Display
The Pixel 7a is the latest entry in Google’s popular Pixel line of Android smartphones. It’s the most affordable a-series phone in the lineup, priced at $499 and $100 less than the flagship Pixel 7. Despite its lower price tag, the 7a offers the same software experience that makes Pixel phones unique among Android devices. It promises superior cameras, an intelligent display, long-lasting battery life and more. It even guarantees three years of OS support, starting with the release of Android 14 this year. The 6.1-inch OLED screen on the Pixel 7a doesn’t change much from last year’s model, but it does have one notable upgrade: a 90Hz refresh rate that brings it closer to flagship level. This means scrolling Twitter and animations will feel smoother on the device, which is a welcome improvement over the Pixel 6a’s 60Hz mode. The Pixel 7a’s design also largely carries over from its predecessor, but it looks a little more refined. The aluminum frame is now matte and the power and volume buttons are colored to match your color choice of handset (I went with Snow). And while it doesn’t have a headphone jack, like all recent Pixels, it is 5G-capable with both sub-6GHz and mmWave bands for fast mobile data. It’s also IP67 dust- and water-resistant, which should provide peace of mind when using the Pixel 7a in the rain or poolside.
Camera
As you might expect, the Pixel 7a takes excellent photos. Its main 13MP camera and ultrawide lens deliver natural yet lively colors, great dynamics and tack-sharp detail. At night, it also performs very well, with correct exposure and good noise control. Its front-facing camera is 13MP, as well. While it lacks the Macro Focus close-up abilities of its pricier sib, it still delivers very high-quality selfies, with nice skin tone reproduction and decent contrast. The Pixel 7a's back-facing portrait mode is a real treat, too. It can isolate a subject from its background with impressive results, although some strands of hair and other imperfections will sometimes fall victim to the algorithm. The phone can shoot 4K video at 30 or 60 fps, with footage looking very solid. It also has Google's AI-driven Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur features, and Google's Real Tone image processing tech to render skin tones more naturally. One notable improvement over the Pixel 6A is that Night Sight now works twice as fast, delivering impressively detailed images without the need for a flash. There's also an upgraded Long Exposure mode, which combines multiple shots with the aim of capturing the ambiance of a scene.
Performance
The Pixel 7a is the first of the Pixel A phones to offer a 90Hz screen – a big upgrade from last year's 60Hz model. This means scrolling, animations and gaming will all feel silky smooth. It's still not as fast as flagship phones with a higher refresh rate, but it's a welcome improvement. Google also gave the 7a an upgraded version of its Tensor G2 chip. It's faster and more efficient than the original, which should help it deliver better low-light photos and machine-learning editing features. The phone also has 8GB of RAM and a 128GB internal storage option. It runs Android 11 well and is a solid performer in terms of benchmarks. It opens apps quickly and can run two at once in split-screen mode. It's not quite as fast as a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phone costing twice as much, but most people won't notice the difference in daily use. The Pixel 7a is a good-looking and powerful phone with an excellent camera that's more than enough for most people. It's a bit slippery and needs a case, but it offers great battery life and has a few extra features that make it a good pick for budget-conscious Pixel fans. It misses out on some Pixel 7 extras like Battery Share, the Action Pan camera mode and slightly faster wireless charging, but that's a small sacrifice for such an impressive value phone.
Battery
The Pixel 7a is a great mid-range phone. Its flagship DNA means it performs very well, and is a real competitor to the best phones around. It also adds a few extras that help it stand out, like face unlock and wireless charging. In my testing, the Pixel 7a lasted me just under 24 hours with normal use. This included a few hours of Netflix and a lot of browsing and messaging. The phone's Adaptive Battery technology is supposed to learn from your usage and optimise power use, but in my short time with the device it wasn't very effective. I also found that the screen ate through the battery quickly. It uses a 'twilight' setting that reduces brightness while you're inactive to save power, but I found it was still fairly straining to the eyes after a couple of hours of use. The other big change is the addition of a 90Hz refresh rate to the display. This helps with smooth animations and a better gaming experience, but it is disappointing that other competing mid-range phones still only offer 60Hz panel. I would have preferred to see Google offer a choice of a higher or lower refresh rate as this is one of the most important aspects of smartphone usability for some people.
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