In case you are eyeing the new Google Pixel 8a, you are probably wondering why the extra few bucks for a seemingly similar to last year’s Pixel 7a phone. After all, they are both touted as perhaps the best cameraphones in their respective price ranges. And we agree for the most part.
By examining the specs sheets alone, it’s quite evident that the upgrades this year are rather modest. But there’s more than meets the eye, as is almost always the case. Stick around to see if the €100 price difference is justified by the newer model.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor’s assessment in the following text.
Size comparison
The newer Pixel 8a is almost identical to the Pixel 7a size-wise. And it’s no surprise – the two handsets share the same screen diagonal and mostly the same hardware and design language.
However, the Pixel 8a’s chassis is now more rounded. Gone are the sharp corners from the Pixel 7a. We believe the former’s design makes it more comfortable to hold. The rounded corners provide a more secure and comfortable grip.
Display comparison
Although the specs sheet suggests minimal changes in the display, the newer 8a has a far superior OLED panel.
Two of the most notable improvements are 120Hz refresh rate (up from 90Hz) and brightness. The 8a can boost up to 1,500 nits, which is a flagship-worthy score, while the 7a settles for just around 1,000 nits.
Clearly, the Pixel 8a has the better panel – it’s faster and brighter at the same time, no doubt about that.
Battery life
Since we reviewed the Pixel 7a before implementing our new battery life testing routine, we would have to rely on our legacy battery tests for this side-by-side comparison.
The data shows a slight increase in battery life across all scenarios on the newer model. The Pixel 8a has a tad longer call time, web browsing and video playback scores. However, the overall difference is quite small.
Charging speed
Quite surprisingly, the Pixel 7a seems to charge a tad faster than its successor. The difference is mostly negligible as the 7a beats the 8a with a few percentage points at the 15 and 30-minute marks and charges 12 minutes faster to 100%.
Both handsets share the same 18W PD charging standard over a wire and 7.5W wirelessly. The longer charging times by the newer Pixel 8a is perhaps due to its battery being slightly larger. Either way, we wouldn’t advise deciding based on the charging speed, as for all intents and purposes, the two devices are equally slow.
Speaker test
Given the identical loudness score, one would assume the Pixel 8a and 7a share the same speakers. We can’t say for sure, but the 8a definitely adopts a different sound tuning and a better one at that. At least upon subjective assessment.
The Pixel 8a has more pronounced bass and mids, leading to a fuller overall sound, while the 7a favors highs a bit more. Either way, the 8a sounds better.
Performance
As expected, the newer Pixel 8a is the more powerful handset of the two. It employs a Google Tensor G3 SoC based on the 4nm manufacturing process, while the Pixel 7a relies on last year’s top-tier Google hardware – Tensor G2 on the 5nm node.
The base storage variant hasn’t changed from last year – 8GB/128GB, but the newer 8a adds another much-needed 8GB/256GB option as well.
Benchmark performance
As expected, the Pixel 8a is more powerful than the Pixel 7a, thanks to its Tensor G3 chipset. In the CPU-heavy Geekbench 6 benchmark, the G3 outperforms the G2 by about 20%, while in AnTuTu 10’s combined testing scenario, the G3 pulled ahead of the G2 by around 25%. The GPU-intensive 3DMark Wild Life has a similar performance difference – 27% in favor of the G3.
Camera comparison
The Pixel 8a has borrowed the 7a’s camera hardware so going into this comparison, we didn’t expect large differences. Both devices feature the same cameras – a 64 MP main shooter (f/1.9, 26mm) joined by a 13 MP ultrawide unit (f/2.2, 120˚).
The 13 MP selfie camera (f/2.2, 20mm) remains the same, too.
Image quality
As anticipated, there’s practically no difference between the Pixel 8a and 7a’s camera performance during the day. The two devices deliver identical photo quality with their two cameras and in the 2x zoom mode. We struggle to find any meaningful difference.
Pixel 8a: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Pixel 7a: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
In low-light conditions, however, we spotted a difference in the ultrawide samples. The Pixel 7a delivers stills that are less noisy, cleaner, sharper and with a bit more contrast.
The same goes for the 2x zoom crop where the Pixel 7a has the upper hand. The 7a’s 2x zoom pictures are more detailed and slightly sharper too. The photos taken in the default 1x Photo mode are mostly identical.
Pixel 8a: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Pixel 7a: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Video quality
There’s not much difference in the video recording capabilities either. The main and ultrawide cameras on both devices record near-identical 4K videos, but we did notice a slightly warmer color temperature on the 8a as well as better shadow development. That last bit could be due to the difference in recording times, though.
Pixel 8a: 0.6x • 1x
Pixel 7a: 0.6x • 1x
Verdict
Having a price gap of just €100, it’s probably safe to say the Pixel 8a is worth the extra cash. The display upgrade is bigger than you might think at first and the phone also has better-sounding speakers. The chipset is faster and slightly more efficient, judging by the battery life. And you get Google’s promise for 7 years of OS updates, compared to the 2 years remaining for the 7a.
On the other hand, the older Pixel offers a similar battery life, charging and camera experience. So if you value either of those the most, you can save a few bucks and get the cheaper Pixel 7a.
Get the Google Pixel 8a for:
The better display.
The slightly longer battery life.
The better ergonomics.
The 5 extra years of OS updates.
The better speakers.
The more powerful chipset.
Get the Google Pixel 7a for:
The lower price.
The similar camera experience and charging.