Google Pixel 8a: price, features, specs, and everything you need to know

Everything you need to know about Google’s new mid-ranger

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TheGooglePixel 8a has landed at a busy time, having been unveiled on the same day as theiPad Pro (2024)and theiPad Air (2024), but it deserves some attention, as this cheaper alternative to theGoogle Pixel 8has quite a lot going for it.

In fact, it has many of the same highlights as its pricier sibling, including a Tensor G3 chipset, various AI features, and a 120Hz screen.

Below, you’ll find an overview of every key aspect of the Google Pixel 8a, including just how affordable it actually is, and when you’ll be able to buy it.

Cut to the chase

Google Pixel 8a: release date and price

The Google Pixel 8a was announced on May 7, 2024, and you can pre-order it now, with the phone set to ship on May 14.

It starts at $499 / £499 / AU$849, which gets you 128GB of storage, and rises to $559 / £559 / AU$949 for a model with 256GB of storage. That’s notable, because thePixel 7awas limited to128GB.

The Pixel 8a also has the same starting price as that phone in the US, so Google hasn’t pushed the cost up there, though it costs slightly more in the UK and Australia.

Google Pixel 8a: design and display

The Google Pixel 8a looks a lot like the standard Pixel 8, as you might expect. Like that phone, it has an aluminum frame and a distinctive camera visor, along with more rounded corners than its predecessor.

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However, Google has cut costs by cladding the phone in plastic rather than the glass of the Pixel 8, and giving it a slightly lower water resistance rating of IP67.

The Pixel 8a comes in at 152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm and 188g, and you can get it in a choice of Aloe (a light pastel green), Bay (light blue), Obsidian (black), and Porcelain (white) shades.

As for the screen, the Google Pixel 8a has a 6.1-inch 1080 x 2400OLEDdisplay with a punch-hole camera at the top. The screen has a 120Hz refresh rate (up from 90Hz on the Pixel 7a), and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

The pixel density is 430 pixels per inch, and the screen size on paper sounds very similar to that of the Pixel 8. It’s just 0.1 inches smaller, with larger bezels around it.

Google Pixel 8a: cameras and battery

The Google Pixel 8a has a dual-lens rear camera, with a 64MP f/1.9 main sensor and a 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one (with a 120-degree field of view), along with a 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera on the front.

That’s the same camera hardware as boasted by the Google Pixel 7a, and notably different to the standard Pixel 8, which has the same number of lenses but different sensors.

The Pixel 8a can shoot video in up to4Kquality at up to 60fps, and it has various AI features inherited from the Pixel 8, such as Magic Editor to make AI-powered edits,Best Taketo include the best combination of facial expressions in group photos, Magic Eraser to remove unwanted features from images, and more. It’s basically the full suite of Pixel 8 AI skills.

As for the battery, it’s a 4,492mAh cell (up from 4,385mAh in the Pixel 7a), and it supports 18W wired charging, plus wireless charging.

Google claims that the Pixel 8a offers over 24 hours of life, or up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode, but we’ll let you know whether it lives up to that in our full review, so keep a look out for that.

Google Pixel 8a: specs and features

The Pixel 8a has a Tensor G3 chipset, just like the standard Pixel 8 and even theGoogle Pixel 8 Pro. This chipset is exclusive to Pixel phones, and it’s fairly powerful – especially for a mid-ranger like the 8a – though no match for the top smartphone chipsets.

It’s paired here with 8GB of RAM, and the phone runsAndroid 14, complete with various AI capabilities. We’ve detailed some of these in the camera section, but it also includes the likes ofCircle to Search, which lets you circle something on screen to search the internet for it, and Call Assist, which can screen calls, and sit on hold for you and alert you when you’re up.

Google’s Gemini assistantis also included, and a day-one update should alsobring AI generated wallpapers to the Pixel 8a.

The Pixel 8a also has an under-display fingerprint sensor, 5G, and comes with the promise of seven years of Android updates.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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