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Google has made the Pixel 8a official today, seemingly ignoring Apple’s M4 and iPad event. For anyone not busy salivating over the new iPad Pro, Google has the Pixel 8a available for pre-order at $499, the same as last year’s Pixel 7a. The new phone comes with a better display, a bigger battery, and even more AI features than last year’s budget Pixel.
Nowadays, Google is all-in with generative AI, and it shows with the Pixel 8a. You will see references to AI on every product page, informational email, and promoted social media posts about this phone. The device has inherited AI features from the flagship Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, including audio magic eraser, best take, and the option to run the full Gemini Nano model locally on the phone.
The phone’s overall design has been updated to match the more curvy style of the Pixel 8. The Pixel 7a, by comparison, was a pretty boxy phone. The OLED screen is still 6.1 inches with the same 1,080 by 2,400 resolution. However, the refresh rate has been upped from 90Hz to 120Hz, matching the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. The brightness has also taken a big step up, hitting a maximum of 2,000 nits, the same as the Pixel 8.
Inside, the Pixel 8a has a Google Tensor G3 chip and 8GB of RAM. That’s an expected upgrade from the G2, which, again, matches the more expensive Pixel 8. There’s a 4,492mAh battery, up from 4,385mAh in last year’s budget Pixel. However, you’re still limited to 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging. It has the same 64MP primary camera and 13MP ultrawide as last year’s phone, but Google’s imaging prowess is more about software than hardware. The Pixel 8a will undoubtedly best more expensive phones in photography.
The Pixel 8a is available in four colors: Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Aloe. The last two translate to blue and green; they look very snazzy. The black (Obsidian) and white (Porcelain) are understated and a bit boring, but not everyone wants a phone that stands out. The back is plastic instead of glass like the more expensive Pixel phones, so it may scratch and scuff, but it won’t be as likely to crack if dropped. The phone is IP67 rated for water and dust resistance.
Google’s latest phone naturally ships with Android 14, the latest version of the platform. There’s one more notable upgrade here: Google says this is the first budget Pixel to get Google’s newly expanded update guarantee. This phone will have full security and OS support for a whopping seven years. That means you’ll get the newest and most secure version of Android through 2031. That’s not bad for $499, assuming you can baby the phone to keep it running that long. You’ll need at least one battery swap to make it that long, but that’s cheaper than buying a new phone.
You can pre-order the phone now for $499, and it will ship around the middle of the month. Google is also offering $100 in store credit if you pre-order.