available in three colors for the Pixel 8a: Black, Navy, and Dark Green. The original color of your Pixel 8a barely peeks through the camera bar and charging port, so there’s no need to worry about color matching.

Priced at just $15, the Ringke Onyx for the Pixel 8a is right in the middle of the pack when it comes to thin TPU cases. Still, I think it’s a much better pick than most, even from other reputable brands like Spigen. It’s not the most innovative design, but it really does nail the basics in a way that’s surprisingly difficult to find.

What are the best Ringke Onyx for Pixel 8a alternatives?

The Ringke Onyx is a solid budget case for the Google Pixel 8a, but if you’re looking for something with a more interesting design, check out these alternatives.

• Spigen Rugged Armor ( ): The Rugged Armor is another fairly simple TPU case for the Pixel 8a, with a touch of carbon fiber on the back to add some much-needed character.
• Caseology Parallax ( ): For a more interesting design and drop protection check out the Caseology Parallax. It’s quite a bit thicker, but the hexa-cube pattern on the back looks and feels great.
• Spigen Liquid Air ( ): The Liquid Air is another thin, affordable option from Spigen, this time with a textured back. Like the Ringke Onyx, it’s a simple design that (mostly) nails the basics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX9uBNc7CXE

Should you buy the official Google Pixel 8a case?

When it comes to protecting your Pixel 8a in style, the official Google Pixel 8a Case is a standout option, mostly because it’s the only case that’s Made by Google. Branding aside, there are a few good reasons why you might want to consider it.

First off, the case is available in several vibrant colors that match the Pixel 8a itself — Aloe, Bay, Porcelain, Obsidian, and Coral. The color you pick is also extra important because the camera bar is entirely uncovered. The phone’s natural color will peek through, so make sure you pick two colors that look good together. It’s a small detail, but it adds a nice touch of personality to the otherwise plain case.

The case itself feels great in hand. It’s thin and light, yet it feels sturdy thanks to the rigid polycarbonate shell that covers the back and runs halfway up the edges. This design choice makes it more durable than fully silicone cases, which can sometimes feel flimsy. The minimalistic design, featuring a soft-touch finish and an embossed G logo, gives it a sleek and premium feel.

The silicone exterior is beautifully smooth, with no mold lines or imperfections. It fits the phone like a glove, adding just the right amount of grip to prevent slips while still being easy to slide into a pocket. The precise cutouts for the speakers and mics are exactly what you’d expect from a case designed by Google. Interestingly, there’s a gap above the charging port, a unique feature that sets it apart from other cases.

Google's official Pixel 8a case looks and feels great, but doesn't add much protection.

However, not everything is perfect. The raised ridges around the screen are just barely taller than the display and don’t wrap around the front. I found that they can slip down, potentially exposing the screen. The Pixel 8a has thick bezels, so it would have been trivial to add a little extra material to keep it in place. Considering it has an aging Gorilla Glass 3 screen, I’d strongly recommend using a screen protector with this case.

Despite this minor flaw, the case is still a decent pick. At $30, it’s a bit pricier than other thin silicone cases, but the color options and premium feel make it worth considering. Just be aware that it won’t protect your Pixel 8a from serious drops or damage, especially when it comes to the screen.

What are the best official Google Pixel 8a case alternatives?

If the official Google Pixel 8a case isn’t right for you, here are a few other thin Pixel 8a cases that are worth considering:

• Spigen Thin Fit ( ): The Spigen Thin Fit is just as thin and light, but costs significantly less. However, it only comes in black.
• Mous Super Thin ( ): The Mous Super Thin is a beautiful case that’s even thinner than the official case, but also includes MagSafe magnets in the back. However, it’s quite a bit more expensive.
• Ringke Onyx ( ): While not as thin as the official Google 8a case, the Ringke Onyx is very affordable and nails the basics. Again though, color options are pretty limited.

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Google’s Gemini Nano is an AI model that works on-device to execute AI tasks. It’s the smallest AI model in the Gemini family, but it is very important for all the internet-free, on-device AI capabilities it brings to a smartphone. Google’s Pixel 8 Pro is the only Pixel that can use Gemini Nano for Pixel AI capabilities, but the company caved in after an uproar to bring Gemini Nano to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, too. Just yesterday, we spotted the toggle for enabling on-device generative AI features within the Android AICore app, and now we can confirm that the Android AICore app update is rolling to the Pixel 8 at least.

My colleague Adamya Sharma received the Android AICore app update on her Pixel 8, which includes the toggle. Curiously, the Pixel 8 Pro app was also updated, but there is no toggle in it. We couldn’t locate the Android AICore app for the Pixel 8a, though.

As you can see, the Android AICore app versions for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are different. The Pixel 8 Pro already has Gemini Nano features, and a toggle like this would allow users to disable AI features, which isn’t possible currently. On the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a, this toggle will allow users to enable AI features, as the phones lack them out of the box. The toggle isn’t enabled by default on these two phones.

Google will likely bring Gemini Nano support to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a in a future Feature Drop, so toggling this setting right now on the Pixel 8 doesn’t immediately begin downloading the Gemini Nano module. When the feature is rolled out, users will need to activate Developer Options and then toggle this new “Enabled on-device GenAI features” setting, which is present at Settings > System > Developer options > AICore Settings.

Did you receive the Android AICore app update on your Pixel smartphone? Did the toggle begin downloading Gemini Nano on your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8a? Let us know in the comments below!

Should you buy the Google Pixel 8a?

Google’s mid-range Pixel A series exists in a confusing space. On the one hand, it offers much of the flagship Pixel experience with the same powerful image processing, sleek, colorful design, and smooth Android skin with a long-term update commitment — all good things. However, the Pixel A series exists at a price that, year after year, falls just a bit too close to Google’s base Pixel flagship when you account for the hefty discounts that tend to drop at the same time as the Pixel A series’ typical mid-year launch window. It started with the Pixel 6 series and continued with the Pixel 7 series, and now Google is back for another bite at the apple with the $500 Pixel 8a. On paper, it’s the most capable budget Pixel device yet, but can it survive in a world where the Google Pixel 8 is almost always on sale for just $100 more?

Obviously, stepping on its own toes doesn’t always work out for Google (or anyone else), but when it comes to the Pixel 8a’s design, it really, really does. I’ve always been partial to the Pixel’s camera bar and bright color options, and this mid-ranger takes them to new heights — just don’t expect top-shelf materials. At a glance, the Pixel 8a looks like a scaled-down cross between the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, pulling the size of the former and combining it with the soft matte finish of the latter. But having held and tested all of them extensively at this point, I can tell you that the mid-ranger has rounder corners than either flagship, making it feel like a pebble you just fished out of a stream.

Maybe you’re anti-pebble, but the change makes the Pixel 8a fit perfectly in the hand. It doesn’t dig in nearly as much as its flagship counterparts, and its fingerprint-resistant finish is much appreciated when most budget phones opt for high-gloss finishes to look more premium. Although cutting corners works out well for the overall design, it’s not quite as welcome when it comes to the Pixel 8a’s materials. For a cool $499, you get a phone with a Gorilla Glass 3 display, aluminum frame, and colorful (see all the colors in hands-on images at the link) composite back — which is just a nice word for plastic. Low-grade Gorilla Glass and plastic are what we expect on actual budget phones, not mid-rangers that cost more than Samsung’s Galaxy A35 5G, a phone with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus protecting the display. On the brighter side, the Pixel 8a offers an IP67 rating against water and dust.

Another bright side (pun intended) is that the Pixel 8a features almost the same display as the Pixel 8 — just smaller and slightly less durable. It boasts the same 1,080 x 2,400 resolution and 60 to 120Hz refresh rate in a slightly smaller 6.1-inch panel. The Pixel 8a’s OLED panel also tops out at up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. However, you should know that you need to opt into the semi-variable refresh rate, as the Pixel 8a is locked at 60Hz by default. Both settings feel smooth while using the Pixel 8a from day to day, though I appreciate the extra speed while scrolling through X or checking on Google Discover. The Pixel 8a’s display also houses its fingerprint reader, identical to the one on the Pixel 8 series. I haven’t had any issues with accuracy or speed, and the position is just high enough on the display to be comfortable.

Google might have skimped on the Pixel 8a's materials, but it nailed the overall design.

Moving on, perhaps the best reason to reach for the Pixel 8a over an older Pixel device is the software experience. You get the light, smooth, Google-ified Android experience you’d find on a flagship Pixel, and it’s combined with the same class-leading update commitment as the Pixel 8 series. That means the Pixel 8a will get seven years of Pixel updates, including Android versions, security patches, and regular feature drops, which not only beats other Android devices in its price range but tops flagship-level promises from OnePlus and Motorola, and also betters Samsung’s mid-to-budget phone update policies.

In addition to the long-term support, Google’s Pixel 8a is chock-full of AI-powered features, many of which we saw for the first time on the Pixel 8 series. I’ve become a true believer in AI-generated wallpapers, using just a few prompts to switch up the look of my Pixel 8a every few days. On a more practical front, Google’s Circle to Search feels like the next step in Google Lens and a far more practical application of what AI-centric upstarts like Rabbit want their “vision modes” to be.

You can also tap into more advanced AI-powered features through Google’s Gemini platform, including summarizing emails and documents and brainstorming ideas for your next DIY project. Interestingly, the Gemini app isn’t installed on the Pixel 8a by default, so you’ll have to grab it from the Play Store. You’ll also have to switch your active assistant from Google Assistant to Gemini, removing some of the features you’re used to. Google has also confirmed that the Pixel 8a will get Gemini Nano on-device AI support in a future feature drop, which should enable more advanced features in the future (though you’ll need to dig into the phone’s developer settings to enable it).

Of course, one of the keys to Google’s AI-powered goals is its Tensor G3 chipset. Although we’ve mentioned more than once that the Tensor G3 doesn’t quite match rivals like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 regarding flagship performance on the best Android phones, it feels right at home in the $500 segment. It still doesn’t set the world on fire with class-leading benchmark scores across the board, but it does put up a pretty good fight against the more expensive Nothing Phone 2 and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Samsung and Nothing have a very slight edge in the CPU-focused Geekbench 6 test with a bit of a wider margin in the overall PCMark Work test, but the three phones are almost indistinguishable in our 20-minute 3DMark graphics stress test — not bad, Google.

In a more practical, day-to-day sense, the Pixel 8a has no problem keeping up with its mid-range rivals. The Pixel 8a accompanied me on several days’ worth of travel, flying to Boston to visit my brother and then heading to New York for a work event, and I never felt stressed over how it would handle a long day. It hopped comfortably from social media scrolling to light gaming, all with downloaded Spotify podcasts streaming in the background. Google has also mostly addressed the Tensor G3’s thermal issues — the Pixel 8a never really warmed under basic usage — though I noticed a little extra warmth when searching for a connection after pulling the phone out of airplane mode. Check out our Pixel 8a performance deep dive (or watch the video above) for more details on what to expect.

Moving on, what Google Pixel device is complete without a capable set of cameras? We all know that Google isn’t the fastest to change or upgrade its camera sensors when it’s already among the best on a budget phone, so it’s hardly surprising to see the Pixel 8a land with the same dynamic duo as its predecessor. That means you’ll use the 64MP primary sensor — which bins to 16MP images by default — for the bulk of your shooting. It’s again paired with a 13MP ultrawide camera, complete with a 120-degree field of view. Even the selfie camera offers the same 13MP resolution, though it has a slightly wider 96.5-degree field of view — up from an even 95 degrees.

The main differences, however, come when you look at the Pixel 8a’s software features. It has a few new Tensor G3-powered extras, like Best Take and Audio Magic Eraser, which let you swap faces in your group photos and clean up background noise from your videos, respectively. The Pixel 8a also adds Magic Editor to the mix, which is the next step in the evolution of Magic Eraser, enabling you to move and resize subjects in your shots and use AI to fill in the space. I’ll admit that they all sound like cool features and are fun to play around with, but the artifacts that AI sometimes leaves behind make it tough to use Magic Editor results for much more than social media throwaways.

As mentioned, you’ll probably use the 64MP primary sensor to capture most of your images. Not because it’s an excellent sensor (though it is pretty good), but because there’s no telephoto option to zoom with. So, I’d wager you’ll spend most of your time split between the 1x and 2x zoom lengths, as that’s where the sensor feels most at home. The Pixel 8a nailed both the colors and the fine details in the collection of samples below, bringing the bright green of New York’s High Line to life in the top left but also pulling out the bright colors in the rack of kayaks without oversaturating them on an overcast day.

I’m also pleased with the Pixel 8a’s low-light performance, as seen in the image in the second row. It accurately captured the colors of the sunset and the architecture of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, even if it couldn’t help me get a better view of the concert itself. True Night Sight is a little tougher for the Pixel 8a due to its slightly smaller megapixels, but it still captured accurate colors with a two-second exposure, as seen below. There’s also decent detail throughout the grass, and you can easily see both the sky and clouds between the trees. It’s just about identical to the performance we’ve seen from the Pixel 8 in low light, though the flagship’s larger individual megapixels might let it capture more light just a bit faster.

Although the Pixel 8a is perfectly comfortable at 1x and 2x zoom, it’s a little less confident once you pinch in further. Both the 4x and 8x zoom samples below show the limitations of digital zoom, holding onto the correct colors pretty effectively but losing the details in the boards of the dock and the rocks behind the boat. The boat’s name also comes out a bit fuzzy at the 8x zoom length, despite not being all that far away.

Thankfully, Google’s 13MP ultrawide camera makes the Pixel 8a much more reliable at 0.5x zoom. It’s the same field of view as we saw on the Pixel 7a, but it just seems to work well, especially in the heights of New York City. I particularly like the shot of the apartment building to the left, as the wider perspective helps to emphasize the funky architecture. There’s a little bit of lens flare, which is less appreciated, but the colors are again spot-on.

I don’t have many complaints about the punch hole selfie camera either — it doesn’t need to bin by default, and it hands in results with good colors and details. Best of all, Google doesn’t worry about the beauty filters we sometimes see on other budget phones. However, I can’t make heads or tails of the Pixel 8a’s default selfie portrait options. Your options are 1.7x and 2x zoom, and they’re almost impossible to tell apart.

On the video side, adding Audio Magic Eraser is the Pixel 8a’s only major upgrade. Otherwise, it’s still capable of 4K or 1080p recording at 60fps from either rear camera and up to 30fps from the selfie camera, just like the previous Pixel 7a. That said, Google seems to have improved its video stabilization — clips from the Pixel 8a have noticeably less bounce while walking than clips from the Pixel 7a. You can also check out full-size versions of the samples above and several more at this Google Drive link.

The last piece of Google’s Pixel 8a puzzle is its battery and charging setup. Although the phone is almost the same size as its predecessor, it has a battery about 100mAh larger, and the switch to the Tensor G3 chip means it can push that battery a bit further. Our controlled battery drain test showed that the newer mid-ranger easily beats the older Pixel 7a in simulated zoom calls, camera longevity in both video and stills, and 4K video playback, and comes up just a bit short in basic web browsing and gaming. The differences aren’t that big, though, and you might not notice them across a mixed day of usage since they’ll likely balance each other out.

Unfortunately, the similarities continue when you eventually run the Pixel 8a out of juice. It still offers the same speeds as the Pixel 7a, topping out at 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging, neither of which is great in 2024. Motorola’s much cheaper Moto G Power (2024), for example, outpaces both charging standards — even if it can’t keep up in any other regard. In our experience, the Pixel 8a took a full 100 minutes to charge, which is, as my colleague Rob Triggs pointed out, slower than the Galapagos Tortoise runs the 400-meter dash. Oh, and you don’t get a charger in the box, so you might want to check out a few of our favorite Pixel 8a chargers if you think you’ll need to upgrade.

So, is the Pixel 8a Google’s most complete mid-range Android phone ever? Yes, certainly. It has the best update commitment for the money, solid performance, an ever-growing list of AI-powered features, and a design almost as good as the Pixel 5 (a phone I still miss). And, if you’re lucky, your carrier might offer you one for free.

However, the Pixel 8a also has so much in common with its predecessor and its flagship Pixel 8 counterpart that if you find the vanilla flagship on sale for around the $600 mark (something we’ve already seen multiple times in the past month or so), you should 100% ignore that the Pixel 8a exists and grab the better phone. You can save money and get the same cameras and charging experience from the Pixel 7a or splash some cash for better materials, faster charging, slightly better camera flexibility, and a larger display.

In a vacuum, Google has nailed the Pixel 8a; it’s a phone that no one would ever be unhappy with, but one that’s also been dropped into a no-win situation of Google’s own creation.

What are the best Google Pixel 8a alternatives?

You may have come this far only to realize that the Google Pixel 8a is not, in fact, the phone for you. If that’s the case, several others with similar specs and price tags are worth considering. Here are just a few Pixel 8a alternatives:

• Google Pixel 8 ( ): You knew this was coming first — the Pixel 8 is essentially a more complete Pixel 8a, offering better materials, faster charging speeds, and more capable cameras on the front and back. Check out our full written comparison, or watch the video above for more.
• Samsung Galaxy A35 5G ( ): If you’re not sold on Google’s Pixel ecosystem, the Galaxy A35 5G offers a great experience at a lower price. It combines Gorilla Glass Victus Plus with a flexible three-camera setup and Samsung’s unusual Key Island design for the power button and volume rocker. With no Galaxy A5X series phone in the US in 2024, it’s the closest Samsung has to a Pixel 8a competitor without you making the jump to the pricier Galaxy S23 FE.
• Google Pixel 7a ( ): The outgoing Pixel 7a has plenty in common with the updated Pixel 8a, but you can grab it at a better price on sale. It has identical rear cameras and charging specs, though it misses the seven years of software support.
• OnePlus 12R ( ): OnePlus is back to offering multiple flagships per year, or at least a flagship and a premium mid-range option. The OnePlus 12R offers the fastest wired charging on this list, as well as a durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2 display and a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
• Nothing Phone 2a ( ): Although it’s only available in the US via a developer scheme and doesn’t have broad US carrier support, the Nothing Phone 2a is one of the best and quirkiest mid-range Android phones you can buy. It looks like a rejected (but cute) design from the movie Wall-E and comes with a pair of 50MP cameras on the back and a massive display.

Google Pixel 8a specs

	Google Pixel 8a
Display	6.1-inch OLED 120Hz refresh rate 2400 x 1080 resolution 20:9 aspect ratio
Processor	Google Tensor G3
RAM	8GB
Storage	128/256GB
Battery	4.492mAh 18W wired charging 7.5W wireless charging No charger included
Cameras	Rear: 64MP wide camera ƒ/1.89 aperture OIS + EIS 13MP ultra-wide camera, 120deg FoV ƒ/2.2 aperture Front: 13MP (f/2.2)
Connectivity	5G 4G LTE Wi-Fi 6e Bluetooth 5.3 NFC
Operating System	Pixel UI Android 14
Water resistance	IP67
Colors	Aloe, Bay, Obsidian, Porcelain
Dimension and weight	152.4 x 73.7 x 10.1mm 192.8 grams

Google Pixel 8a review: FAQ

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There are many versions of Google’s Gemini. Only one of them actually works using the hardware built into smartphones, though, which is Gemini Nano. So far, Nano support only exists on a handful of phones. Notably, this includes just one Pixel: the Google Pixel 8 Pro. When Google confirmed that Nano support wouldn’t come to the Pixel 8, there was a slight uproar — so much so that Google backtracked and agreed to bring Nano support to the Pixel 8 and, even better, the Pixel 8a, too.

The caveat, though, is that Google is going to force users to manually enable Nano support on the Pixel 8 and 8a through a toggle in developer options, while Pixel 8 Pro users already have the features automatically enabled. This means that the vast majority of Pixel 8/8a users won’t use Gemini Nano features because so few of them will know it’s even an option. Now, thanks to an APK teardown of the recent AICore app from Google, we can see the supposed toggle for this feature, suggesting an imminent launch. Interestingly, it might also mean more control of the feature for Pixel 8 Pro users, too.

First, let’s show you what we found. In the screenshot below, you can see the two toggles we expect to appear in Settings > Developer Options > AICore Settings on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a. The first toggle gives permission for AICore to use as many resources as possible (which you will almost certainly want to leave activated), and the second actually turns on Nano.

We can’t say anything for certain until Google actually announces this, but we assume both of these toggles will be “off” by default. That’s how Google described it, so that’s what we’re going with for now.

In other words, this is the order things should go:

• Google announces a Feature Drop that brings Nano support to the Pixel 8 and 8a
• Pixel 8 and 8a users will need to activate Developer Options
• In Developer Options, you’ll need to activate the second toggle in the screenshot above and, optionally, the first one

Theoretically, once you do those steps, you should be able to use Gemini Nano features on your Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a.

The very fact that the AICore app has this means we should expect Google to announce Nano support for the Pixel 8/8a very soon, possibly in just weeks or even days.

What about the Pixel 8 Pro?

One of the interesting side-effects of this toggle’s upcoming existence on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a is that it might also come to the Pixel 8 Pro. This would, in theory, allow Pixel 8 Pro users to disable Gemini Nano — something that’s currently not possible. As mentioned earlier, Nano support is enabled by default on the Pixel 8 Pro already, and without a toggle like this, there’s no way to turn it off.

Obviously, most people wouldn’t feel the need to disable Nano support, but it is possible that this toggle could give those folks the option. Just like with Pixel 8 and 8a users turning the feature on, Pixel 8 Pro users could follow the same steps to turn it off.

Samsung already allows users to disable/enable specific AI features through its Galaxy AI interface, which is built right into Android settings. Unfortunately, this toggle buried in Developer Options on Pixels wouldn’t be nearly as convenient, but at least it would give users more control, which is almost always a good thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0rTgTp8DQ0

Some might say that Google is back to stepping on its toes again. And by that, I mean it just introduced the third member of its Pixel 8 series, the mid-range Pixel 8a, which sits remarkably close to its smaller flagship, the Pixel 8. As such, you might struggle to decide between the two when it comes time to upgrade your phone, and that’s where we come in. I’ve been testing both devices side-by-side, so let’s compare the Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 8 to help you pick your next phone.

Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 8: At a glance

Many are (quite rightly) scratching their heads over the seemingly small differences between the Google Pixel 8 and the newer Pixel 8a. However, one of the few reasons to pick the regular Pixel 8 over the more affordable 8a is charging times.

We tested it, and it takes about 100 minutes to fully charge the Google Pixel 8a. While it was charging, I did some research and discovered that the leisurely Galápagos tortoise moves, on average, at about 0.26 kilometers an hour, or 4.3 meters per minute. In the time it takes the Pixel 8a to charge, a particularly determined tortoise could finish a 400m race with a few minutes to spare. Talk about slow.

It has become pretty hard to recognize smartphone models from one another. After all, most of them are black slabs in the shape of a rectangle. There is one way to make phones a bit more interesting, though, and that’s with colors. The Google Pixel 8a comes in a few different ones, half of which are more conservative, while the others come in more adventurous hues. Let’s go over all the Google Pixel 8a colors available and find out which is your favorite.

The Google Pixel 8 comes in four color options: Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Aloe. Those are pretty creative names, right? These translate to black, white/cream, blue, and green. We have all versions here at Android Authority, so we can give you a closer look at each one. Let’s go over them together.

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Since its inception, the Pixel lineup has omitted display output as a feature for reasons on which we can only speculate. However, Google finally changed gears with its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, which have hardware support for display output via their USB-C ports. Neither phone in the Pixel 8 series launched with display output enabled out of the box, though. Instead, Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 in an Android beta update. Similarly, Google’s brand new Pixel 8a smartphone doesn’t ship with display output enabled out of the box, but this feature will likely be coming in next month’s software update.

The Google Pixel 8a, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset. Thus, it’s no surprise that all three phones share a lot of internal components, such as their USB controller. Although Google wired up the USB-C port on all three phones at the factory to support sending a DisplayPort Alternate Mode signal over a connected USB-C cable, the company disabled this capability using a software flag. The system property persist.vendor.usb.displayport.enabled is read by the USB initialization file for all Tensor G3-series devices, and if the property is set to 0, then DisplayPort Alternate Mode is disabled.

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Google’s Find My Device network finally launched last month, and although its rollout has been slow and limited to the United States and Canada so far, there’s a lot to look forward to. Once fully rolled out globally, the Find My Device network will help billions of Android users find their lost devices. Select Android devices like the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can be located through the Find My Device network even when powered off or out of battery. This is made possible by specialized hardware on the Pixel 8 series, which means it can’t be enabled through an over-the-air update on other devices. Thankfully, it looks like Google’s newly launched Pixel 8a will also support this feature.

The way that Google’s Find My Device network works is basically as follows. Android devices that contribute to the Find My Device network broadcast a beacon over Bluetooth that other nearby Android devices can pick up on. The devices that pick up this beacon then encrypt the location of the broadcasting device and upload it to Google’s servers. Location data is end-to-end encrypted with a key that’s only accessible to the broadcasting device’s owner and whoever the owner shared the location of that device with.

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Yesterday, Google surprised the tech world by announcing its new Pixel 8a smartphone a week before its upcoming I/O event. The Pixel 8a bears a lot of similarities to the Pixel 8, from its seven years of software updates to its slew of Google AI features. One AI feature that’s currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, though, is Google’s AI wallpaper generator. That feature is coming to the cheaper Pixel 8a, however.

After announcing its AI wallpaper generator at last year’s I/O event, Google debuted the app on its Pixel 8 series released last fall. The app uses the power of generative AI to create completely new wallpapers based on certain themes and keywords.

The Google Pixel 8 is one of the most popular Android phones available today, but what if it’s just a hair out of your price range? That’s where the newly announced Google Pixel 8a comes in. With the power of the Tensor G3 and a price tag of just $499, this is looking to be a great affordable phone. If that’s still too much for you, the good news is that there are several ways to get the Pixel 8a for free, or at least close to it.

How do I get a Google Pixel 8a for free?

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Since its inception, the Pixel lineup has omitted display output as a feature for reasons on which we can only speculate. However, Google finally changed gears with its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, which have hardware support for display output via their USB-C ports. Neither phone in the Pixel 8 series launched with display output enabled out of the box, though. Instead, Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 in an Android beta update. Similarly, Google’s brand new Pixel 8a smartphone doesn’t ship with display output enabled out of the box, but this feature will likely be coming in next month’s software update.

The Google Pixel 8a, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset. Thus, it’s no surprise that all three phones share a lot of internal components, such as their USB controller. Although Google wired up the USB-C port on all three phones at the factory to support sending a DisplayPort Alternate Mode signal over a connected USB-C cable, the company disabled this capability using a software flag. The system property persist.vendor.usb.displayport.enabled is read by the USB initialization file for all Tensor G3-series devices, and if the property is set to 0, then DisplayPort Alternate Mode is disabled.

---

Google’s Find My Device network finally launched last month, and although its rollout has been slow and limited to the United States and Canada so far, there’s a lot to look forward to. Once fully rolled out globally, the Find My Device network will help billions of Android users find their lost devices. Select Android devices like the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can be located through the Find My Device network even when powered off or out of battery. This is made possible by specialized hardware on the Pixel 8 series, which means it can’t be enabled through an over-the-air update on other devices. Thankfully, it looks like Google’s newly launched Pixel 8a will also support this feature.

The way that Google’s Find My Device network works is basically as follows. Android devices that contribute to the Find My Device network broadcast a beacon over Bluetooth that other nearby Android devices can pick up on. The devices that pick up this beacon then encrypt the location of the broadcasting device and upload it to Google’s servers. Location data is end-to-end encrypted with a key that’s only accessible to the broadcasting device’s owner and whoever the owner shared the location of that device with.

---

Yesterday, Google surprised the tech world by announcing its new Pixel 8a smartphone a week before its upcoming I/O event. The Pixel 8a bears a lot of similarities to the Pixel 8, from its seven years of software updates to its slew of Google AI features. One AI feature that’s currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, though, is Google’s AI wallpaper generator. That feature is coming to the cheaper Pixel 8a, however.

After announcing its AI wallpaper generator at last year’s I/O event, Google debuted the app on its Pixel 8 series released last fall. The app uses the power of generative AI to create completely new wallpapers based on certain themes and keywords.

The Google Pixel 8 is one of the most popular Android phones available today, but what if it’s just a hair out of your price range? That’s where the newly announced Google Pixel 8a comes in. With the power of the Tensor G3 and a price tag of just $499, this is looking to be a great affordable phone. If that’s still too much for you, the good news is that there are several ways to get the Pixel 8a for free, or at least close to it.

How do I get a Google Pixel 8a for free?

May is normally a busy month in the mobile realm, and this year it's shaping up to be even more hectic than usual. Google's I/O 2024 conference is set for next week perhaps the most important event in Android all year and hardware releases are ramping back up from their post-MWC lull. Add big moves from Apple, Microsoft, and OpenAI to that ingredients list, and you've got a recipe for mobile mayhem. Lots has happened this week, but we've got you covered with the five biggest headlines all in one place.

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Since its inception, the Pixel lineup has omitted display output as a feature for reasons on which we can only speculate. However, Google finally changed gears with its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, which have hardware support for display output via their USB-C ports. Neither phone in the Pixel 8 series launched with display output enabled out of the box, though. Instead, Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 in an Android beta update. Similarly, Google’s brand new Pixel 8a smartphone doesn’t ship with display output enabled out of the box, but this feature will likely be coming in next month’s software update.

The Google Pixel 8a, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset. Thus, it’s no surprise that all three phones share a lot of internal components, such as their USB controller. Although Google wired up the USB-C port on all three phones at the factory to support sending a DisplayPort Alternate Mode signal over a connected USB-C cable, the company disabled this capability using a software flag. The system property persist.vendor.usb.displayport.enabled is read by the USB initialization file for all Tensor G3-series devices, and if the property is set to 0, then DisplayPort Alternate Mode is disabled.

---

Google’s Find My Device network finally launched last month, and although its rollout has been slow and limited to the United States and Canada so far, there’s a lot to look forward to. Once fully rolled out globally, the Find My Device network will help billions of Android users find their lost devices. Select Android devices like the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can be located through the Find My Device network even when powered off or out of battery. This is made possible by specialized hardware on the Pixel 8 series, which means it can’t be enabled through an over-the-air update on other devices. Thankfully, it looks like Google’s newly launched Pixel 8a will also support this feature.

The way that Google’s Find My Device network works is basically as follows. Android devices that contribute to the Find My Device network broadcast a beacon over Bluetooth that other nearby Android devices can pick up on. The devices that pick up this beacon then encrypt the location of the broadcasting device and upload it to Google’s servers. Location data is end-to-end encrypted with a key that’s only accessible to the broadcasting device’s owner and whoever the owner shared the location of that device with.

---

Yesterday, Google surprised the tech world by announcing its new Pixel 8a smartphone a week before its upcoming I/O event. The Pixel 8a bears a lot of similarities to the Pixel 8, from its seven years of software updates to its slew of Google AI features. One AI feature that’s currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, though, is Google’s AI wallpaper generator. That feature is coming to the cheaper Pixel 8a, however.

After announcing its AI wallpaper generator at last year’s I/O event, Google debuted the app on its Pixel 8 series released last fall. The app uses the power of generative AI to create completely new wallpapers based on certain themes and keywords.

The Google Pixel 8 is one of the most popular Android phones available today, but what if it’s just a hair out of your price range? That’s where the newly announced Google Pixel 8a comes in. With the power of the Tensor G3 and a price tag of just $499, this is looking to be a great affordable phone. If that’s still too much for you, the good news is that there are several ways to get the Pixel 8a for free, or at least close to it.

How do I get a Google Pixel 8a for free?

The Google Pixel 8a is official, and it’s… pretty much exactly what we were expecting. Google’s new mid-range phone is virtually identical to the Pixel 8 in most respects, but Google cut a few corners in order to keep the starting price at $499, making the list price for the Pixel 8a $200 lower than the […]

The post Google Pixel 8a launches for $499 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

Update: May 2, 2024 (04:50 AM ET): We’ve updated our Google Pixel 8a hub with the latest leaks, including leaked screenshots confirming specs, a super-long update policy, and more.

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Google launched its first A-series phone in 2019 with the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. At the time, those were some of the best Android phones you could get for the price. Since then, Google has released a new A-series Pixel every year. We are now only a few days away from the expected announcement of the Pixel 8a.

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The Google Pixel 8a is expected to launch this month, but we’ve already seen a ton of leaks so far. However, a long-time leaker has just dropped perhaps the biggest info dump yet.

Evan Blass posted a ton of screenshots from an apparent Pixel 8a product page. The images include machine-translated text overlaid on them, giving us a good (but not perfect) idea of what to expect. Check them out below.

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The Pixel 8a has been surfacing through leaked renders and leaked ads, and it was only a matter of time until we learned more crucial information about the phone. That time is here, as a new report has shared the pricing of the Pixel 8a in the US, and we’re surprised.

According to a report from Smartprix, the Pixel 8a will cost $499 in the US for its 128GB storage variant and $559 for the 256GB storage variant. This pricing is the same as the Pixel 7a’s launch price of $499 for the 128GB variant, though the phone was frequently available at lower prices through sales and discounts.

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Another day, another Pixel 8a leak. As is tradition by now, Google’s budget camera phone is seeing multiple leaks in the run-up to its launch at Google I/O 2024. We’ve seen the phone in leaked renders and even leaked marketing ads that show off the phone and its features. Today, we have some more leaked renders, this time in high quality and without watermarks, alongside clean renders of the official cases in all four colors.

This Pixel 8a leak comes from Arsène Lupin on X, who has shared over 30 renders of the phone and its cases.

Update: April 17, 2024 (09:05 AM ET): We’ve updated our Google Pixel 8a hub with new leaked renders.

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The first time Google launched an A series phone was in 2019 with the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. At the time, those were some of the best Android phones you could get for the price. Since then, Google’s released a new A series Pixel every year. As such, we expect to see a Google Pixel 8a in 2024.

In this post, we will round up all the credible rumors we’ve seen so far related to the Pixel 8a!

Pixel 8a: At a glance

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We eagerly await the launch of the Pixel A-series every year, as it gives us one of the best budget camera phones that performs admirably in blind camera tests. With the Pixel 8a, we expect more of the same, as Google’s processing remains one of the very best in the market. The Pixel 8a is expected to launch at Google I/O 2024 on May 14, but we now have freshly leaked renders that show off the phone in all four colors.

Leaker Arsène Lupin has shared clean renders of all four Pixel 8a colors: Porcelain (beige), Bay (blue), Mint (green), and Obsidian (black). We can see the device from several angles without any watermark and across all four colors.

Here are the images to give you a better look:

By this point, several Pixel 8a leaks have corroborated the same design. Barring any monumental change of heart at the last minute, it is safe to presume that the Pixel 8a will look much like this, continuing with the Pixel 8 series‘ design language. The camera bar remains prominent, the phone is fairly rounded, and we get three exciting colors alongside the classic black.

The Pixel 8a is expected to feature a Tensor G3 SoC, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 4,500mAh battery, 27W wired charging, and a camera setup comprising a 64MP primary camera and a 13MP secondary camera.

Which Pixel 8a color do you like, and why? Vote and let us know in the comments why you prefer it!

Details about the Google Pixel 8a have been leaking for months, but launch day could be coming soon, as WinFuture has found product listings at some retail websites… including some references to the price tag, which indicate that Google’s next mid-range phone will be pricier than its last. In other recent tech news from around […]

The post Lilbits: Pixel 8a could cost more than the Pixel 7a, and Surface Pro 10 could have an OLED display appeared first on Liliputing.

The Google Pixel 8 was officially announced in late 2023 bringing quite a few improvements with it. The Pixel 8 includes a new Tensor G3 processor, faster wired charging, a slightly improved camera, and the most impressive software update policy in the mobile world. Of course, it’s also a bit more expensive than previous Pixels. Should you get the new Pixel 8 or wait for the next budget Pixel? Let’s dive into everything we know about the Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 8a to see if it’s worth spending the extra money.

Pixel 8 vs Pixel 8a: Performance and specs

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a are expected to share a lot of the same DNA, but there are certainly some differences. Please keep in mind that everything we know about the Google Pixel 8a is based on rumors and speculation.