Google Pixel 8a review: A flagship-level phone at an unbeatable value

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Google's Pixel 8a spoils anyone who'd rather not spend too much on an expensive flagship phone.

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Google's Pixel 8a is here to serve the pragmatics and those unwilling to spend over $500, and it's a phenomenal option for both. It's all the phone most people practically need, and it offers incredible value for its performance and camera quality.

In Google's ecosystem, the Pixel 8a is essentially a more affordable version of the Pixel 8 that's missing a few features. Yet, apart from a couple of inconsequential attributes (display borders and charging speed), it's doubtful that you'd notice much of a difference between the Pixel 8a and the Pixel 8. 

As such, the Pixel 8a cannibalizes the Pixel 8's need to exist, at least if you're looking at full price tags. No other phone can match the Pixel 8a's value proposition at its $499 starting price, and it's worth stretching your budget (if possible) if you had a lower price in mind.

Design: Only one dead giveaway that it's not an expensive phone

For those familiar with Google's recent Pixel design, there's little new or impactful to the Pixel 8a. The corners are more rounded than previous Pixel "a" generations, and the clear plastic back makes way for a smooth frosted texture, which I'm a fan of.

The Pixel 8a is a well-built phone with a metal frame, and you wouldn't immediately recognize that the back is plastic.

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The phone looks and feels like a premium device, and you wouldn't know the back is made of plastic unless you're looking for clues by pressing on it and tapping it with your fingers — something I do while scrutinizing new phones for review, but not in day-to-day use.

The only real giveaway that the Pixel 8a isn't on the same level as Google's flagship models in terms of design is the wider black borders around the display than you'd find on premium flagships. It's a typical and expected tradeoff for the Pixel 8a's lower price, and not a dealbreaker by any means for one of the best budget Android phones. 

The Pixel 8a's wide black borders around the display are the biggest indicator that it's not a premium flagship.

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With its 6.1-inch display, the Pixel 8a is a smaller phone, so it won't please those who like big screens. There's no option with a larger display, either, and you're largely out of luck if you're looking for a large-screen budget phone with the same caliber performance, display, and cameras. 

Performance and display: Unrivaled for its price 

In day-to-day usage, the Pixel 8a is indistinguishable from a premium phone thanks to its bright OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and the same Google Tensor G3 processor found in the flagship Pixel 8 phones. 

Benchmarks scores reveal the Pixel 8a has identical performance to the Pixel 8, but the Pixel 8 Pro scores slightly higher. The only difference that can explain the discrepancy is the Pixel 8 Pro's 12GB of RAM compared to 8GB in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a. To be sure, the difference is barely notable, and the Pixel 8a should last just as long as the Pixel 8 Pro before it reaches your own definition of "too slow, time to upgrade."

For $500, the Pixel 8a's performance is unbeatable.

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On the topic of longevity, Google will keep the Pixel 8a updated with new versions of Android, new features, and security patches for the Pixel 8a for seven years until May 2031. That's great news for those who keep their phones as long as possible before upgrading, and it matches Samsung's support window for its Galaxy S24 phones.

With that said, I have my doubts the Pixel 8a will remain sprightly for as long as seven years, but that depends entirely on your threshold for slower performance before you feel it's time to upgrade. 

Cameras: Unfairly good

The cameras on Google's Pixel "a" phones set such a high bar for mid-range phones that it's almost unfair for other phones in the $400-$500 range, including iPhones. In fact, the Pixel 8a's 64MP main camera and 13MP ultrawide undeniably deliver premium-quality photos that you'd easily expect on an expensive flagship model. The only limitation compared to major Android flagships is its dual-lens camera compared to the triple-lens cameras.

The Pixel 8a bins (combines) the 64 megapixels in its main camera to produce a 16-megapixel photo, which dramatically reduces the sizes of each photo, and helps capture more dynamic lighting. 

The Pixel 8a takes clear, sharp photos with Google's signature excellent balance of color, lighting, and dynamic contrast that delivers plenty of depth. While it's not perfect, the Pixel 8a also does an excellent job of keeping details in ultra-bright subjects. Apart from taking high-quality photos, the Pixel 8a is reliably consistent, too — I don't feel the need to check photos after taking them.

The Pixel 8a's main camera takes excellent photos that we'd expect on a premium phone.

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It's not perfect, but the Pixel 8a does a better job than some high-end phones at reducing overexposure.

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Dynamic range is one of the Pixel 8a camera's highlights.

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The Pixel 8a has a 2x digital zoom that adds some versatility to the phone's camera system to capture sharper images of subjects further away or to get a close-up. Google says the Pixel 8a 2x zoom mode isn't optical quality like it is on the Pixel 8, but it sure looks that way — 2x zoomed photos are just as sharp and detailed as a 1x photo. You could almost go as far as to say the Pixel 8a has three cameras if you count the 2x zoom mode, even though it only has two physical lenses. 

The 2x zoom mode uses the main camera, and it looks just as sharp as the 1x mode.

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The Pixel 8a takes decent shots in the dark, too, but it's not the best we've seen in terms of sharpness, and the dark sky appears pixelated and blotchy in some of our test shots. For the photo below, the Pixel 8a told me to stay still for two seconds — the same as premium phones like the iPhone 15 or Pixel 8. 

This is one of the better night shots taken with the Pixel 8a, but some other test shots revealed a dark sky that looked pixelated and blotchy.

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AI features: A lower price doesn't mean less for Google

The Pixel 8a has nearly all the same AI features as Google's flagship models in its current software iteration, and a subsequent update is set to add to its slate.

Popular and genuinely useful AI tools that actually work are present now, like Circle To Search, Best Take, Magic Eraser, and Call Screen, among several others.  

Google's popular Circle To Search AI feature isn't exclusive to expensive phones.

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In a future update, the Pixel 8a will also support Google's on-device AI model, Gemini Nano, but as of now, you're not missing much.

On-device AI features powered by Gemini Nano, like Summarize for voice recordings and Smart Reply in Gboard, are rather niche at the moment for daily use, even if they're technologically impressive. 

Battery and charging: Great battery life but slow charging

The Pixel 8a obtained the same 61% result as the Pixel 8 after our battery test, which is a result we'd expect for a phone with a 6.1-inch display. That's to say the Pixel 8a has great battery life, but it won't miraculously change the way you usually charge your phones. 

Charging is slow on the Pixel 8a compared to premium phones.

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The Pixel 8a's 18W charging speeds are slow but fairly typical for the price range — it's one of the compromises of a more affordable phone. You have the option of wireless charging, but only at 7.5W speeds. That's rather slow but totally fine for overnight charging.

You'll need your own charger, as Google doesn't pack one with the Pixel 8a. A USB-C-to-USB-C cable is included, as well as a USB-A-to-USB-C adapter that's handy for legacy USB-C-to-USB-A cables. Just note that the charger you have, or intend to buy, needs to support at least 18W to charge the Pixel 8a at its fastest potential. 

Should you buy the Google Pixel 8a?

The Pixel 8a is an easy pick if you usually buy phones at full price, but you can often find the Pixel 8 at a discount, or even for free from your carrier.

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The Google Pixel 8a has premium attributes where it counts, like high-end camera quality and performance, for a mid-range price. It's an excellent phone that comes easily recommended as one of the best Android phones for its value. It even looks and feels like a premium device, and you can get more than your money's worth with Google's seven-year support window for Android upgrades and security updates.

However, the Pixel 8a hasn't seen many deals or discounts at the time of writing (soon after its release), and the Pixel 8 can be found for a periodic deal price of $549 from retailers like Amazon — a point you can justify going for the Pixel 8.

Plus, some carriers even offer the Pixel 8 (as well as the Pixel 8a) for free, albeit with some typical carrier conditions, like keeping your service active for a certain amount of time. If that's the case with your carrier, you might as well get the Pixel 8, as long as you're comfortable with the conditions set by your carrier. 

If you decide to buy the Pixel 8a, check out our guides to the best Google Pixel 8a cases and best Google Pixel 8a screen protectors to provide the phone with comprehensive protection. 

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