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Its battery life isn’t great, but everything else about this phone is near-flagship quality.
But is that fair?
The Google Pixel 8a
Were here to find out.
So below, youll get the definitive verdict on how they match up.
As it’s possible for you to see, theyre ostensibly very similar devices indeed.
Again, you could double that storage to 256GB for $559 / 559 / AU$949.
That makes this comparison all the more interesting.
The Pixel 8as corners have taken a turn towards the Pixel 8 too, offering a more rounded gradient.
The Google Pixel 8a
In fact, theyre even rounder.
However, the Pixel 8 flaunts its flagship credentials with significantly slimmer and more uniform bezels.
The Pixel 8a, in contrast, has a relatively large chin.
The Google Pixel 8
Conversely, there are clear seams between the Pixel 8as smaller visor and its own aluminum frame.
Despite being fractionally smaller, the Pixel 8 screen is actually slightly bigger than that on the Pixel 8a.
Were only talking 6.2 inches versus 6.1 inches, but the difference is there.
The Pixel 8a’s rear camera array
We recorded 655 nits for the Pixel 8a and 1,000 nits for the Pixel 8.
The flagship phone sports a large 50MP 1/1.31 main sensor with a wide f/1.68 aperture.
It can take clearer Night shots as a result, and can also take sharper 2x zoomed snaps.
The Pixel 8’s rear camera array
The secondary cameras are different, too.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 8s 10.5MP selfie camera captures fewer but bigger pixels than the 13MP Pixel 8a.
In comparing these camera systems, the difference isnt stark.
Both phones run on Google’s Tensor G3 chipset
Even so, the Pixel 8 takes better pictures, plain and simple.
Thats because on both counts, theyre nigh-on identical.
Google has used the same 4nm Tensor G3 chip that debuted in the Pixel 8 for the Pixel 8a.
The USB-C charging port on the Google Pixel 8a
Or at least, we assume it has.
We presume the same is true this year, though that hasnt been confirmed.
Not that our experience suggests anything amiss with the Pixel 8a.
In both the CPU-focused Geekbench 6 and the GPU-focused 3DMark, both phones got almost identical scores.
Both phones run 8GB of RAM, and there are identical storage options too: 128GB and 256GB.
Unsurprisingly, both phones feel extremely fluid when flicking between home screens and apps.
Both initiate the most advanced games well on high graphical options, too.
The other side of this is software, with both phones runningAndroid 14.
At 4,575mAh compared to the Pixel 8as 4,492mAh, there really is no meaningful difference here.
The Pixel 8 wins out on charging, however.
However, theyre far from identical, especially if you appreciate that hard-to-describe flagship feel.
It also packs an undeniably superior camera, even though the Pixel 8a takes brilliant images for the money.
However, once the Pixel 8a price starts to drop, itll likely overtake the Pixel on value.
The difference here could simply all come down to timing.
