Google has just taken the wraps off of the brand-new Pixel 8a. Even though it has been leaking everywhere leading up to today’s announcement. There are still a few surprises here.
The Pixel 8a looks a lot like the Pixel 7a, and does include a few upgrades, particularly with the display. So Google has upgraded th display to a 6.1-inch Actua Display. This means that it can jump up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness or 1,400 nits in high brightness mode. That’s the same as the Pixel 8. The display has also been bumped up to 120Hz, from 90Hz that the last few a-series have had.
Google is giving the Pixel 8a seven years of Android updates, feature drops, and security updates, too. The same as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
Internally, there is the Tensor G3 processor, as you might expect. It also has 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. This is the first time that an a-series has had 256GB of storage. This is all powered by a 4492mAh capacity battery, which Google claims is “24+ hour battery life”. It does support Wireless Charging at 7.5W and wired at 18W. Not the fastest in the world, but at this price, you wouldn’t really expect it to be crazy fast.
Cameras remain unchanged this year, though we did get a major upgrade in that department with the Pixel 7a last year. So that’s not a huge surprise. With the Pixel 8a, we’re looking at a 64-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultrawide, and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. But Google is bringing over a number of features to the camera that debuted on the Pixel 8 last fall. This includes Magic Editor, Best Take, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and much more.
Pricing and Availability
The Google Pixel 8a will go up for pre-order starting today, with it shipping on May 14. Despite some rumors, the pricing of the Google Pixel 8a is not changing, it’s remaining at $499. The 256GB model is priced at $579. That’s going to ensure that this remains the best sub-$500 smartphone on the market. Keep in mind that if you are planning to pick up the Pixel 8a at Verizon, it will start at $549. This is because the Verizon model does support mmWave 5G (or 5G Ultra-wideband); the unlocked model does not have mmWave, but can still work on Verizon.
Google is also offering the Pixel 8a in four colors. These include Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Aloe. The Aloe color is the only one that is actually new here, and it’s a very bright green. The Bay color is mostly the same as the Pixel 8 Pro from last year, the only differences would be due to the materials.
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