Many innovations from the latest Google I/O won’t arrive in Italy immediately, others won’t arrive at all, but one is available from today: the Pixel 7a, the economic model of the Mountain View smartphone family. We tried it for a few days in preview, to understand if the price difference with Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro translates into a different user experience.
First contact
Right out of the box, it’s clear that the Pixel 7a carries the unmistakable Pixel DNA, and compared to the larger models there are more affinities than differences. Starting with the strip that houses the rear cameras which now connects neatly with the metal edge to create a more cohesive and pleasing look. It’s less protruding than that of the Pixel 7 Pro and packs just two sensors instead of three. For the rest, the new model has slightly less curved edges, while the back is made of plastic material (but of excellent quality) to allow wireless charging. The edges around the screen are a bit bulky by current standards, even if the dimensions are not excessive (152 x 72.9 x 9 mm) and the weight is contained in 193.5 grams. The front display is protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3, aluminum in the case and? composed of 100% recycled material, and the fixture boasts an IP67 certification for resistance to water and dust.
The general impression is of a robust and well-finished device, which somehow recalls the old Nokias at the time of the agreement with Microsoft.
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The screen
While in terms of size, the Pixel 7a still adopts a 6.1-inch OLED screen with 1080 x 2400 pixels and 429 PPI with 16 million colors. Contrast is excellent, color rendition accurate, viewing angles very good. The refresh rate changes, which is now 90 Hz. It is immediately noticeable, just consult a web page: scrolling is much more fluid than the 60Hz of the Pixel 6a.
Photo and video
The camera of the Pixel 7a, on the other hand, is very different from that of the Pixel 6a: it still has two sensors, but the main one is 64 MP versus 12 MP. On paper, so the cheapest model even beats the top of the range Pixel 7 Pro, which reaches 50 MP.
Like many competitors, Google uses quad-pixel binning, combining four pixels into one, thus producing 16MP photos. It is an important change, which has immediate repercussions on the quality of the images: they reach levels of detail perhaps even higher than the Pixel 7 Pro. It’s not just a matter of numbers, of course: the new sensor, in fact, as always happens with Google, is combined with excellent data processing capacity, and this time in addition there is the powerful Tensor 2 processor developed in Mountain View, the same as the other Pixel 7s. The result is perfectly defined images, natural colours, an excellent white balance. All characteristics of a top-of-the-range smartphone, and not a mid-range one like the Pixel 7a. Just scroll through the list of available options: Sharp photo, Real Tone, Sharp face, Panorama, Manual white balance, Best shot, Mode? Portrait, Portrait Light, High Definition Zoom, Motion Focus, Familiar Faces, Real-Time HDR+ Double Exposure Controls. And again, the Protected Folder, the Magic Eraser, which makes disturbing elements from photos disappear in an instant, whether they are animals or people. This works quite well, especially if the image background is smooth. There’s Long Exposure mode and Night Photo, which uses pixel-binning to capture more light, resulting in better image quality in low-light conditions. Merit of the Sony IMX787 sensor or the new revised and corrected algorithms? Here there is no longer any difference between software and hardware, because what really matters – and what will change our lives – is how these components work together, and how they interface with humans. And the good news is that the camera app is no more complicated than before, even the Macro for example, is activated automatically if you get the Pixel 7a close enough to the subject. For videos, the rear camera records in 4K up to 60 f/s, the front one in 4K at 30 f/s. Excellent mixed optical / electronic stabilization.
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Chips and memory
The Tensor G2 is built on a 5nm manufacturing process and comes in a 2+2+4 configuration; two high-performance ARM Cortex-X1 cores, two mid-range Cortex-A78 cores, and finally, four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores. The numbers are very close to those of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, and in terms of raw power they are perhaps not at the levels of the more powerful Snapdragon or Apple’s A16 Bionic chip, but the Tensor chipset has never focused so much on performance as well as on the optimization of artificial intelligence and machine learning on the device, which are increasingly important today to improve the user experience. So we don’t feel like recommending the Pixel 7a for high-impact games, but for everything else in our test it has always proved to be up to the most demanding situations. Also thanks to the 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 2 GB more than the Pixel 6a. It’s no surprise the storage space, 128 GB, obviously without additional hardware expansion options.
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Connectivity, battery, security
The Pixel 7a is compatible with sub-6GHz 5G networks but also mmWave, so it works all over the world and can be used for several years, always taking advantage of the maximum speed of the latest generation networks. Wi-Fi adopts the latest standard, namely 6E (802.11ax) on the 2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz frequencies.
The battery is average, with a capacity of 4385 mAh, which guarantees over 24 hours of autonomy and however reaches up to 72 hours in extreme energy saving mode: here too, thanks to careful optimization of hardware and software. Fast charging is not exciting, only 18 W, while Chinese competitors compete to shoot ever higher numbers. Wireless charging is there, and it’s new for a budget Pixel, but it only makes sense if you’re using it at night.
The 7a’s in-display fingerprint scanner is still a bit slower than other devices in its class; however this year the fingerprint reader is joined by the facial recognition unlock taken from the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
Android
Years ago, a new Pixel meant a new version of Android. This time it is not true, and the version of the operating system mounted on the Pixel 7a is 13, even if Android 14 is already available in beta. The software features available on this smartphone, therefore, are no different from those of the other models in the Pixel family, but it is worth mentioning a few. Speech recognition and language understanding models have been improved, and you can now use your voice to quickly type, edit, and send messages with Assistant Voice Typing in Messages, Gmail, and other apps.
The Live Translation feature allows you to exchange messages with people in various languages, including English, French, German, Italian and Japanese. If a message in chat apps like WhatsApp or Snapchat is written in a different language, this feature automatically offers a translation. Discovery and processing happen entirely on the device within the Private Compute Core and run even without network connectivity, so the data never leaves the phone. With support for Interpreter mode it is also possible to take turns translating what is being said into 48 languages; just activate the assistant and say “Be my interpreter”. By enabling the shortcuts, then, when a call comes in, just say “accept” or “reject” without adding “Hey Google” every time. Works with “stop” and “snooze” commands on alarms and timers.
Google has extended the security support period of its smartphones to at least five years, but operating system updates are only expected for three years. Pixel 7a has some of the most advanced security features, and Google One’s built-in VPN protects your online activity.
We like it
- All the goodies of Android
- Excellent quality screen
- Excellent photos and videos
We do not like it
- Not very fast charging
- Only one memory option available
- Edges a bit too thick
In fine
Over time, the meaning of the Pixel smartphone line has slowly changed. From a paradigm of what can be done with Android, they have slowly become real phones, which measure themselves against others in the very concrete field of the market and sales. The numbers, of course, are still niche, and on the other hand it’s hard to imagine that Mountain View really thinks that in the rankings of the most popular models the Pixel 7a can compete with a Samsung A54, for example, in terms of price and features. more direct opponent. The supremacy of the Korean company will not be affected by Google’s new smartphone, yet there are many reasons to choose the Pixel 7a: the quality of the photos, the battery life, the many special features of Android. Thus, paradoxically, Google will harm itself more than its opponents: at 649 euros there is no reason to buy a Pixel 7, since the 7a costs 509 euros and offers practically equivalent or even better performance. And it is also available in several colors: anthracite gray, light blue, ice white, coral (exclusively on the Google Store).