Google’s latest handset is here – the Pixel 8a, the most affordable smartphone of the company’s modern Pixel range, but as usual with the ‘A’ series device, the Pixel 8a has a lot of the power that the Pixel 8 Pro has. So, apart from being half the price, is the Pixel 8a better than the Pixel 8 Pro?
The most straightforward answer to this is that the Pixel 8 Pro has some specs that the Pixel 8a has shaved off to achieve that attractive, sub-$1,000 price point – though not so much to negate a price rise this year. The biggest difference is the size and camera array, but it’s worth us digging in, and making a choice between the devices. It’s time for a smartphone throwdown.
Best price: Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro
This is the most obvious point we can address. The Google Pixel 8a is cheaper than the Pixel 8 Pro by a longshot – the starting price of the Pixel 8a is $849, while the Pixel 8 Pro starts at a whopping $1,699.
While both phones were subject to a price rise with their latest versions, they’re still quite competitive among their contemporaries, with Samsung’s equivalent phone (the Galaxy S24 Ultra) starting at $2,199, and Apple’s equivalent (the iPhone 15 Pro Max) starting at that same point (though it would be poor of us to not mention that those phones are somewhat specced higher than the Pixel 8 Pro).
Meanwhile, with the Google Pixel 8a edging out of the ‘budget’ category with this model, it’s still somewhat more impressive than Samsung’s equivalent, the Galaxy A55, if more expensive. As for more expensive phones, such as the Motorola ThinkPhone, the Pixel 8a leaves us slightly more impressed.
Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro: The cheapest option wins in this category, so it goes to the Pixel 8a. However, for a flagship device, the Pixel 8 Pro is considerably cheaper than its rivals from Apple or Samsung.
Best look and feel: Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro
If there’s one thing that Google has aced in the past three years since it introduced the camera bar on the Pixel 6, it’s look and feel. Google’s phone range is (speaking broadly) far more gorgeous than its rivals Samsung or Oppo (though the S24 Ultra has a special place in my heart), but among the Pixel 8 devices, which device comes out on top?
Well, interestingly, the Pixel 8a actually has a subtle style difference to the Pixel 8 Pro this year. It’s more rounded at the edges, looking more like a modern iPhone, and the finish of the camera bar is more brushed rather than polished. The back and sides of the device also feel more coarse than the Pixel 8 Pro, while the display has a greater lip at the bottom.
The camera bump is also noticeably smaller on the Pixel 8a than on the Pixel 8 Pro.
The Pixel 8a is also, as is normal with cheaper phones, smaller – and that might actually matter to you a lot, whether you want a more pocket-friendly device or one that bridges the gap between smartphone and tablet. The dimensions of the Pixel 8 Pro are 162.6mm (height) x 76.5mm (width) x 8.8mm (depth), while the Pixel 8a is 152.1mm (height) x 72.7mm (width) x 8.9mm (depth).
The display matters a lot with a phone, and we shouldn’t gloss over it here, it’s a major point of difference. The Pixel 8 Pro has an incredible 1344 x 2992 LTPO OLED screen (1-120hz), with a 481 PPI density. It’s 6.7-inches in size, with a brightness of up to 1,600 nits (2,400 peak). It’s protected by a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 8a has a 1080 x 2400 OLED display (60-120hz), with a 430 PPI density. It’s 6.1-inches, with a brightness of up to 1,300 nits (2,000 peak). It’s protected by a Gorilla Glass 3 cover.
Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro: To be honest, the design of the Pixel 8a is really doing it for me. Both devices look unmistakably premium, but I like how bold and brushed the Pixel 8a looks. However, the Pixel 8 Pro obviously has a much nicer screen, and watching movies and YouTube content on it is far more enjoyable.
Best specs: Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro
It’s easy for us to write this section off as ‘Pixel 8 Pro is bigger and more expensive, therefore it wins’, but specs go in tandem with price, and so we can’t discount the value offering with Pixel 8a.
Both phones are powered by the Google Tensor G3 chip, the CPU of the Pixel 8 range. Now, Google’s Tensor chips typically underperform compared to Snapdragon alternatives (which you’ll find in other premium handsets, particularly the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Motorola ThinkPhone, and ROG Phone 8), but for most casual users, the power on offer should be enough.
The Pixel 8 Pro is, on paper, more powerful than the Pixel 8a, with 12GB RAM against its 8GB RAM. The Pro also comes in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options, while the 8a only comes in 128GB and 256GB.
There’s also some more subtle things that separate the phones. The Pixel 8 Pro has three microphones, against the 8a’s two. The 8 Pro also comes with Spatial Audio support, while the 8a doesn’t. Other features the Pixel 8 Pro has that the Pixel 8a doesn’t include pro camera controls, high-res photography, Video Boost, and Night Sight Video. Oh – also Macro Focus, and as you’ll see below, this has an impact on detail-rich close up shots.
The Pro has a better IP rating, at IP68 versus the A series’ IP67. The Pro also comes with a temperature sensor, which didn’t strike us as too useful during our review of it, but it’s there regardless.
Also, in our battery test, the Pixel 8a came out as the winner – it finished Avengers Endgame at 81 per cent battery left, while the 8 Pro finished with 62 per cent. The battery is larger in the Pixel 8 Pro, at 5,050mAh, versus the Pixel 8a’s 4,492mAh, though the Pro is powering a much more demanding, and gorgeous, screen.
Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro: The Pixel 8 Pro no doubt wins in this category, but the value on offer with the Pixel 8a makes it a strong contender, even if it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as its more powerful big brother. You would get a nice and capable phone regardless of your choice.
Best cameras: Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro
Cameras are probably the most important part of a phone purchase in 2024, and Google has consistently given us some of our favourite cameras. So how does the flagship compare to the entry-level?
Let’s go down the list and compare the cameras.
The Pixel 8 Pro has:
- 50MP wide camera (with multi-zone laser detect auto-focus sensor, 82° field of view)
- 48MP ultrawide camera (with 125.5° field of view)
- 10.5MP selfie camera (with 95° ultrawide field of view and auto-focus)
- 48MP telephoto camera (with 21.8° field of view, 5x Optical Zoom, 2x Optical Quality Zoom, Super Res Zoom up to 30x)
The Pixel 8a has:
- 64MP wide camera (80° field of view, with Super Res Zoom up to 8x)
- 13MP ultrawide camera( with 120° field of view)
- 13MP selfie camera (with 96.5° ultrawide field of view and fixed-focus)
By the numbers, the comparison above might be a bit confusing, but there are two headlining points. One; the Pixel 8 Pro has an additional camera, for better Zoom, and two; the Pixel 8 Pro has more sophisticated under-the-hood stuff going on, like auto-focus and laser-detect auto-focus.
That doesn’t mean the photos from the Pixel 8a are in any way bad, though. Let’s put them side-by-side, starting with a wide shot.
Now a closer shot with some great colour. You’ll see some slightly better colouring from the Pixel 8 Pro below.
Now a wider shot with more colour depth. The Pixel 8 Pro shines here – not that the Pixel 8a is bad at all.
Now a macro shot. You’ll start to see some differences with these photos, particularly with image quality (particularly blur), lighting, and the richness of colours.
Another macro, for good measure. This shot really underscores the extra work that the Pixel 8 Pro’s Macro Focus feature does here (it’s also on the base Pixel 8).
Here’s another colour-rich closeup, but not as close.
Let’s go ultrawide. Both cameras are pulled back at maximum – to 0.5x.
And now max zoom. You can really see the effect of the Pixel 8 Pro’s telephoto lens here – zoom levels are 8x and 30x (maximum on both).
Now a selfie, in a light-filled room.
And now a low-light selfie.
Google Pixel 8a or Google Pixel 8 Pro: It’s only slightly obvious that the cameras and underlying software in the Pixel 8 Pro are just better, but for $850, you get a brilliant set of cameras in the Pixel 8a.
The Verdict: Should you buy the Google Pixel 8a or the Google Pixel 8 Pro?
For most casual users, the Google Pixel 8a is probably the pick between it and the Pixel 8 Pro. At half the price, the 8a has all the features that a normal user would want, even if it doesn’t have the impressive screen that the Pixel 8 Pro does. The cameras in the A series device are more than capable, though you will get slightly better quality with the Pro, and you’ll also get a bigger device.
If you don’t care about high-end performance and your phone’s screen too much, go the A series. If you want a phone that has the extra kick, and is perfect for watching TV shows and movies on, go the Pro.
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia