Google has officially unveiled its newest smartphone, the Pixel 8a, ahead of its upcoming I/O developer conference. However, there were few surprises with the Pixel 8a reveal, especially for anyone who followed the multiple leaks leading up to the device’s launch.
As rumoured, the Pixel 8a sports the Tensor G3 chip featured in the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro (though slightly different), sports a 6.1-inch ‘Actua’ display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, and comes in four colours, ‘Aloe,’ ‘Bay,’ ‘Obsidian,’ and ‘Porcelain.’
Before getting into the rest of the specs, the biggest thing to note with the Pixel 8a is the price. At launch, the Pixel 7a cost $599, putting it a cool $200 less than the Pixel 7. The Pixel 8a, however, will start at $679 in Canada. But thanks to a price hike on the Pixel 8 compared to the Pixel 7, the 8a still costs $270 less than the Pixel 8. When asked about the price hike, Google indicated exhange rates were likely why it cost more in Canada this year. In the U.S., the Pixel 8a costs $499 USD, the same as the 7a did at launch.
The price difference between the Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 is especially important because, as you’ll see from the specs, there’s not much difference between the Pixel 8 and 8a on paper.
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- Aloe
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- Bay
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- Obsidian
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- Porcelain
The Pixel 8a offers 128GB or 256GB storage options ($759 for the 256GB), 8GB of RAM, sports a slightly larger 4,492mAh battery compared to 4,385mAh on the Pixel 7a, and the Titan M2 security chip. In a press briefing, the tech giant estimated a 15 percent improvement in battery life thanks to the capacity bump and “more efficient software.” (I certainly hope that’s the case since the Pixel 7a had disappointing battery life.)
Google also confirmed the Pixel 8a sports the same camera hardware as the 7a, meaning it has 64-megapixel wide and 13-megapixel ultrawide cameras on the rear and a 13-megapixel selfie camera. Google said the 64-megapixel wide camera can shoot 4K at 30 and 60fps.
Hardware aside, the Pixel 8a sports many of the same software features as the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. First and foremost, Google confirmed the Pixel 8a would get seven years of software support, which includes OS upgrades, security updates and Pixel feature drops, just like the other Pixel 8-series devices. Plus, if you’re worried the Pixel 8a might not last seven years, Google claims the handset is its most durable A-series phone yet.
Google highlighted that the Pixel 8a will support Gemini, the company’s generative AI-powered chatbot (not to be confused with Gemini, the generative AI model that powers the chatbot), Circle to Search, and other staple Pixel features like Call Assist and Live Translate.
On the camera side, the Pixel 8a will support ‘Best Take,’ ‘Magic Editor,’ ‘Audio Magic Eraser,’ ‘Real Tone in Video,’ ‘Guided Frame’ and more. Many of those camera features launched with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro and you can read more about them in those respective reviews.
Overall, the Pixel 8a looks like it’ll once again be one of the top mid-range smartphones out there and give Google’s own flagship Pixel a run for its money. Of course, we still need to test it thoroughly, so stay tuned for a full review from MobileSyrup soon.
The Pixel 8a is now available for pre-order from the Google Store starting at $679. Also of note: Google is making the Pixel Tablet available without the speaker dock for a lower price of $549 in Canada.
Images credit: Google
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