Google Pixel 7a review: A Best Budget Pixel Experience
Google’s Pixel phones typically offer a clean Android phone experience with a focus on camera quality, software updates, and integration with Google services.
What we like
- Good Performance
- Super Clean Stock Android UI
- The display finally has a 90Hz refresh rat
What we don’t like
- There are some slight build quality issues
- Only a single 128GB storage option
Google Pixel 7a Specifications
- Body: 152.4 x 71.12 x 10.16mm, 192.77 gm, IP67 rated
- Display: 6.1″ FHD+ OLED, 90Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 3
- Water resistant: IP67 rated
- Rear Camera: Dual (with LED flash)
– 64MP f/1.89 primary sensor
– 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide sensor - Selfie Camera: 13MP f/2.2 sensor
- Chipset: Google Tensor G2 (5nm)
- Memory: 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128GB UFS 3.1 storage
- Software: Android 13
- RAM: 8 GB
- Internal: 128 GB UFS 3.1
- Battery: 4385mAh, with 18W wired and 18W wireless charging
Google Pixel 7a Display and Design
The form factor is definitely at the top of my list of things I like about the Pixel 7a. It’s currently the cheapest compact phone that you can buy and it feels incredibly comfortable to hold and use with one hand. The back is similar to the more expensive Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, while the camera layout is also much better looking than last year’s Pixel 6a.
To keep the cost down, Google has used plastic on the back, but it does not feel cheap. I initially thought it was glass since plastic tends to get scratched easily.
Other than that, you get aluminum frames and a nice heft overall. It held up to JerryRigEverything’s bend test admirably well. It is IP67 dust and waterproof, and the metal buttons on the side also have nice tactile feedback.
Display
The overall construction of the Pixel 7a is good. Upfront, the Pixel 7a features a good-quality display too. It’s a full HD 90Hz OLED panel with a very good touch response, nice haptics, and super accurate colors.
But having tested so many good mid-range phones lately, I must say that the Pixel 7a’s display is simply not as good as the competition. At a similar price, the Pixel 7a lacks the much brighter displays, thinner bezels, and more fluid 120Hz refresh rates offered by companies like OnePlus, Vivo, and even Samsung. That being said, I did not have any problem with the Pixel 7a screen.
Yes, the bezels on the Pixel 7a could have been slimmer like the one on the Galaxy A54, and maybe the brightness of the Pixel 7a could have been higher for better outdoor visibility. But for watching movies on its 6.1 inches display or just interacting with the Pixel 7a, I have got no complaints. By the way, HDR playback also works well here when watching movies and series on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Google Pixel 7a Camera
The Pixel 7a takes a step forward from the Pixel 6a, which played it super safe with the cameras by using the same 12-megapixel sensor from the previous four years of Pixels. That infamous IMX363 sensor performed well, but the Pixel 7a now features a brand-new 64-megapixel main camera paired with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and a 13-megapixel selfie camera. The Pixel 7a truly elevates the camera experience.
So when I first started testing the Pixel 7a, I thought, well, this new sensor would keep up with the old tried and true Pixel 6a because we all know how good those old cameras were. But very quickly, it became clear that the Pixel 7a had benefited from Google tightening up the processing with the new sensor. The Pixel 7a actually matched and took advantage of the larger sensor this time, proving it’s not just about the megapixel count.
Matter of fact, the Pixel 7a’s 64-megapixel sensor bends down to 16 megapixels by default every time. And there’s no way in Google’s app to take full 64-megapixel photos. But it’s more about the larger size of the sensor on the Pixel 7a, which can bring in more light and give a more shallow, natural depth of field.
So yeah, Pixel 7a photos look pretty good for a $500 phone. There are tons of dynamic ranges without being too HDR-y, and it feels like Google has evened it out a little, making it less contrasty while still retaining the famous contrasty Pixel look. The f1.9 max aperture combined with the new sensor on the Pixel 7a means you can take close-ups with a really shallow depth of field and better low-light photos with faster shutter speeds at night using Night Sight.
There is no macro mode on the Pixel 7a, I noticed, but you can get pretty close up, probably, I’m gonna say like five inches away from the subject and still be fine, not too much fringing. The ultra-wide on the Pixel 7a has a lot of the same characteristics, but it’s particularly distorted and warped at the corners. I feel like this is something I would expect Google to improve more with their software.
Maybe they’ll update this over time. But for now, the distortion on the Pixel 7a is pretty noticeable, though it is wide. And then the selfies on the Pixel 7a look like classic Pixel selfies, honestly.
Very solid, no complaints, tons of range, that’s a good selfie camera.
For video, the Pixel 7a can do 4K 60 from the main camera, which the Samsung A54 I just tested couldn’t even do. But then it’s 4K 30 from the other cameras, which is fine and looks normal. This is a top-three mid-range smartphone camera, but hold on to that thought.
Google Pixel 7a Performance
the Pixel 7a is powered by the same Tensor G2 chip that we saw on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. But since the 7a is a much cheaper device, I think we can go easy on the Tensor G2. So, for the price, the Pixel 7a’s performance is really good, I would say.
It’s smooth and I never got a hint of any kind of stuttering. It performs much better than the Galaxy A54, that’s for sure. The Pixel experience here is also more polished, coming in 2023.
And the bugs are also non-existent. Likewise, in my one month of testing, I also never faced any overheating issues during my regular usage and that’s coming from someone who’s on mobile data all the time.
the Tensor G2 does heat up while gaming and it throttles the performance with a big dip in FPS numbers.
For casual gamers like me, I was getting stable 60 FPS in games like PUBG and Call of Duty by lowering the graphics settings. You can also play high-FPS-ready games like Mech Arena at 90 FPS. But unoptimized and heavy titles like Genshin Impact are only playable in medium settings.
And yet, the phone gets pretty hot and toasty if you play these games for more than 30 minutes. So, for gamers, the Pixel 7a is not. You should look at the OnePlus 11R or POCO F5 instead.
Pixel 7a battery and charging
there are a couple of things that could have been better in the Pixel 7a. First, I think the battery could be more optimized.
It’s just average right now, giving me less than 5 hours of screen time and I have to plug it in as early as 6 pm. And the charging speed here is painfully slow too. You only get 18W charging support which takes the phone to just 35% in half an hour while a complete refill takes a full 2 hours.
Maybe Google could have bumped the charging speed to 30W here since the battery life as I said is pretty meh. So overall, if you look at everything this phone has got, I think Google should have priced it more aggressively rather than gradually decreasing the price.
However, if you can’t wait at all, I still believe last year’s Pixel 6a is still a fantastic phone that offers a very similar experience to the Pixel 7a.
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Alvi Hosain
I am a tech enthusiast with over 1.5 years of experience in phone reviews and gadgets. Passionate about making technology easier for everyone, I focus on creating smartphone reviews and detailed tech guides. Whether exploring the latest devices or providing tips on how to get the most out of your gadgets, I love helping others navigate the world of technology. Known among my friends for solving phone-related problems, I enjoy discussing technology and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends.
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