Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Google Pixel 8A Impressions: Just Get The 8!”.
( bright, music ) All right, so there is just one thing: that’s starting to feel a little bit weird with this new Pixel, but I’ll get to that by the end of this video.. Let’S just start with the obvious stuff: what’s actually new here, So I just got some hands-on time with Google’s new budget phone, the Pixel 8A, and I can confirm they’re, mostly sticking to the script here, keeping it simple.. Last year’s phone was already really good, making a few key improvements where it counts and keeping the price the same $ 500.. 500 bucks isn’t cheap, but it’s also not a flagship.. It’S definitely in this nice little mid-range territory and I feel, like the Pixel, has been slowly catching up their hardware to the rest of the competition in this price point.. So at first glance it is well pretty unmistakably a Pixel with the camera bar up top., But there’s a little change, there’s a little bit more rounded edges.. I really hope I’m not the only one getting round-SpongeBob vibes from these corners, but that’s definitely what I see., But that’s the main design, change back, here. And then also around the back. It’S still got wireless charging.
It still has the same main camera sensor as the 7A, with an ultra-wide next to it., But now there’s new colors and this new matte texture.. So there’s a black and a white that are called Obsidian and Porcelain, which look pretty tame.. But then there’s also a new green and blue called Aloe and Bay, and they are definitely more vibrant.. The rails and the camera bar are all aluminum still., It’s still IP67 rated and then there’s a slightly larger battery.. But I mean we’re talking very slight here.. I think it goes from 4,385 mAh to just over 4,400, but it still has wireless charging too.. Then, on the inside, it’s been bumped up to the new Tensor G3 chip from last year’s flagships.. So we know it’s decently, capable if a little inefficient but then it’ll also start at 128 gigs of storage., But for the first time, they’re also going to offer a 256-gig version of the A phone as well.
And then around the front, an improved display.. So it’s the same size still 6.1 inches still has the middle hole. Punch cutout for the selfie camera still has an optical fingerprint reader, but it’s now an Actua display., So the peak brightness is 40 % higher than before, and I think it’s noticeable.. This is one of those things that makes a big difference to everyday life and usability just being able to see it outdoors., And it’s now a pOLED that gets up to 120 hertz instead of the 90 hertz like last year..
Now before you even type it. I know a lot of people are gon na argue immediately. This is not something that makes much of a difference to most Pixel buyers and … you’re right..
In fact, many of them will not notice this improvement just because Smooth Display is actually off again by default.. So it’s a 60 hertz phone out the box and then you have to know to go into the settings and turn it on and knowing it’ll impact battery life. And then, even once you do it’s not like locked at 120 hertz, it’s dynamic up to 120 hertz So. I played around with this phone for a little bit..
It did feel very smooth to me.. It feels nice at 120 Hertz. So I’m personally happy about that change, but I won’t dwell on about it for too much longer.. So from there. You already know what a Pixel is right. This is the mid-range/budget version of the phone with great software. Like this is the one with the really smart AI features like Call Assist and Pixel VPN and Magic, Eraser, Audio and all kinds of other classic Google features.. It’S the one with easily the best speech-to-text transcription, speed and accuracy I’ve ever used on a phone..
It’S reliable enough to just write whatever you want. Emails texts notes whole paragraphs as fast as you want.. It’S also the one. That’S promised seven years of updates.
OS updates security updates, Feature Drop updates and it’s the one with really good cameras, mostly basically unchanged from last year., But all the Pixel 7A did was literally get the highest Elo rating on our recent blind smartphone camera test. With millions of votes up against other top-tier flagship phones, so I’d say that’s a pretty good baseline., So it seems like a pretty safe bet. Pretty easy bet, if you are a Google or Pixel fan.. But I’ll just say here are my worries with this Pixel..
So, first of all, this is the first, A series device that they’re going to enable Gemini Nano on and Nano is the one that can go locally on the device entirely, which is great.. They’Re, probably gon na make a big deal about it at the event and talk about it more at Google, I/O and all the stuff.. But there’s also now like this weird inconsistency, with different assistance on the Pixel phone.. It’S not even just this phone, but now you’ve got the Gemini app like showing off prominently on the home screen on these Pixel 8As, which is the latest available and most capable voice and multimodal AI search that they have..
But then the Google Search page right next to the home screen. If you tap the mic there that’s going to a totally separate, but also very capable Google Voice Search with Google Assistant.. Google is literally now developing two different assistants side by side with overlapping, but not fully congruent capabilities., It’s just a little weird, a little inconsistent. And we saw it coming and we knew this would happen, but I think they’ll eventually have to consolidate them all into one.. I think Gemini will do everything at some point., But then hey. I guess the other thing to keep in mind is the price..
So again, this phone’s gon na launch for US $ 500. Mid-range phone mid-range price. Everything seems reasonable here.. But let me remind you, you can still buy last year’s phone of the year brand new Pixel 8 for 550 bucks.. So this eight 8A right now is not that much cheaper than the 8. And if you do go with the 8, while it is a couple months old now sure you’re also getting a phone with thinner, bezels and a brighter, higher-quality display..
Arguably, even better cameras with bigger sensors, a bigger battery faster charging IP68 and it’s the same Tensor G3. Like. Is that not a way better-feeling deal? I mean if you can find one used, that’s even better.. Pixel 8 was just such a good phone for that price. That it makes phones both more and less expensive, feel like worse buys., Like I talked about how Pixel 8 Pro feels like such a hard sell, because it’s $ 250 more, but now it also kind of makes the Pixel 8A look a little too high-priced.. So either way, I’m sure Pixel, 9 and 9 Pro when they come out will shake things up.. But as of right now, Pixel 8A is just it’s a solid mid-ranger solid.. It’S got all the stuff, you kind of already know you’re getting from a Pixel. And if you also plan on picking one of these up, then channel sponsor Dbrand also has you covered with their Hydrodip skins.? Now I’ve been using Dbrand skins literally since 2013. So that’s over a decade now.
And the biggest thing for me is they basically add no thickness, obviously to the device like a case would, but they can still totally change the look and feel. Now beyond. Just the Pixel skin and case Dbrand also supports with the Hydrodip skin, almost 200 devices.. So there’s phones, but also laptops tablets consoles, you name it. And there’s four colorways of this one.
So Gold Rush, Solar, Flare, Toxic Waste and Cotton Candy.. I’M thinking Gold Rush is the best looking one out of the bunch like I’m into the black white and gold combo super clean.. But honestly they all look pretty unique..
So if you have a favorite I’ll leave a link down below so you can grab one for yourself. But yeah. That’S basically it.! Let me know what you think of Pixel 8A versus Pixel 8.
In this weird six-month release stage thing Google’s doing. I’ll check the comments. Either way thanks for watching. Catch, you guys in the next one. Peace. ( bright, music, ) .