There's more competition than ever in the market for midrange smartphones in North America, and Google is here with its 2024 offering in the Google Pixel 8a. The story is generally the same as past A-series releases: the Pixel 8a is like the Pixel 8, but slightly smaller and with a few less features. However, that shouldn't make what Google has done with the Pixel 8a seem any less impressive. This year's Pixel midranger includes the newest Tensor G3 processor, a redesign, a display upgrade, and generative AI software. Many of the things that made the Pixel 8 our favorite base-model flagship phone can also be had for just $500 on the Pixel 8a.

In some ways, Google is competing with itself. For those that want to spend a bit more money, the regular Pixel 8 offers a marginally better experience. Similarly, those that want to spend slightly less can grab last year's Pixel 7a at a discount. Then there's the OnePlus 12R, which is available in the U.S. this year to give Google's A-series a run for its money. Still, I think the Pixel 8a is the best phone you can get for $500 today. Pixels are known for their camera hardware, and the Pixel 8a honors that reputation by offering the greatest camera performance of any phone at this price point. Beyond that, the latest Tensor G3 chip and flashy generative AI features prove that you don't need to spend four figures on a phone to get a great device.

About this review: Google provided us with a Pixel 8a for the purposes of this review. The company had no input on this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

Google announced the new Pixel 8a on March 7, a week before its annual Google I/O developer conference. The smartphone retails for $500 and comes in four colors: Aloe, Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain. The base storage is 128GB, but it can be configured with 256GB for an extra $60. Unfortunately, choosing the 256GB upgrade will force you to buy the Obsidian colorway — all the other colors are offered in only 128GB. Right now, Google is offering a few promotions, including a trade-in deal that could get you a Pixel 8a completely free.

Specs

Design

There are some quirks, but the pebble-shaped chassis is fun and comfortable

The Pixel 8a has a fresh design this year, but it's tricky to call it a true redesign. That's because it mimics the design of the Pixel 8, just like the Pixel 7a iterated on the Pixel 7. However, the new look for the Pixel 8a feels like a bigger deal this because its design is unlike what we've typically seen from Pixel phones before this generation. The Pixel 7a has the same general appearance as the Pixel 6a, with a few tweaks. By comparison, the Pixel 8a's pebble-shaped chassis looks materially different from the Pixel 7a. The Pixel 8a looks way more modern as a result, and I think it simply looks better.

The Pixel 8a has a slightly smaller display than the regular Pixel 8, but the two devices have a similar overall footprint. As we'll get to in a moment, that's because the Pixel 8a has bigger display bezels. This means the Pixel 8a unfortunately isn't the compact phone we've been asking for — the device's 6.0-inch x 2.9-inch x 0.4-inch dimensions are standard for a 6.1-inch phone. The Pixel 8a does feel better in the hand than any phone I've used recently, thanks to the curved edges and the soft-touch matte back. That back cover is made of plastic, but it's time we stopped automatically considering plastic to be cheap. It looks and feels excellent on the Pixel 8a, and it's lighter than glass, helping the device hit a weight of 188 grams.

I tested the new Aloe color of the Pixel 8a, and it's a superb option. You're going to see the Aloe colorway in all kinds of shades in photos based on lighting conditions, so I want to clarify that Aloe strikes a good balance in shade. It's not green like the Rabbit R1 is orange, but it's also not green like the iPad Air's offwhite "colors."

Display

More brightness and 120Hz support finally make this a flagship-caliber screen

Google didn't change the resolution of the Pixel 8a's 6.1-inch display — the OLED panel still sports a 1080x2400 resolution — but it did make a few other tweaks. Most importantly, the display now supports 120Hz refresh rates. The company started out offering 60Hz on the Pixel 6a, that got bumped to 90Hz on the Pixel 7a, and we're finally at full 120Hz on the Pixel 8a. It's safe to say that this is now a flagship-caliber display. In the midrange sector, the OnePlus 12R has the best display, and that's true even with the release of the Pixel 8a. However, considering everything else you get with the Pixel 8a, the screen is more than good enough.

So, about those bezels: the issue is not the size. They're big, but I actually think it adds to the fun pebble shape of the Pixel 8a and I didn't notice them getting in the way at all. The more annoying part is that they're not symmetrical, and the Pixel 8a has a bigger chin. It's true that the Pixel 7a didn't have symmetrical bezels either, but the increased corner radius of the Pixel 8a means that this is more noticeable, especially around the corners.

I'm not a designer, so take this with a grain of salt, but the corner radius of the display doesn't seem to perfectly match the corner radius of the chassis. If you're someone who cares about these things, the Pixel 8a might peeve you. If you're wondering why I spent all this time talking about bezels and radii, I promise they won't bother you.

Lastly, it's important to mention that the Pixel 8a is brighter, and that fixes one of the major flaws I found with the Pixel 7a. The display supports HDR and can hit 1,400 nits while playing HDR content. It also has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, which is up from the 1,200 nits supported by the Pixel 7a.

Cameras

Unchanged, but that's completely fine

Google consistently pulls the most out of its camera hardware, and that's the case on the Pixel 8a as well. The company threw in a fresh main sensor in last year's Pixel 7a, so it isn't surprising that this exact same sensor is found on the Pixel 8a. We rarely see new sensor hardware two years in a row. Google is so far ahead of the competition here that the 64MP, f/1.9 sensor still produces best-in-class photos. The 1/1.7-inch sensor size is smaller than regular flagships, for what it's worth. And, in the year of the telephoto lens, the Pixel 8a doesn't have one. It's just the 64MP main lens and a 13MP ultrawide for the back of the phone.

I took a bunch of photos with the Pixel 8a, and they generally all turned out great. Even though the Pixel 8a has the new Tensor G3 chip, it doesn't look like the processor is adding much in the way of computational photography. Photos turn out essentially the same as they would if they were taken on the Pixel 8a. Again, that isn't really a bad thing, because the Pixel 7a's new main sensor was a big upgrade last year that pushed it ahead of the competition. You can view some of my favorite daylight shots snapped with the Pixel 8a below:

There are a surprising number of budget smartphones that can take good photos, like the ones above, in good lighting. I tested the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G earlier this year, and that $200 phone did fine in well-lit situations. It's in low-light conditions where "fine" cameras are separated from the good ones. Luckily, the Pixel 8a handles low-light shots very well. The standard shooting mode did a great job at capturing true-to-life colors and brightness, with Night Sight amplifying that. Here are some of the results:

The 13MP ultrawide camera has an f/2.2 aperture, and it allows you to zoom out to 0.5x and get more in the frame. Here's what that looks like in practice, with the following images taken at 0.5x, 1x, and 2x zoom:

The Pixel 8a does a solid job at covering a large field-of-view with the ultrawide, but you'll notice that specific parts of the image won't have the same detail and clarity as shots taken with the main sensor. The same goes for the 2x photo, since it is using completely digital zoom. If you want to recreate those viral concert photos, you'll want to pay extra for a phone with a dedicated telephoto lens for optical zoom, like the Pixel 8 Pro.

Performance

Tensor G3 is more than enough for the Pixel 8a

Google updated the chip in the Pixel 8a this year, adding the same Tensor G3 that powers the regular Pixel 8 and flagship Pixel 8 Pro. That's one of the major perks that come with buying a Google mid-ranger. Where other companies cut corners by going with a lower-tier chipset, Google gives you the same Tensor G3 chip on its $500 phone as you'll get on its $1,000 phone. Unsurprisingly, day-to-day performance is perfectly fine on the Pixel 8a. If the phone feels snappier than the Pixel 7a, it's probably because of the 120Hz panel as opposed to the Tensor G3. However, Google did improve the overheating issues we saw on the Tensor G2 with the Tensor G3, so that is an advantage for the Pixel 8a.

Battery life lasts all day, and the Pixel 8a supports USB-C and wireless charging. There's no Qi2 support, but that was expected. Unfortunately, the Pixel 8a still charges really slowly, supporting just an 18W maximum speed over a cable. The actual battery cell is slightly larger this year, offering a 4492 mAh capacity.

Software

No, you don't need to pay four figures for smartphone AI

Up until this point, you could make the case that the Pixel 8a is very similar in feature set and daily performance to the OnePlus 12R. However, the Pixel 8a pushes ahead with Google's powerful and expansive suite of generative AI features. Some of its best tools, like Video Boost, are exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro. But most of them are available on the Pixel 8a, like Circle to Search, Best Take, and Call Assist. This set of features is rivaled only by Samsung's Galaxy AI, and you won't find anything better than what Google offers on the Pixel 8a at the $500 price point.

As an example of what the Pixel 8a can do straight out of the box, let's take a look at Magic Editor. This is a feature that takes an existing image and lets you remove a part of it, replacing that part of the image with a background that fits in with the rest of the photo. In the set of photos below, I removed the red lifesaving device from a picture of Tempe Town Lake in just a few taps:

This was a challenging situation for Magic Editor for a few reasons. There's a lot going on behind this life preserver box, including a gravel path, a post for a sign, and a concrete barrier. Pixel 8a and Magic Editor don't know for sure what's behind the life preserver box, which is what makes this scenario tricky. As you can see, Magic Editor erased the box and filled in the gap with exactly what was supposed to be there:

Most of Google's mobile AI features use cloud processing, like Magic Editor. Still, it's nice to see Google adding these features throughout the Pixel lineup, and not making them exclusive to higher-priced models. More will presumably come in the future, too. We don't ever recommend buying a product for the promise of future updates, but Google is saying that it will give the Pixel 8a seven years of full OS updates and feature drops.

Should you buy the Google Pixel 8a?

You should buy the Google Pixel 8a if:

• You want a midrange phone with flagship features
• You care about camera quality and generative AI tools
• You aren't willing to pay more for the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro

You should NOT buy the Google Pixel 8a if:

• You don't like the Pixel 8a's display bezels or design
• You'd be fine with a discounted Pixel 7a instead of the new Pixel 8a
• You value fast wired charging in a smartphone

Google's update of the Pixel 8a isn't very exciting in the grand scheme of things, because it's another year when the A-series variant is nearly identical to the regular base-model Pixel. But in some ways, that's the same reason this update is exciting. In just one generation, the Pixel 8a was updated with a new chipset, a fresh design, and key generative AI software features. At a time in the smartphone game when devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 release with software features as the only major addition, that's a big feat for the Pixel 8a. Plus, it's important to consider that the Pixel 8a's improvements this year come without a price increase over last year's model.

Although the Pixel 8a does have competition, it's still a very good phone available at a price point that feels too good to be true. If you gave me $500 to spend on a smartphone to be my daily driver, the Pixel 8a is the one I'd pick.