Google has been launching its 'a' series of smartphones for quite a while now, offering a cut-back experience of its bigger flagship brothers. The Pixel 8a makes the same commitment that its predecessors have been making, packing high-end features in a more affordable package. These phones have consistently been some of the best budget-oriented smartphones on the market, and the Pixel 8a looks to be no different.

The Pixel 8a comes equipped with Google's Tensor G3 processor, a 120Hz OLED display, 8GB LPDDR5x RAM, and seven years of software updates. It's the most enticing 'a' series Pixel yet, and set to be one of the best phones of the year with its stellar specsheet.

The Pixel 8a's camera is its best-selling feature

Still one of the best cameras in a mid-range smartphone

The Google Pixel 'a' series has had one feature that specifically sets it apart from the rest, and that's the camera that Google includes in these devices. With its 64MP primary shooter and an 80-degree FoV with 4K 60fps video capture support, it looks to be doubling down on last year's model which did exceptionally well for Google. Not only that, it does seem to include the same ultrawide camera, packing a 13MP sensor with a 120-degree FoV and 4K 30fps video capture support.

Of course, those improvements are also accompanied by the Google Tensor G3, an improved version of the Tensor SoC that Google has been using in its smartphones for quite a while now. With that come AI features too, like all of the Magic Eraser features including Audio Magic Eraser, the Private Compute Core, and all of the other features you've come to expect on a Google Pixel smartphone.

It's not the most powerful of smartphones, but it does pull down some of the primary selling features of its flagship siblings into a more affordable price bracket. Its display is also a stand-out in that regard, a 120Hz OLED at 1080p and a 2000 nit peak brightness is up there with the best of the best displays on the market, and it's hard to be disappointed by it.

The rest of the phone is largely the same as last year's model. Battery capacity and charging speeds are more or less the same, with the Pixel 8a's battery getting a mild capacity upgrade to 4,492mAh with 18W wired charging support. You also get 7.5W wireless charging and IP67 dust and water resistance.

For security, the Pixel 8a features an in-display fingerprint scanner and Face Unlock support. Connectivity is the same as last year's model too and varies by region, though, the highest-end model features a USB Type-C port, mmWave, and it also gets sub-6 5G support, Bluetooth 5.3, and Wi-Fi 6E.

Google Pixel 8a pricing and availability

Available globally

The Google Pixel 8a is officially on sale now, retailing at $499 for the base model. It is now available in the following countries:

• United States
• Canada
• Japan
• Taiwan
• Singapore
• India
• UK
• Germany
• France
• Ireland
• Australia
• Spain
• Italy
• Denmark
• Norway
• Sweden
• Netherlands

If you're in the United States, you can pre-order it today on Google Fi and get $499 back in Google Fi credit over the next 24 months.