Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7a: Good things come in small packages

There are indeed rumors that Pixel 7a could be the latest member of the affordable Pixel series, and it would make sense for the Pixel 8 to act as its spiritual successor of sorts, so it’s quite interesting to see how things will turn out for Google’s compact phones in the future.

Design and display quality

Pixel friendly design

THE Pixel 7a is unapologetically Pixel, with a familiar, friendly design language that mostly fits the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Gone is the black stripe on the back of the phone, one of the iconic elements of the Pixel 6 series. Instead, the Pixel 7a has a 3D metal visor in the same color as the side frame of the phone. As you would expect from an “affordable” Pixel, the back of the phone is made of plastic, while the frame of the phone is made of recycled aluminum.

THE Pixel 8, on the other hand, is a cooler take on the Pixel design, with slightly more curved edges and contours. The 3D visor on the back is slightly larger and the device comes in a host of fresh new colors.

The big difference, however, lies in the size. THE Pixel 8 features a 6.2-inch screen, a bit larger than the 6.1-inch screen on the Pixel 7abut at the same time, the Pixel 8 is the most compact and lightest phone, so it surely has a much more efficient design.

THE Pixel 7a The box is neatly packed with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable in the box, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C adapter, the usual booklets and a SIM card ejector tool . No charger in the box of this one; This is the new normal.

In terms of size and display qualities, the Pixel 7a reiterates the Pixel 6a specifications for the most part. It comes with a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display with relatively thick bezels, a punch-hole display, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. Of note is the increase in refresh rate to 90Hz, which makes navigating the interface noticeably smoother and more rewarding. The phone supports displaying HDR content.

THE Pixel 8 comes with Google’s new Actua display, which can reach up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness. This is cool and would surely leave the Pixel 7a in the dust regarding overall brightness. THE Pixel 8 also allows up to 120Hz refresh rate, but its display is not an LTPO like the Pixel 8 Pro, so the user can only manually switch between 60 and 120Hz in the settings. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7a can only display content at 60 or 90 Hz, which is not as smooth. Apart from that, the Pixel 8 has a much brighter screen with significantly better outdoor readability, but other than that both devices have very decent OLED screens.

THE Pixel 7a and the Pixel 8 both come with in-display fingerprint scanners and photo-based face unlock on board. The fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 7a is fast and snappy, but you need to make good contact with the scanning area. You can also use the faster and more convenient Face Unlock, although it’s certainly not as secure as the fingerprint scanner.

At the same time, the Pixel 8Face unlock is considered as secure as possible, so you can not only unlock the phone but also use photo face unlock to authenticate fintech apps.

Performance and software

Will the generational leap from Tensor G2 to G3 be significant?

Although it is perceived as “affordable”, the Pixel 7a is actually powered by the flagship Tensor G2 chipset, which is the same one that clicks and ticks inside the Pixel 7 And Pixel 7 Pro. That’s pretty fast by today’s standards, but it’s worth emphasizing once again that Google’s line of custom Tensor chips has never been about raw performance and high benchmark scores. Instead, it puts artificial intelligence as well as machine learning at the forefront.

From my personal experience, performance on the Pixel 7a is more than adequate. However, you’ll need to adjust your expectations accordingly, so don’t expect record-breaking fps numbers in 3D games. For my regular use, the Pixel 7a is perfectly capable of easily handling anything I throw at it. The smoother display definitely leaves the phone feeling a lot faster, which certainly contributes to its perceived performance. There’s only 128GB of storage available on board, so you’ll probably need to resort to a cloud-based storage solution at some point.

THE Pixel 8, on the other hand, comes with the 64-bit non-core Tensor G3 chipset only, along with a faster GPU and a new TPU unit for AI and ML calculations. THE Pixel 8 comes with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 128GB or 256GB of native UFS 3.1 storage.

In terms of software support, the Pixel 7a comes with Android 13 and will get three major software updates as well as five years of security support. This means you should expect Android 14, Android 15, and Android 16 to power the latest Pixel phone, and it will receive security patches until 2028.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 will receive the humble seven years of software updates and major Android releases until 2030, which is awesome!

Camera

Pixel 7a gets new cameras, can we expect the same for Pixel 8?

THE Pixel 7a comes with a 64 MP wide-angle camera using the imaging prowess of an all-new camera sensor for the Pixel line: the Sony IMX787. At 64 MP it looks like a very decent resolution, but don’t expect the resolution to be very good. Pixel 7a to produce 64MP photos. Google uses quad-binning to combine four pixels into one, producing 16 MP photos. Said four pixels can pass much more light than just one, improving the phone’s low-light capabilities.

The ultra-wide-angle camera is also new. THE Pixel 7a comes with the 13MP Sony IMX712 sensor, whereas most previous Pixel phones previously relied on the 12MP Sony IMX386.

At the same time, the Pixel 8 comes with a 50 MP main camera with improved light sensitivity thanks to the wide f/1.68 aperture on the bridge. The ultra-wide, however, remains 12MP. The selfie camera is 10.5 MP, but unlike the Pixel 8 Prowe don’t get autofocus.

Main Camera – Daytime Photos

In broad daylight, there’s virtually no difference between the camera samples taken between the two phones, or if there is, it’s not something worth noting. Exceptional dynamics and detail, plus that iconic Pixel camera style with enhanced contrast and color, is what you get with either one. Interestingly, the Pixel 7a stands firm against Pixel 8.

Main Camera – Low Light/Night Photos

The low-light performance of the two phones is quite comparable, with the only difference being slightly better dynamics on the Pixel 8. However, nothing very radical at all.

Zoom quality

In terms of zoom, the Pixel 8 has a slight edge, with lighter details visible.

Portrait mode

When it comes to portraits, the Pixel 8 disappoints. The background blur is too strong and looks too out of place, while the Pixel 7a has this more natural look that appears more pleasing to the eye.

Ultra-wide camera

The camera samples speak for themselves: little to no difference in ultra-wide camera performance either.

Selfies

With a 4,385 mAh battery on board, the Pixel 7a strikes a very good balance between battery capacity and overall size: it’s quite compact but lasts hard! As far as the Pixels go, it’s a pretty decent battery that can potentially last more than a day. And if you don’t hesitate to activate the Extreme Battery Saver mode here and there, the phone might even last you longer.

When it comes to Pixel 8there’s a 4,485mAh battery inside, but Google doesn’t expect significantly better battery life compared to the Pixel 7. Around 30 hours and up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver mode is what we expect from the new Pixel.

THE Pixel 7a doesn’t come with a charger in the box and the Pixel probably won’t feature the essential wall adapter either. THE Pixel 7a supports wired charging up to 18W and debuts at an affordable price Pixel 70.5W wireless charging. This is quite slow compared to most flagships supporting up to 15W, but even with wireless charging on the Pixel 7a is something of a victory. THE Pixel 8on the other hand, gets 30W wired charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.

During our test, the Pixel 8 charges much faster than the Pixel 7awhich is normal.

So far we do not yet have the detailed specifications of the Pixel 8but we will update this table as soon as we know more.

Although slightly more expensive than its predecessor, the Pixel 7a is a very decent offering combining near-flagship specs with a mid-range price. Of course, for $100 more you can get a Pixel 7but don’t be so quick to shoot down the Pixel 7a just now. It’s a no-nonsense phone that focuses on the essentials and will easily last a long time if you give it the chance.

THE Pixel 8 seems like great value for money, but if you’ve already invested in the Pixel 7athen you probably shouldn’t consider the Pixel 8. Still, if you’re using a much older Pixel phone, getting one Pixel 8 that would make perfect sense: it will be supported for a long, long time.