After much rumor and teasing, the Google Pixel 8a has been unveiled, and it’s a budget phone with a host of generative AI capabilities.
The Pixel 8a inherits many of its design cues from the Google Pixel 8 and its direct predecessor, the Google Pixel 7a, retaining the signature rectangular camera bar of both phones and the latter’s 6.1-inch screen size – though there are some changes.
The screen is an Acuta panel with a 2400 x 1400 resolution, meaning it gets up to 40% brighter than the Pixel 7a’s screen and comes with a 120Hz refresh rate instead of 90Hz. The rear cameras include a 64-megapixel main sensor with an 80-degree field of view and the ability to capture video at 30 frames per second and 60 fps in 4K resolution, while the ultra-wide camera gets a bump to 13 MP and a Field of View of 120 degrees; on the front there is a 13 MP camera.
There’s a fresh range of colors for the more affordable Pixel, with the 8a available in Aloe (think light pastel green), Bay (light blue), Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (white).
While the Pixel 7a only offered a 128GB storage model, Google decided that the Pixel 8a would also benefit from the 256GB internal storage option. Support for 18W wireless charging is present, as is the option for Qi wireless charging. And the battery has also seen a small increase, from 4,385 mAh to 4,492 mAh – expect decent battery life, but nothing to write home about.
I say that because the Pixel 8a comes with Google’s Tensor G3 chip, the same processor found in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which not only means a decent amount of power, but also an AI-centric processing pipeline, making the new phone can offer the same range of AI and generative AI features as its bigger stablemates.
Naturally, Best Take is present, which allows users to get the best facial expressions for everyone in a group photo, as well as the generative, AI-based Magic Editor, which allows photos to be recropped, with the smart technology generating images to fill in any gaps or create a photo can in principle be completely recomposed.
The less flashy smart camera features have also been carried over to the Pixel 8a, including Audio Magic Eraser, which can cleverly remove background noise from videos, Real Tone in Video, which ensures skin tones are accurately captured, and Guided Frame mode. to help people with visual impairments take a neatly composed photo.
The generative AI also comes into play elsewhere, with the Pixel 8a having the slick and powerful Circle to Search feature, which lets you press and hold the Android home button and then circle an object or subject in a photo or on the screen, and the AI attempts to identify what is circled and display relevant search results.
The Pixel 8a gets other tools like Call Assist, which can wait for you in a phone queue and alert you when it’s your turn to talk to a customer service representative, and the Gemini AI Assistant, which can perform a variety of tasks like summarize emails and add images to things with just one command; Please note that its availability depends on languages and regions. Smart safety measures are also put in place for good measure, with tools like car accident detection and an automated safety check that aims to keep users safe or quickly access help if they aren’t.
In short, the Google Pixel 8a is essentially a cheaper way to access a whole host of Google’s latest smart and generative AI-based features. Priced at $499 (we’re still waiting on the Australian price), it keeps the same price as its predecessor, but comes with more powerful innards and a new dose of smart features – and there’s now seven years of software updates, a scoop for the Pixel a series.
Pre-orders are live today (May 7) and the Google Pixel 8a will hit shelves on May 14. We’d recommend waiting for Ny Breaking’s review before taking the plunge on the new Pixel; If you’re dying to buy a phone today, check out our list of best phones and list of best cheap phones for a budget option.
