Google Pixel 8a: Can the AI features be a big hit?

The mid-range option from Google, the Google Pixel 8a is official. The 8a is the successor to last year’s Google Pixel 7a and the continuation of the Pixel 8 series. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have already been loved by a lot of Pixel fans.

The Pixel 7a received a lot of appreciation for its camera capabilities and performance. However, complaints about the battery life, charging and slight heating issues have occurred. Being a compact smartphone, the battery size is comparatively small. Even though other smartphones in the market have similar battery capacity, they have better battery life.

The Pixel 8a this year has got some major changes from its successor in terms of design, display features, chipset, battery and storage options. Let us see what the smartphone offers in terms of specs.

Specifications of Google Pixel 8a

Design and Display

The Google Pixel 8a carries the same Pixel 8 series with the pill-shaped camera module encased in a metal strip. Even though the design language is the same as the Pixel smartphones recently, the 8a has a slightly updated design from the Pixel 7a. The 7a has a boxy design with ever so slightly curved edges whereas the 8a has more curved edges making it look rounded more than boxy. The back is made of plastic whereas the frame is made of aluminium.

The Google Pixel 8a has a hole-punch cutout on the front, which houses the selfie camera. The bezels however are slightly thicker which many people are not happy about. With most of the competitors in the price range having a seamless bezel-less design language, the 8a looks a bit traditional. The display features a 6.1-inch display with an OLED technology. It has a 20:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080 x 2400, resulting in a pixel density of 430 pixels per inch (PPI). The display supports a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smooth scrolling and transitions.

It can reach a brightness of up to 1,400 nits for HDR content and up to 2,000 nits for peak brightness. With a contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1 and HDR support, the display delivers vibrant colours and deep blacks. Additionally, it has a full 24-bit depth, enabling it to show 16 million colours accurately. The display also features an always-on mode with At a Glance and Now Playing functionalities for quick access even when the screen is off. For durability and protection, the display of the Google Pixel 8a features Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and IP67 dust and water resistance.

Performance and Storage

The Google Pixel 8a is powered by the flagship Google Sensor G3 chipset, featuring a nona-core CPU configuration which includes one high-performance Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3.0 GHz, four Cortex-A715 cores running at 2.45 GHz, and four Cortex-A510 cores operating at 2.15 GHz. For graphics processing, the Pixel 8a uses the Immortalis-G715s MC10 GPU.

As for the operating system, the 8a runs on the latest Android 14. Like its elder siblings, the smartphone provides 7 years of OS and security updates. Google Pixel smartphones are known for their software experience with the features. The software is now further aided with AI features like Generative AI wallpaper generator, Pixel call assist, Circle to search and Audio emoji.

The memory option has also increased with 8GB RAM paired with two storage options 128GB and 256GB of internal storage.

Camera

The rear camera setup of the Google Pixel 8a has a 64MP Quad PD wide camera with an aperture of ƒ/1.89 and a pixel width of 0.8 mm. It has an 80-degree field of view and features Super Res Zoom, allowing up to 8x magnification. Additionally, there’s a 13MP ultrawide camera with an aperture of ƒ/2.2, offering a wider 120-degree field of view and lens correction. The wide camera benefits from both optical and electronic image stabilization for steady shots.

Camera features include Magic Editor, Best Take, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Panorama, Manual white balancing, Locked Folder, Night Sight, Top Shot, Portrait mode, Portrait Light, Motion Auto-Focus, Frequent Faces, Dual exposure controls, Live HDR+, Ultra HDR, Long Exposure, and Astrophotography. Regarding video capabilities, the rear camera supports 4K video recording at both 30 and 60 FPS, as well as 1080p video recording at the same frame rates.

It also offers features like Cinematic Pan, Slow-motion video support up to 240 FPS, 4K timelapse with stabilization, Astrophotography timelapse, and various stabilization modes including optical image stabilization, fused video stabilization, and Cinematic Pan video stabilization. The video formats supported include HEVC (H.265) and AVC (H.264).

The front camera of the Google Pixel 8a features a 13-megapixel sensor with a pixel width of 1.12 mm and an aperture of ƒ/2.2. It offers a fixed focus and a wide 96.5-degree ultrawide field of view.

Battery and Others

The Google Pixel 8a is equipped with a 4492 mAh battery which is slightly increased from its predecessor, the Pixel 7a. It supports 18W wired charging and also features 7.5W wireless charging capabilities. In terms of connectivity, the Google Pixel 8a supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e standards for wireless internet access and Bluetooth 5.3 technology for seamless connection to compatible devices such as headphones and speakers.

The Network connectivity on the Pixel 8a includes LTE and 5G support, for high-speed data transfer and smooth. The smartphone can accommodate one Nano-SIM and one eSIM card. Additionally, it comes with a range of sensors including an under-display fingerprint sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyrometer, magnetometer, and barometer. The buttons and ports include a USB Type-C® 3.2 port, power button, and volume controls.

The Google Pixel 8a is available in four colour options; Aloe, Bay, Porcelain and Obsidian.

The Google Pixel 8a can be expected to cost around Rs 84,400 for the 8/128GB option if it arrives in Nepal.