The Pixel 7a has everything you need

Today at Google I/O 2023, Google announced its newest mid-range phone in the Pixel 7a and it’s the best one yet. It features a similar design and specs with the standard Pixel 7, including a new 90Hz screen and support for wireless charging (though it’s a tad slow topping out at 7.5 watts). And just like previous A-series phones, the 7a cameras are good enough to hang with handsets twice its price while also boasting great battery life. But most importantly, it starts at $500. Unless you’re a hardcore mobile gamer or power user the Pixel 7a looks great and covers all the bases for not a ton of money.

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/Engadget

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/engadget

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/engadget

Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/engadget

Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@engadget

The Engadget Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engadget-podcast/id1142790530?mt=2

More about Engadget Audio: https://www.engadget.com/podcasts/

Read more: http://www.engadget.com

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

SAM RUTHERFORD: Google's A-series phones have been some of the best deals on the market, dating back to the original Pixel 3a. And while the cost of recent devices has crept up a bit, they've also become a lot more well rounded. But with the Pixel 7a, it feels like Google has nailed the balance between price and performance.

We're talking a Tensor G2 chip, a 90-Hertz display, wireless charging, and a higher-res rear camera, all starting at just $500. And when you factor in its design, the Pixel 7a delivers everything I like about the regular Pixel 7, but for a hundred dollars less. So if you're the kind of person who just wants a solid phone for a great price, the Pixel 7a has everything you need.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

From the outside, the 7a looks like a carbon copy of the standard Pixel 7. It's got that familiar two-tone design, with IP67 water resistance, and an almost identical camera bar. But if you peer a little closer, you will notice a couple of differences, like a slightly smaller, 6.1-inch OLED screen versus 6.3 for the regular Pixel 7 and a very slightly thicker and slightly lighter body.

And even though the 7a features what Google calls "thermoformed polycarbonate" on its back, which is a really fancy way of saying nice plastic, it pretty much feels the same too. In fact, I had to tap a coin on the back of the phone just to make sure. Because up until then, I thought they were the same rear material. Meanwhile, in front, the 7a gets a lovely, full HD OLED display with an inscreen fingerprint sensor, except now it also features a 90-Hertz refresh rate.

Granted, that's not quite as fast as what you get from the Pixel 7 Pro or other flagship phones. But coming from the 60-Hertz panel on last year's model, it's a very welcome upgrade. And when you combine that with a Tensor G2 chip, 8 gigs of RAM, and 128 gigs of storage, you end up with a really smooth user experience.

Text just glides down the screen when you're scrolling through websites. And while its smaller display probably means the 7a isn't going to be a mobile gamer's first choice for handsets, I still had a blast playing titles ranging from more demanding fare, like "Honkai, Star Rail" to casual stuff like "Marvel Snap." As for photography, the two big changes here are that the Pixel 7a now features a higher-res 64-megapixel main camera in back, while the 13-megapixel selfie camera in front can record 4K videos.

Now, in the past, the Pixel a has crushed basically every other phone in its price range. So, this time, to give the 7a more of a challenge, I compared it to both the Pixel 7 Pro and the S23 Ultra. And even though the 7a doesn't have some of the more advanced features, like a dedicated zoom, in terms of pure photo quality, this $500 phone more than held its own.

For example, check out this shot of a flower, where the Pixel 7a did a way better job of preserving details and highlights compared to a similar shot by the S23 Ultra. And in a pic of a dandelion, the Pixel 7 captured every fluffy seed. Like I said, you don't get a dedicated telephoto lens, but you do get Google's super-res zoom, which can produce some pretty decent quality, long-range images.

Though, as you can see, when compared to the S23 Ultra, it's not as good as having a dedicated zoom lens. Also, while I don't love taking selfies, I've got to say, pics look pretty sharp in front too. In low light, Google's Night Sight mode remains among the best in the business, though the Pixel 7a's 64-megapixel camera does seem to add a little bit more noise to photos than I would have expected.

In a nighttime shot of a nearby mural, the Pixel 7a's picture looks a touch underexposed, though it does have better white balance compared to the S23 Ultra, and it still preserved a lot of the important details. It's only when you zoom in that you really notice that extra bit of graininess. So, if you're sharing photos on social media or something like that, you might not even notice that extra bit of graininess.

I also want to make a quick note here that the photo quality could get even better, as we're using a device with early software. And just half an hour before we recorded this video, I got another new update for the Pixel's camera app. Another highlight for the 7a is that the combination of a relatively small screen and a decent-sized, 4385-milliamp-hour battery results in great longevity.

On our local video rundown test, the 7a lasted 17 hours and 41 minutes, which is unsurprisingly really close to what we got from last year's Pixel 7, at about 17.54. And that's an hour longer than the Pixel 7 Pro's time of 16.42. So there's a big difference there.

However, for people who need a really, really long-lasting device, phones like the OnePlus 11 and the S23 Ultra are still the better choice, as both of those handsets lasted over 19 hours in our tests. And I know I've mentioned it before, but I really like the addition of Qi wireless support on the Pixel 7a, even if charging speeds cap out at just 7.5 watts.

When I'm charging the phone overnight or trying to keep it topped up during the day, the convenience of slapping the phone on a wireless pad can't be beat. Besides, if you really need some juice in a jiffy, there's still the option of wired charging at 18 watts, which I know isn't blazing fast, but it's more than good enough. In the end, I've always appreciated that Google has never tried to do too much with its Pixel a phones.

The Pixel 7a is a simple phone that packs a nice screen that's now even better thanks to that 90-Hertz refresh rate. You also get solid performance in cameras that can hang with rivals that cost way, way more. And now, for 2023, you get handy upgrades like support for wireless charging, not to mention all the great existing Pixel-specific features, like Hold for Me, Clear Calling, and, my personal favorite, the Pixel Recorder app.

Honestly, if you're someone who needs to record conversations or interviews on the reg, I'd argue that the Pixel Recorder app is worth the price of a 7a all on its own. My two minor complaints are that, while the 7a speakers are generally fine, they do sound a bit shallow. And if you're someone who cares about millimeter-wave 5G, you'll have to shell out an extra $50 to get a phone that supports that.

But as a whole, the 7a kind of a shock because it delivers 95% of what you get from the standard Pixel 7, but for $100 less. Usually, device-makers don't cannibalize their own gadgets like this. But Google didn't shy away, and the result is a big win for consumers.

Now, would I have liked to see a dedicated zoom lens or a larger screen? Sure. But that's kind of why the Pixel 7 Pro exists. But that's it for me today. And as always, stay tuned to Engadget for more news, reviews, and videos real soon.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[AUDIO LOGO]