After using the Pixel 7a as my daily driver for the last six months, I can confidently say that Google has once again delivered an outstanding budget smartphone that punches well above its weight class.
Design and Build
Let's start with the design. The Pixel 7a has a premium aluminum body with a soft, matte finish that feels great in the hand. The phone is slightly smaller than the 6a, but the narrower bezels give it a modern look. While not the most compact phone out there, the 7a strikes a nice balance between screen size and overall footprint. The under-display fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate too.
Star of the Show: The Camera
But the real star of the show is the amazing camera system. Google has brought the exact same 64MP main camera and 13MP ultrawide camera from the flagship Pixel 7 Pro to this $499 device. In my testing, the main camera takes phenomenal photos in virtually any lighting condition. The high dynamic range, accurate colors, and excellent detail rivals phones costing twice as much. Portrait mode shots look fantastic thanks to the improved AI processing. And astrophotography mode allows you to capture stunning images of stars and the night sky.
What really blew me away though was the Pixel 7a's camera performance in MKBHD's epic blind smartphone camera test. Out of 20 top smartphone cameras, the Pixel 7a's main camera ranked #1, beating out heavy-hitters like the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra. For a $499 phone to outshoot $1000+ flagships is just insane value.
The ultrawide camera is no slouch either, capturing excellent wide vistas and tight indoor shots with minimal distortion. Google's Super Res Zoom combines high-quality image stacking and AI to let you zoom in significantly while maintaining strong detail. The 7a even shoots crisp 4K video at 60fps with rock-solid stabilization.
Performance
Under the hood, the new Google Tensor G2 chip provides a serious performance boost over the 6a. Apps open instantly, demanding games run smooth as silk, and general multitasking is a breeze. The 7a easily keeps up with my workflow of jumping between apps like X, Gmail, Chrome, Google Docs, YouTube, and Telegram.
While not a gaming beast, the Tensor G2 can handle the latest 3D games at medium-to-high settings with no hiccups. Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile, and even the graphically intense Grimvalor all ran great. However, if you're someone who grinds on games like PUBG Mobile (aka BGMI ), you'll be left disappointed with the 7a. The 90Hz high refresh-rate OLED display also makes scrolling and motion look decently smooth, but it's no 120Hz panel.
Battery Life
As for battery life, the 7a's 4,355mAh cell consistently got me through a full day of moderate use with no issues. With lighter use, I saw over 6 hours of screen-on time. And it supports 18W "fast charging" to top up the battery. The charging speed was a letdown after having used other devices that supported charging speeds upwards of 50W. On days when I played demanding games like BGMI, I had to charge the phone for 10 - 15 minutes in between to make it to the end of the day.
Software
Of course, being a Pixel means you get a beautifully clean build of Android 13 with at least 3 years of major OS updates and 5 years of security patches -- fantastic software support for a sub-$500 phone. The Android 14 update is already live and brings a bunch of useful features and improvements. The Pixel exclusive features like Call Screening, Recorder app with transcripts, Live Caption, and Magic Eraser in Google Photos all continue to be incredibly useful.
Nit-picking
There are a few small downsides worth mentioning. The 7a is stuck with older Gorilla Glass 3 which can pick up hairline scratches a bit easier than the latest aluminosilicate glass. There's no wireless charging support or a 120Hz high refresh rate display either. The phone tends to heat up even when performing mildly intensive tasks like scrolling through Instagram or X for over 10 minutes.
Verdict
Overall, after an extended period as my daily driver, the Pixel 7a continues to impress me as the new budget camera king and all-around phenomenal value. The flagship-grade cameras, snappy performance, lovely display, clean Android build with tons of smart AI features, robust updates, and all-day battery life make this an easy recommendation for anyone looking for the best sub-$500 phone experience. It's simply an incredible affordable device that you absolutely need to check out. Matter of fact, these days you can snag the device even under $400 during sales. So be on the look out.
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