Google Pixel 7a Evaluation: A Pixel 7, for Much less

At a look

Professional’s Ranking

Professionals

• Phenomenal digital camera for the value
• Wonderful Google software program
• Robust efficiency
• Water resistant

Cons

• Gradual charging
• Wi-fi charging is unreliable
• Not as quick because the Pixel 7
• Solely 90Hz show

Our Verdict

The Pixel 7a is one other wonderful mid-range cellphone from Google that sticks surprisingly near its flagship forebear whereas nonetheless providing spectacular worth. As ever the digital camera is the spotlight, however easy software program and good efficiency hold this a compelling – albeit imperfect – bundle.

Value When Reviewed

$499

Finest Costs Right now: Google Pixel 7a

$499.00

Few cellphone manufacturers make mid-rangers like Google does nowadays. Its Pixel A-series telephones are direct descendants of the corporate’s flagships, with a lot shared DNA that at occasions they really feel like flagships in their very own proper.  

That’s by no means been more true than with the Pixel 7a, which as soon as once more shares the chipset of the flagships it follows, however now throws in the identical show tech and wi-fi charging to finish the phantasm that it is a Pixel 7 in all however identify. 

A slight value hike isn’t sufficient to disrupt the worth on supply right here – if nothing else, it’s inside the bounds of the final yr’s inflation – and the Pixel 7a does sufficient to place each different mid-range cellphone on the market on discover. 

Design & construct 

• Comparatively compact by trendy requirements 
• Metallic body with glass & plastic physique 
• IP67 score 

At a look, the Pixel 7a seems an terrible lot just like the Pixel 7 and 7 Professional – and never accidentally. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

There are variations although. A smaller display means the cellphone as a complete right here is a bit more compact than even the usual Pixel 7. This isn’t as small because the likes of the Asus Zenfone 9 or iPhone 13 Mini, however it’s about the identical measurement as final yr’s 6a and nonetheless smaller than most trendy handsets. 

The 7a runs very barely thicker than the 7, one of many few visible clues to its value level, although this has the knock-on impact that the digital camera bar doesn’t protrude from the physique fairly as a lot. 

Regardless of being about the identical measurement, the cellphone is a full 15g heavier than the 6a. At 193g it’s nonetheless a contact lighter than the Pixel 7, however it’s now not an particularly light-weight handset. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

With that weight a minimum of comes some sturdiness. Gorilla Glass coats the glass show, plastic coats the again, and metallic body coats an up to date design that Google says is more durable than ever. The cellphone has an IP67 score, giving it distinctive mud and water safety for the value. 

Lastly, it is available in a variety of vibrant colors. I’ve been testing the comparatively boring Charcoal, however you can even seize it in Snow (white) or Sea (blue) from most shops, with a Coral (crimson/orange) possibility obtainable completely from Google. 

Display & audio system 

• ‘Small’ 6.1in OLED show 
• 90Hz refresh price 
• Stereo audio system 

The Pixel 7a’s show is lastly a match for the flagship Pixel 7 – which, perversely, means it’s nonetheless lagging behind a lot of the competitors. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The 6.1in panel is comparatively small however surrounded by a chunky black bezel – Google has by no means put a lot effort into borderless screens. 

It’s an OLED panel and, for the primary time within the A-series, it helps the identical 90Hz refresh price because the Pixel 7. Meaning smoother animations and better potential body charges whereas gaming, making the cellphone as a complete really feel quicker. 

The unhealthy information is that nowadays nearly each rival mid-range cellphone packs a 120Hz panel, typically additionally OLED, so the 7a nonetheless feels a little bit behind as compared. The excellent news is that the sensible hole between 90Hz and 120Hz is small, and so there’s not an excessive amount of to complain about right here. Google’s accomplished the essential bit, and a 90Hz panel is quick sufficient to now not really feel like an egregious weak spot.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The display seems good too, with punchy colors and nice viewing angles. It’s not the brightest round, so might really feel a little bit restricted outdoors in direct daylight, however in any other case I don’t have a lot trigger for criticism. 

Punchy stereo audio system assist, with respectable quantity. Sound will get a little bit muddied, with much less readability and separation to the sound than I’d like, however for a cellphone this will get the job accomplished. 

Specs & efficiency 

• Google Tensor G2 chipset 
• 8GB RAM and 128GB storage 
• No bodily dual-SIM 

It’s change into custom for Pixel A telephones to re-use the chipset present in that technology’s flagships, and the identical is true right here. The 7a is powered by the Tensor G2, Google’s second-generation in-house chip, discovered not solely within the Pixel 7 telephones but in addition within the newly introduced Pixel Fold and Pixel Pill. 

With a give attention to machine studying, the Tensor chips typically really feel a little bit under-powered in Google’s flagship telephones, however the G2 is good right here, with comparable efficiency to mid-range rivals together with the Samsung Galaxy A54. 

What’s odd trying on the cellphone’s benchmark outcomes is that it’s hardly quicker than the 6a, and markedly under-performs the Pixel 7 – regardless of operating on the identical {hardware}. That may very well be all the way down to unfinished optimisation, inferior cooling, or perhaps a acutely aware effort to underclock the G2 on this cellphone, however both approach know that proper now you’re not fairly getting the complete flagship efficiency. 

Nonetheless, the lengthy and in need of it’s that the G2 is highly effective sufficient to maintain the Pixel 7a feeling snappy it doesn’t matter what you throw at it, however it may start to wrestle if you happen to ramp up the graphics settings on among the extra demanding Android video games on the market. 

Google has saved issues easy by solely providing the 7a in a single spec, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That isn’t expandable both, with Google clearly hoping that you simply’ll as an alternative spend money on its Google One cloud storage choices. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

As for networking, all the most recent stuff is right here – 5G (together with mmWave), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E – however like all Pixel telephones the 7a gained’t assist two bodily SIM playing cards. As a substitute, you may pair one bodily SIM with a second eSIM, however relying in your service that may not be an possibility, so you might must look elsewhere for a dual-SIM cellphone. 

There’s additionally a welcome improve to biometrics. Along with the dependable fingerprint sensor below the show, Google has additionally lastly added assist for Face Unlock for the A-series Pixel utilizing the one selfie digital camera. It’s fast, seamless, and simply works. 

Digital camera & video 

• Wonderful 64Mp foremost digital camera 
• Improbable low-light efficiency 
• 4K video from each digital camera 

Google has rebuilt the Pixel 7a’s digital camera from the bottom up with all-new sensors that you simply gained’t discover in both the 6a or the flagship 7. 

On the coronary heart of that is the 64Mp foremost digital camera, which makes use of each the best decision and largest sensor in a Pixel A-series cellphone but. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Pictures from this digital camera actually are wonderful. Virtually any mid-range cellphone will shoot nicely in good mild nowadays, however the 7a is equally comfy in difficult backlit scenes, dim eating places, and night-time streets with competing mild sources. 

Photographs are crisp and detailed, with wealthy however pure colors and nice dynamic vary. The one actual occasions I bumped into hassle have been occasional focus issues when capturing up shut, not helped by the shortage of any devoted macro mode. 

The principle shooter is joined by a 13Mp ultrawide lens. In simple lighting there’s little to inform this aside from the principle digital camera, however they pull aside a little bit at evening. The ultrawide isn’t unhealthy per se, however element does drop with the sunshine, and it has extra of a bent to blow out streetlights and comparable vibrant factors. 

There’s no devoted telephoto lens right here – no shock, since the usual Pixel 7 doesn’t have one both. The digital camera app does supply a 2x zoom possibility by default although, and in complete you may zoom to as much as 8x, all utilizing Google’s digital trickery off the principle lens. Outcomes are acceptable however unimpressive, and even at 2x some photographs – like my canalside graffiti shot – come out painterly and smooth.

Listed below are a pair picture units evaluating all three default zoom choices, adopted by some low-light comparisons between the ultrawide and foremost cameras:

Flip to the entrance and you discover one other 13Mp digital camera for selfies. It is a extensive lens, so can serve for each group photographs or solo selfies, and in daylight photographs are nice, with a portrait mode that’s among the many finest round. High quality noticeably drops at evening, however even most flagships wrestle with low-light selfies, so I wouldn’t maintain it in opposition to Google an excessive amount of. 

Your whole photographs additionally profit from a few of Google’s Pixel-exclusive software program methods through the Google Pictures app, like Magic Eraser to take away distracting objects or Unblur to, nicely, unblur. 

In a welcome twist, Google has additionally delivered 4K video at 30fps throughout every of the three lenses, with the principle digital camera in a position to go as much as 60fps. I’ve reviewed telephones twice this value (or extra) that gained’t document 4K video from the front-facing digital camera, so it’s secure to say that the 7a is extra TikTok-ready than most. 

Battery & charging 

• All-day battery life 
• Wired and wi-fi charging – however gradual 
• No charger in field 

Outfitted with a 4385mAh battery, the 7a has sufficient juice to final a full day of pretty typical utilization, although don’t count on far more than that. 

Battery is nicely beneath the midway line after I head to mattress most nights, and if the cellphone begins from a full cost at 8am then it is going to die mid-morning the subsequent day. 

Briefly: there’s sufficient battery life that you simply don’t actually have to fret about it, however you will want an everyday each day charging schedule. 

In principle this could enhance over time due to the cellphone’s ‘Adaptive Battery’ tech, which tries to study out of your utilization to optimise energy consumption, however in per week with the cellphone I can’t actually assess that. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Charging itself is a combined bag. Google has given the 7a a severe improve within the type of 7.5W wi-fi charging to go together with the 18W wired speeds, a welcome oddity for a cellphone at this value. 

These speeds are gradual although, and do not forget that Google doesn’t ship the cellphone with any charger in any respect – wired or wi-fi.  

Utilizing a third-party USB-C charger I managed to high the cellphone as much as 20% in quarter-hour, and 38% in half an hour, which means you’ll must put aside an hour or two to get a full cost. Quick charging this ain’t. 

My wi-fi expertise was worse, with the 7a topping itself up fortunately on certainly one of my Qi charging pads, however refusing to have interaction with two others, and charging agonisingly slowly on a 3rd. Maybe a firmware patch might repair this, however for now I wouldn’t solely belief it. 

Software program & updates 

• Ships with Android 13 
• Pixel software program stays Android’s finest 
• Three OS updates promised 

Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 7a ships operating Android 13, the most recent model of Google’s working system. 

As a Pixel cellphone, it is going to possible be among the many first to get the improve to Android 14 later this yr, and Google has promised that it’ll then even be upgraded to a minimum of Android 15 and 16. Safety patches will run for a minimum of 5 years, carrying you thru to 2028 – a fairly good run for any cellphone. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Today the software program on Google’s Pixel telephones – which isn’t fairly inventory Android, because it features a few exclusives – is comfortably the perfect on any Android cellphone, having seen off challenges from the likes of Samsung and OnePlus. 

Bolstered by the Materials You design overhaul from Android 12, that is the best-looking cellphone software program round – sure, even in comparison with iOS – and in use it’s easy and simple.  

You’ll should put up with a couple of Google-isms – the branded search bar is locked to your own home display whether or not you prefer it or not – however if you happen to’re shopping for a Google cellphone anyway then odds are you gained’t thoughts. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

As a Pixel cellphone, it additionally enjoys a couple of unique options not discovered on different Android units. I’ve already detailed a couple of of the additional digital camera choices, however you additionally get entry to Google’s wonderful Recorder app, good computerized name screening, Google Assistant dictation typing, and extra, with extra choices added within the sporadic Pixel Characteristic Drops. 

Value & availability 

The Pixel 7a is out now and can set you again $499/£449/€509 direct from Google, or from a wide range of different retailers. Listed below are among the finest UK contract affords proper now:

That’s $50/£50/€50 greater than the Pixel 6a value at launch, however extra importantly nonetheless a good chunk lower than the $599/£599/€649 Pixel 7 – particularly within the UK and Europe. 

When you can afford to stretch to the 7, the bounce in digital camera high quality and extra premium construct is perhaps worthwhile, however most individuals shall be completely pleased with what the 7a has to supply. 

It additionally affords a extra compelling bundle than some other mid-range cellphone on the market proper now, and nearly actually the perfect digital camera you’ll discover at this value. 

Verdict 

The Pixel 7a is one other reasonably priced triumph from Google, balancing a premium characteristic set with an reasonably priced value level, and within the course of inflicting some actual issues for its mid-range rivals. 

US consumers particularly is perhaps tempted by the slight $100 bounce as much as the slicker Pixel 7, however in apply the 7a ought to ship all the pieces most individuals need from a cellphone: stable efficiency, dependable battery life, and a very good foremost digital camera.  

An IP67 score and wi-fi charging (when it really works) add to the flagship feeling, whereas long-term software program assist ensures this shouldn’t want changing any time quickly. 

Proper now, that is the perfect mid-range cellphone, bar none. 

Specs 

• 6.1in, FHD+, 90Hz OLED 
• Google Tensor G2 chipset 
• Google Titan M2 safety chip 
• 8GB RAM 
• 128GB storage 
• Cameras: 
  • 64Mp, f/1.9 foremost digital camera 
  • 13Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide 
  • 13Mp, f/2.2 selfie digital camera 
• 4385mAh battery 
• 18W wired charging 
• 7.5W wi-fi charging 
• IP67 score 
• 5G 
• Android 13 
• 72.9 x 152.4 x 9.0mm 
• 193g