- Bryan Tan
The Pixel Phone To Get, If You Haven't Already Got One!
Updated: Dec 19, 2023
So I've been testing out the Google Pixel 7a for the past month and I must say, if I haven't already owned a Pixel 6, this will currently be the Pixel phone I will go for.
Design
The Pixel 7a adopts the same design aesthetic as the Pixel 7 with a durable plastic back, an aluminium frame with the camera bar, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 back and is available in four colours: Charcoal, Sea and Snow. At just 193.5g, it is slightly lighter and smaller than the Pixel 7; while we're on the topic of differences, there is also a much thicker bezel on the 7a.
There is also IP67 dust and water resistance for those who like using their phones in the shower; I'm sure there are some of you around.
All in all, nothing really new here, just the usual 'A' series refresh. Users who favour compact phones will definitely prefer this smaller form factor; the only caveat is that the rounded edges of the 7a make the phone feel fatter when a case is on.
Display & Audio
The Pixel 7a sports a 6.1-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,080 by 2,400 pixels. The panel is colourful and bright enough for daily use at 1,000 nits HBM and 1,400 peaks, definitely not the brightest in the market.
The notable feature here is that the 7a is the first 'A' series refresh to feature a 90Hz refresh rate, making the scrolling and gaming experience so much smoother compared to the 6a. This makes the 7a much more appealing at its current price point, so if the refresh rate is a major deciding factor for you when purchasing a phone, this may put the 7a on your radar.
The speaker's performance is passable, with the same front and side-firing positioning adopted in the 6 and 7 series. By now, I'd hoped they would have at least engineered a way to have all front-firing speakers, much like the Pixel 3. Still, understandably, the 7a is ultimately a mid-series refresh, so there are limitations around that.
Performance
The Pixel 7a is powered by the same Tensor G2 processor found in the 7 and 7 Pro with 8GB of RAM across all SKUs.
| GeekBench Single | GeekBench Multi |
Pixel 7a | 1,220 | 2,523 |
Pixel 7 | 1,046 | 2,749 |
Pixel 7 Pro | 1,040 | 2,888 |
The experience is very similar to the Pixel 7, so there's nothing much to note here; I've recently picked up Honkai Star Rail (HSR), which is quite a graphically intensive title for mobile devices; so if your settings aren't tweaked right, the 7a will have a hard time keeping up over sustained gaming sessions.
| 3DMark Wild Life | 3DMark Wild Life Extreme |
Pixel 7a | 6,605 | 1,860 |
Pixel 7 | 5,689 | 1,785 |
Pixel 7 Pro | 6,019 | 1,826 |
Shameless plug here, but HSR is a pretty awesome game and if you want to see the different ways you can play the game, check out our video here!
Camera
The Pixel 7a has a dual rear camera setup with a 64MP (f/1.9) primary and a 13MP (f/2.2) ultrawide.
Stills are given that 'Pixel' processing with rich contrast and grading; coupled with your usual toolkit of features like Night Sight and Portrait Mode, you can elevate your photography to greater heights within the limitations of a smartphone.
Aside from the stills here, the images featured on my Sony Float Run and (upcoming) Kobo Eplisa 2E review are all taken with the Pixel 7a. The camera is also able to shoot video in 4K up to 60FPS.
Battery Life
With a 4,385 mAh battery, Google claims the phone can last up to 24 hours on a single charge; in my real-world usage, I always ended the day at around 10 to 15%, with usage scenarios including but not limited to, HSR, WhatsApp, Telegram, Apple Music (Yes...), Google Docs and YouTube videos.
To charge up the 7a, Google also included an 18W power adaptor and cable, which is slow by today's standards; still, not a big issue for me as I routinely charge my phone at night while sleeping, so I'm always starting the day at 100%.
Pricing & Availability
The Google Pixel 7a is available for purchase now at S$749 and you can pick one up from Google's website, as well as from major retailers and e-commerce platforms.
It's only available in 128GB, which is a major bummer if you need the storage space, there is the Google One subscription, but it requires a certain level of tech-savviness and, not to mention, time to set it up properly.
Conclusion
With the higher megapixel count, refresh rate, lower price and slightly more compact size, I'm convinced that Google is actively trying to cannibalise their Pixel 7. They are spec for spec the same phone and the only way you would want to grab the 7 over the 7a is that the build quality is more premium and it has a narrower bezel.
If you aren't already a Pixel purist and you have been peeking into this side of the fence for a while, this is the one I highly recommend for most people right now.