When discussing smartphone brands in the high-end flagship segment, Google is mentioned only after Samsung and Apple. However, the Mountain View-based tech giant's A-series phones, which are more affordable, have received a lot of attention, particularly in India. I'm carrying the Google Pixel 7a, the follow-up to last year's popular Pixel 6a.
Highlights:
- The Google Pixel 7a is a more affordable version of the Pixel 7.
- It has similar features to the Pixel 7, but with minor differences.
- The build quality is plastic, with a glossy back panel and matte-finished aluminum rails.
- The phone has an IP67 rating for protection.
- The display is a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED panel with a refresh rate of 90Hz.
- The camera has a 64MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultra-wide sensor.
- The end product of Google's AI wizardry is highly detailed photographs with rich and bright colors.
- The Pixel 7a can shoot images at 2X zoom with little to no loss of clarity or color.
- The Long Exposure option produces a pleasing blur of fast-moving objects in the background while keeping the subject completely in focus.
- The portrait mode photographs perform exactly as well.
- The Google Pixel 7a is a flagship-killing champ.
A quick look at the specifications reveals that the Pixel 7a isn't all that different from the regular Pixel 7 (review). However, the new A series phone has a price tag of Rs 43,999, which is less than what the Pixel 7 currently costs. In this review, we'll see if the Pixel 7a is suitable for daily use and how it differs from the regular Pixel 7.
| Product | Price | Store |
|---|---|---|
Product |
PriceCurrently Around INR 44000/- | Store |
Introduction
The distinctions between the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 are minor
and may have little impact on the overall smartphone experience. The Pixel 7a
has all of the core features of a Pixel phone, such as excellent image
processing and AI-based features, but it is less expensive. It's a good option
for those who want Google's premium smartphone experience but not for those who
want powerful processing power or fast charging speeds.
Display and design
The Pixel 7a's build quality isn't noticeably different from
that of the Pixel 7. It has a glossy back panel and matte-finished aluminium
rails, similar to the Pixel 7, but the construction is plastic rather than
glass. In reality, there is virtually no difference in dimensions between the
two. Even the camera visor on the back is metallic, spans from end to end, and
houses two camera sensors as well as a flash. Two of the three colour options
available on the Pixel 7a, Charcoal and Snow, are also available on the
handset's older sibling. Even a seasoned smartphone lover like myself might
easily confuse one phone for the other. In terms of protection, the Pixel 7a
has an IP67 rating, whilst the Pixel 7 has an IP68 rating.
The Pixel 7a sits comfortably between a small smartphone and a
larger phablet-style smartphone. Because of its pocketable dimensions, the
handset goes neatly into a pocket and is not difficult to use with one hand.
Google's logo is prominently displayed in the centre, with a little statement
reading 'Made in Vietnam' at the bottom. The phone has a dual-speaker
configuration, with the earpiece also serving as a stereo output. Simply
holding the phone conveys a sense of luxury, and its look distinguishes it from
other smartphones, imparting a sense of individuality.
The device's display is a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED panel with a
refresh rate of 90Hz. The Pixel 7a, on the other hand, lacks Corning Gorilla
Glass Victus protection, whereas the Pixel 7 has Gorilla Glass 3. Aside from
that, the 7a's viewing metrics are identical to those of the Pixel 7. Web
browsing, social network scrolling, and YouTube viewing all have almost the
same visual appeal.
While the 7a supports HDR10 playback on OTT services such as
Netflix, I found the dynamic range to be a little lacking when compared to
other phones in the sector. However, most users are likely to love the 7a's
visual clarity, brilliant colours, and excellent contrast ratios, thus this is
primarily nitpicking. Google has not stated the handset's light levels,
although my use was unaffected outside. Finally, while the phone has a
punch-hole on top for the selfie camera, the bezels that surround the panel are
unashamedly big, particularly around the chin.
Cameras
If the Pixel phones are known for anything, it is their
ability to capture images. While the camera hardware isn't particularly
outstanding, Google's background computational techniques significantly improve
the final photo. The Pixel 7a has a 64MP primary camera (better resolution than
the Pixel 7's 50MP snapper) and a 13MP ultra-wide sensor. Again, it makes
little difference whatever sensor is shoved into the back of the 7a. The end
product of Google's AI wizardry is what we're looking for, and boy does the
device deliver.
In terms of daytime photography, the Pixel 7a captures highly
detailed photographs with rich and bright colours. I was particularly delighted
with how nicely the Tensor G2's post-processing balances the dynamic range and
exposure levels. Of course, each image goes through the same fine-tuning
procedure, which takes a few seconds and does not result in an instant preview
after clicking. However, the end result is almost always worth the wait. The
sensor's ability to capture 64MP photographs is simply marketing jargon for
pixel-binned 16MP images that benefit in detail by combining four pixels into
one. To summarise, the Pixel 7a produces remarkably consistent, realistic, and
dynamically rich images that are comparable to the handset's more expensive
sister.
Aside from the phone's excellent point-and-shoot capabilities,
the Pixel 7a has a few extra camera tricks up its sleeve. Despite the lack of a
telephoto sensor, the device can shoot images at 2X zoom with little to no loss
of clarity or colour. The Long Exposure option, for example, produces a
pleasing blur of fast-moving objects in the background while keeping the
subject completely in focus.
In terms of edge detection, the portrait mode photographs
perform exactly as well. These bokeh-style photos, however, only work with
human beings. Google also claims to have realistic skin tones thanks to the
Real Tone technology built into their picture processing pipeline. The Pixel 7a
little overprocessed darker skin tones in my opinion, but the overall
appearance is attractive. Finally, there's the extreme wide-angle 13MP shooter,
which excels at spreading focus over the frame while not warping the image at
the borders.
To say the least, the device's low-light photography is
outstanding. The photographs produced show plenty of detail in circumstances
with some ambient lighting. Noise levels in the night sky are smoothed out so
that the scene below is unaffected. The Pixel 7a can also capture photographs
that reveal more details than what the naked eye can see, even in extremely low
lighting settings. In terms of backdrop lighting and skin tones, the
photographs from the front-facing camera are nothing out of the ordinary.
However, the sensor captures a reasonable quantity of facial detail. Overall,
based on my experience with the phone, it is evident that the Pixel 7a will not
disappoint if you are a casual smartphone photography aficionado.
Software and performance
The smartphone is powered by the same proprietary Tensor G2
SoC as Google's premium Pixel 7 range. The device is not a powerhouse, and I
believe the company does not intend it to be. The G2 is, on the other hand,
optimised for the background machine learning and computing capabilities that
Pixel phones have become so excellent at in recent months.
Benchmark scores will not be the Pixel 7a's best friend. Geekbench 5 flatly refused to download or install on the device. Antutu V9 gave the gadget a score of 717,397, while the CPU Throttle test showed that it only maintained 58 percent of its peak performance. Heavy-duty gaming is likewise not ideal due to the phone's poor graphical output. CoD: Mobile did operate at 60fps for around 60 minutes, but the phone began to get very hot after that, resulting in frame dips.
However, tasks like accessing Google's suite of apps, social
media browsing, viewing OTT material, and generally toggling between various
apps created little to no difficulty for my usual usage. The phone does contain
8GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM to help with this, as well as 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Unfortunately, because there is no microSD card port, there is no possibility
to enlarge the latter. Google does include 100GB of cloud storage with the
Pixel 7a, but only for the first three months.
The phone does support 5G, but only on sub-6GHz bands. I used
the phone in Jio's Noida circle and had no problems with call dropouts or slow
data rates. Aside from that, the phone boasts a decent-sounding stereo speaker
setup, however I believe the volume levels could be raised. In terms of
authentication, the phone employs an optical in-display fingerprint reader as
well as a facial recognition technology.
The software side of the Pixel experience is also crucial, and
the 7a includes everything Google has to offer. The tablet, of course, comes
with Android 13 out of the box, in Google's customary clean and stock design.
The only default apps that come pre-installed are those created by the firm.
Google also provides five years of security updates for the phone, which is one
year longer than what Samsung provides for its flagship handsets.
The core of Google's capabilities is in the tools it offers to
give a better user experience than practically any Android phone on the market.
This includes the phone's ability to smoothly transcribe conversations. The
Pixel 7a can even distinguish distinct voices and label the conversation
accordingly. For the time being, this function is only available in US English.
I also tested the Clear Calling toggle, which use artificial intelligence to
eliminate any background interference at the receiver's end. With the feature
enabled, the change was evident, but not as great as I had hoped. Google
Assistant shines brilliantly on the Pixel 7a and assists with features like as
At a Glance, which automatically places your reminders, events, flight
schedule, and so on on the home screen for easier visibility. There is also an
unblur tool, which does a good job of bringing wobbly shots back into focus.
Battery
The Pixel 7a has almost the same battery capacity as the Pixel
7, at 4,385mAh, but it charges somewhat slower at 18W. In terms of overall
battery life, the 7a lasts approximately six hours on a full charge, which I
consider to be more than adequate given its size. Of course, this does not
imply any intense GPU usage, which would quickly deplete the battery. Charging
the phone takes some time, two hours to be exact, and when compared to
competition devices, the Pixel 7a's charging can feel fairly slow. However, I
enjoy the Pixel 7a's inclusion of wireless charging, which is a feature that is
lacking in this price bracket.
The final word
If one thing is plainly evident, it is that the Pixel 7a is
not much that different from the normal Pixel 7. The main differences are the
screen protection, the resolution of the photographs captured, the IP rating,
and the unavailability of a 256GB storage capacity. When discussing the overall
smartphone experience, I believe that such variations can become insignificant
for most consumers.
The Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 share the core elements of a Pixel
phone, such as excellent picture processing, AI-driven features, a vibrant
display, and adequate battery life. While the Pixel 7 is now available on
Flipkart for Rs 49,999, the Pixel 7a is available at Rs 43,999, making it an
appealing option for those looking for a top-notch smartphone experience from
Google.
Of course, the Pixel 7a lacks robust processing capabilities,
and its charging speeds are subpar when compared to competitors such as the
OnePlus 11R. Overall, if you're looking for high-quality point-and-shoot
photography with an exceptional Android experience, the Pixel 7a is the way to
go.
Google Pixel 7a Image Gallery
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent photography
- A refined, bloat-free user interface
- Good battery life and display
Cons:
- Performance may appear to be lacking.
- Low charging rates
- Only 128GB of storage is available.
Google Pixel 7a Price in India
| Product | Price | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Product |
PriceCurrently Around INR 44000/- | Store |
