Google Pixel 8a

The Google Pixel 8a is one of the best midrange phones you can buy right now. For $499, it offers leading features from the $699 Pixel 8 and the $999 Pixel 8 Pro, such as useful AI tools, Google's G3 processor, top-notch cameras, and seven years of software support. We wish it supported faster charging and had newer protective glass on the front, but neither of these drawbacks is a major detractor considering how much else you're getting for the price. As such, the Pixel 8a earns our Editors' Choice award for midrange Android phones thanks to its value and competitive performance.

Design: Refined Looks

At 5.99 by 2.86 by 0.35 inches (HWD) and 6.63 ounces, the Pixel 8a is essentially the same size as the Pixel 7a (5.98 by 2.87 by 0.35 inches, 6.84 ounces), but a bit lighter. However, both are larger and heavier than the Pixel 8 (5.93 by 2.79 by 0.35 inches, 6.60 ounces). The $599.99 Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is bigger than all three Pixels at 6.22 by 3.01 by 0.32 inches and 7.37 ounces.

The Pixel 8a looks a lot like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro thanks to its rounded corners and camera bar. The back is matte like the Pixel 8 Pro, not glossy like the Pixel 8. It resists fingerprints and grime well. Nine antenna lines are visible around the frame, with four outlining the camera bar. The phone comes in four colors: Aloe (green), Bay (blue), Obsidian (black), or Porcelain (off-white). I tested the Porcelain version.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

A 6.1-inch OLED display occupies the front of the device, but it's worth calling out the bezel. Yes, it's thicker than on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but I don't find it distracting, and it doesn't impede the device's functionality. In some ways, the bezel reminds me of the black ring around the Pixel Watch's display. You might notice it at first, but it's easy to ignore.

The 8a's combination of aluminum and glass makes for a smooth, sleek design. Gorilla Glass 3 covers the front, which is several generations old. The 8a features an IP67 rating like the Pixel 7a, which is good, but a bit less impressive than the IP68 rating for the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. For comparison, the $399.99 Samsung Galaxy A35 has an IP67 rating, while the Galaxy S23 FE offers IP68 protection. Generally, you shouldn't worry about the difference between an IP67 and IP68 rating unless you plan to frequently submerge your phone in water. The Pixel 8a should withstand accidental spills and rain just fine.

The power button and volume rocker on the right side have the perfect amount of response and are easy to access with a thumb. A single down-firing speaker, a USB-C port (USB 3.2), and a slit that mirrors the speaker in size and shape are on the bottom. Google positioned the SIM tray on the left edge; the Pixel 8a supports a single nano SIM card and an eSIM.

Google sticks to its distinctive camera bar for the rear of the Pixel 8a, though it doesn't extend from the back surface as much as the one on the Pixel 8. Two cameras are on the left side of the bar, while a flash is on the right.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

As for biometrics, you can use the under-display fingerprint sensor or face unlock. Both methods meet the highest Android biometric security class, so they are usable for authenticating purchases. I didn't have any issues with either in testing.

Display: Bright and Fast

Google brands its screens for its Pixel 8 series. The Pixel 8a features a Google Actua Display like the Pixel 8, while the Pixel 8a has a Super Actua panel. A feature that ties them together is their brightness and how quickly they can ramp it up. When I tried taking photos outdoors in testing, I had the 8a's adaptive brightness mode turned off for an unrelated test and couldn't see the display. But turning on the adaptive brightness mode made the screen perfectly visible. I was surprised by how quickly the display boosted the brightness to counteract the ambient light.

The Pixel 8a's 6.1-inch OLED is smaller than that of the Pixel 8 (6.2 inches) and Pixel 8 Pro (6.7 inches). It has a resolution of 2,400 by 1,080 pixels, an adaptive refresh rate of 60-120Hz, and a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits (1,400 nits HDR). The screen is beautiful to look at in almost any lighting condition. It was easy to see on a bright, sunny day in testing, so using the phone outdoors shouldn't be an issue.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Animations look smooth thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate, while colors are vibrant in both Adaptive and Natural modes. The Pixel 8 Pro's screen is a bit more efficient since it can scale from 1-120Hz.

Performance: Just as Good as the Pixel 8 Pro

The base Pixel 8a comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can spend $60 more to get 256GB. This option is available only for the Obsidian color. For comparison, the Pixel 8 is available with the same options, while the Pixel 8 Pro ships with 12GB of RAM and has storage options up to 1TB. All Pixel 8 devices run on Google's Tensor G3 system on a chip (SoC).

Generally, the Pixel 8a handled anything I threw at it without issue. Casual activities like browsing the web, shopping, and scrolling social media feeds didn't pose a problem. Multitasking and switching apps also worked seamlessly.

(Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)

On Geekbench 6, which measures CPU performance, the Pixel 8a scored 1,545 on the single-core test and 4,208 on the multi-core test. These results are in line with the Pixel 8 (1,553 and 3,882) but slightly behind the Pixel 8 Pro (1,751 and 4,384). Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 FE with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip scored 1,520 on the single-core test and 3,143 on the multi-core one.

To simulate general mobile tasks, I ran the PCMark Work 3.0 test. The Pixel 8a scored 11,982, better than both the Pixel 8 (9,427) and Pixel 8 Pro (11,709). However, the Galaxy S23 FE managed to beat all the Pixels with a score of 14,389.

Next, I ran the 1440p Aztec Ruins GFXBench test, which evaluates graphical performance. The Pixel 8 ran at 26fps, while the 8 Pro hit 55fps. The Pixel 8a matched the 8 Pro at 55fps.

For real-world performance testing, I ran the resource-intensive Genshin Impact. At lower settings, the game played smoothly without delay or slowdown. When I enabled the highest settings, the back of the phone became warm; the metal camera bar, in particular, ran hotter than the glass panel. Gaming performance remained excellent, though, and the phone never became uncomfortable to hold.

Battery Life: Competitive for the Cost

The Google Pixel 8a features a 4,492mAh battery that supports wired charging at up to 18W and Qi wireless charging at 7.5W. However, the Pixel 8a's wired charging speed is slower than the Pixel 8 (27W) and the Pixel 8 Pro (30W). Additionally, competitors like the Galaxy S23 FE support faster 15W wireless charging.

In our battery tests, in which we stream a 1080p video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, the Pixel 8a lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes. That's two hours more than the Pixel 8 and the Galaxy S23 FE.

In testing, the Pixel 8a charged from 0% to 100% in 1 hour and 50 minutes with an appropriate fast charger. A quick, 15-minute charge brought the battery up to 23%, while a 30-minute session took it to 43%. You must provide your own charger; Google doesn't include one in the box.

The Pixel 8 doesn't support reverse wireless charging, something you get with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

Connectivity: Modern Radios and Clear Audio

For connectivity, the Google Pixel 8a offers 5G (sub-6GHz, including C-band, as well as the faster, but rarer, mmWave variety) on all the major carriers in the US. In addition, you get Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC for mobile payments. Those specs mostly match the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, though the pricier phones support the newer Wi-Fi 7 standard.

On T-Mobile's 5G UC network in New York City, the Pixel 8a reached speeds of 446Mbps down and 122Mbps up. Under the same conditions, the Galaxy S23 FE performed similarly with speeds of 411Mbps down and 81.8Mbps up.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

When I connected the 8a to a Wi-Fi 6 access point, peak download speeds hit 486Mbps and uploads reached 15.6Mbps. Despite also having Wi-Fi 6E, the Galaxy S23 FE fared worse with download and upload speeds of 222Mbps and 13.9Mbps, respectively. When I took the devices as far away as possible from the Wi-Fi access point in my apartment, the Pixel 8a managed speeds of 194Mbps down and 1.6Mbps up. The Galaxy S23 FE did better here with download and upload speeds of 207Mbps and 10.3Mbps.

Call quality is excellent. Voices sound clear and the mics reject background noise quite well. The earpiece speaker reaches 87.2dB and the speakerphone hits 78.8dB. I find that anything over 70dB is easily audible even in moderately noisy environments, so the Pixel 8a does well here.

For music playback, the Pixel 8a offers a full sound through its stereo speakers, though reproducing deep bass notes like those in The Knife's "Silent Shout" is asking too much. Connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones if you want better low-end response. The speakers reached 93.2dB when I tried playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman."

Cameras: Superb, As Usual

Google claims the Pixel 8a has the best phone camera under $500. After testing, I'm inclined to agree.

The phone has a 64MP f/1.89 main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS). It uses pixel binning to output 16MP images. It doesn't feature the laser-detect autofocus of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. A 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view joins the main camera. The front-facing, 13MP f/2.2 camera has a 96.5-degree field of view.

(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

After taking many test shots, I can say that the Pixel 8a's images bear a remarkable resemblance to those from the Pixel 8 Pro. Like almost every other Pixel phone, colors are rich, but slightly oversaturated compared with reality. Details in light and shadowy areas are sharp, though the Pixel 8 Pro renders a bit more detail here.

The main camera produces beautiful results; subjects look both crisp and vivid. You don't get the option to take photos at the full 64MP resolution, an omission Google doesn't explain. Within the Pixel lineup, only the 8 Pro can take advantage of its main camera's full resolution.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The ultra-wide camera captures photos with a similar look to the main one, though some warping is evident on the sides of the frame. Google's software corrects most of the distortion, but the results aren't entirely effective at the edges.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Selfies look crisp, with good color and detail, though the Pixel 8a can blur out the wrong things sometimes, which gives images an unnatural look. To be fair, other phones also struggle with this.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Video capture tops out at 4K60 for both the front and rear cameras. The quality of both is similar, with bright colors and fine details. The biggest difference is that the rear camera uses optical image stabilization to produce smooth, gimbal-like clips. Footage from the front-facing camera looks smooth, too, but not to the level of the rear OIS system.

AI Magic Throughout

Google's AI features, including Magic Editor, Audio Magic Eraser, and Best Take, are on full display in the Google Photos app and work as well here as on the other Pixel 8 devices.

Magic Editor lets you remove or resize items from your image regardless of whether you took the picture with a Pixel phone. Results weren't always seamless when I tried removing or resizing objects, but that's forgivable given the feature's ease of use.

(Credit:Google/PCMag)

Audio Magic Eraser also worked like a charm. I took a test video outdoors and was able to separate three sources: my voice, nature sounds, and general background noise like sirens. Audio Magic Eraser can sometimes separate just two elements: voices and background noise. Remixing the audio to boost my voice and bring down car sirens was quite easy.

(Credit: Google/PCMag)

AI goes beyond Google Photos, of course. A feature in Chrome can provide a summary of a website, for instance, while the Read Aloud function can dictate site content. You can call upon either by holding down the power button. You'll have to wait if you want to use Google's Gemini-based AI tool. It's not available to the 8a at launch, but will become available via a feature drop later this year.

Software: Seven Years of Support

The Pixel 8a ships with Android 14, which has been finely tuned at this point. Generally, Android is easy to use with plenty of helpful tips to guide newcomers. If you don't like Google's default launcher, you can always install your own.

Like the other Pixel 8 devices, Google backs the 8a with seven years of OS updates, feature drops, and security fixes. Samsung is the only other major Android phone maker that matches this policy. I'm a big fan of this long support window since it means you can keep your phone up to date for a significant amount of time.

Verdict: The New Midrange Phone to Beat

Simply put, the Google Pixel 8a is the best Android phone under $500. It offers class-leading cameras, performs on par with more expensive competitors, offers helpful AI features, and benefits from a lengthy software support policy. The Galaxy S23 FE is a decent alternative for $100 more if you primarily use Samsung devices, but everyone else should get the Pixel 8a. While it makes some concessions in build quality and charging speed, the Pixel 8a is even worth considering over the Pixel 8 considering it costs $200 less. For all the value it offers, the Pixel 8a easily earns our Editors' Choice award.