OPINION: I have been using Google’s new Pixel 8a smartphone for the past few days and one thing has become immediately clear – this is just about all the phone that anyone needs.
With the past couple of releases, Google has been on a great run with its mid-range devices, consistently improving year-on-year by taking the best parts of its flagship series and making them more accessible. This has reached a culmination with the Pixel 8a.
Google’s £499/$499 mid-range option for 2024 is the most complete A-series phone yet, and in multiple ways it’s a better choice than the pricier Pixel 8. Considering just how easy to recommend the Pixel 8a is, I am not sure whether Google will be able to make the upcoming Pixel 9 notably better to justify the likely price difference between the two phones.
The Google Pixel 8a shines so brightly because rather than focus on a single feature (a trap many mid-range phones fall into), it ticks multiple boxes without leaving much out. Welcome features like a good IP67 rating and Qi wireless charging are both here, as is a 120Hz OLED and the same Tensor G3 chip found in the $999/£999 Pixel 8 Pro.
Now, the Tensor G3 is a chip that isn’t going to bother the very best phones for pure performance benchmarks and it lacks the efficiency of the latest silicon from Apple and Qualcomm, yet inside a device below £500/$500 it really gets the job done.
It also brings many of the excellent AI features from the pricier Pixel phones, including support for Gemini Nano down the line via a software update and the barage of GenAI photo editing skills. As it uses the same chip, there’s every chance the Pixel 8a will pick up the same AI features that come to the Pixel 8 Pro in the future.
Arguably the biggest reason to plump for the Pixel 8a is the software promise. Google has said that it will support the phone for seven years with Feature Drops, security updates and full-on Android updates all included.
This is rare for £1000/$1000+ phones, but it’s almost unheard of for cheaper devices where two years of Android updates is often seen as better than average. Investing £500/$500 on a phone and knowing it’ll receive new features for all those years makes that initial outlay easier to swallow.
A better Pixel 8 in many ways
When Google first announced the Pixel 8a, a lot of headlines claimed people should just buy the Pixel 8 instead. In some ways, the claim is correct – the Pixel 8 does have a more capable camera and a slightly better display, but in actual use I much prefer the Pixel 8a. It’s a little smaller, with a much more comfortable rounded body and it also has the far nicer matte backing of the Pixel 8 Pro.
It seems a given that Google will carry over some of these Pixel 8a design changes to the inevitable Pixel 9, but I can’t see that device pushing the bar far enough to make any price difference worth it. The Pixel 8a ticks so many boxes for the cost that it already feels like the Pixel 9.
While Google I/O is set to be the home of multiple new AI features, and leaks surrounding the Pixel 9 Pro are already circulating, I feel there’s very little reason to go for anything but the Pixel 8a if you’re not interested in the flagship £1000/$1000 experience.
