Pixel 7a Review: Google's Flagship For The Masses

High notes: Best-in-class camera, clean UI, handy form factor, water and dust resistance.Low notes: Tends to get warm, lone 128GB storage variant.

Pixel 7a is still a great option to consider at a time when Pixel 8 line is about to be unveiled. ( Image Source :Krishna SinhaChaudhury/ABP Live )

It's that time of the year again! Fall is the time when flagship smartphones make their way into the market and some of the much-anticipated launches from top brands include Apple's iPhone 15 series, launched in an annual refresh, OnePlus' upcoming maiden foldable -- OnePlus Open and the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8, among others. Some of us may wonder why are Pixel devices not as popular as the Google search engine, which has been dominating our lives online. However, with last year's Pixel 6, Google witnessed great success, at least in India. Google's Pixel 6a (read our full review here) saw a growth rate of 87 per cent in shipments over its predecessor Pixel 4a in India, according to market intelligence firm Counterpoint Research. In fact, Google's global shipments leapt 67 per cent year on year, driven by the bumper sales of Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6, amid an overall declining smartphone market. Pixel devices are even stealing market share from Apple iPhones in Japan. Pixel phones have a hold on more than 50 per cent of the market share.

 

We are about to witness the launch of the next-gen Pixel 8 series on October 4 and there is little left to the imagination, courtesy of various rumours and leaks. It is pertinent to note that the Pixel 7a is a lower-priced camera-centric phone, unlike the Pixel 7 series and therefore, competes with the likes of the OnePlus 11R and Samsung Galaxy A54. It is unfair to compare Pixel 7a with the top-tier smartphones available in the market. The Pixel 7a is available in a sole configuration of 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and succeeds the popular Pixel 6a (read our full review here). I used the Pixel 7a in Charcoal colourway which is available for Rs 43,999. The other colour variants available are Snow and Sea which look quite pleasing too. The Charcoal colour is the best-looking variant, in my opinion. Read my review to know if it is worth buying the Pixel 7a at a time when the Pixel 8 lineup is about to be launched.

Google Pixel 7a Design, Display, Looks And Build

Take a glance at the Pixel 7a and you may not be able to tell it apart from the Pixel 7. There's the same glossy rear with aluminium rails with a matte finish. The major difference is a plastic body instead of glass which makes it less prone to damage if it falls and somewhat less premium to touch, but, this is debatable. Some people prefer a polycarbonate body over a glass design for the sake of durability. The Pixel 7a comes with a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED panel with a maximum screen refresh of 90Hz. The pricier Google Pixel 7 has a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for protection, while the affordable Pixel 7a only had to settle for Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The phone supports an eSIM and a physical SIM card but does not support expandable storage which is a bummer as 128GB onboard storage may not be enough for some of us.

It is pertinent to note that this is the first model in the affordable Pixel A series of devices to get 8GB of RAM. Similar to the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7a offers water resistance albeit, for an IP67 rating instead of IP68. The Pixel 7a is among the few models in this price segment that provide dust and water resistance. The phone's pocketable size needs special mention -- it is easy to slide the Pixel 7a inside a pocket. The phone has a 6.1-inch display with slightly thick bezels. The display offers two colour modes: adaptive and natural and it is safe to say that the former can become a favourite in no time as it makes the colours pop. The Pixel 7a's panel also supports HDR10 and HDR10+, which makes binge-watching content on OTT platforms an absolute pleasure. 

At 193.5 grams, the device is a tad bit heavier than last year's Pixel 6a which weighed 178 grams. Despite having a plastic back, the phone felt posh and sturdy in my hands, which could very well be due to the metal camera bar running horizontally at the back. The aluminium frame renders a better grip on the phone. The plastic design also makes the back very prone to fingerprint smudges and scratches. The phone is IP67 rated which means it can survive, if dropped into water, for up to 30 minutes and at a depth of 1 metre.

Google Pixel 7a Camera

Google Pixel devices boast brilliant cameras and the Pixel 7a is no exception. The Pixel 7a does a great job of taking high-contrast photos and the phone will compel you to click more images than you normally would. There's a 13MP camera on the front, to take care of selfies. There's a 64MP primary camera which is higher than Pixel 7’s 50MP sensor, coupled with a 13MP ultra-wide sensor. But, unlike most smartphone cameras, the resolution hardly matters here as Google's AI magic kicks in and results in brilliant photography, irrespective of the lighting conditions. Open the camera app and you may find it pretty similar to the Pixel 7 or 7 Pro's. The shooting modes are as follows: Night Sight, Long Exposure, Portrait, Camera, and Video as well as Modes, such as Panorama, Photo Sphere, and Google Lens. There's accurate white balance and colour reproduction, and it is safe to say that the Pixel 7a is capable of taking true-to-life images. The photos have great details and the colours look natural and not oversaturated, unlike with the Samsung Galaxy A54. There's no over-sharpening of images too. The Pixel 7a's 13MP ultra-wide is pretty impressive, even though it lacks autofocus. Coming to the night mode, the Pixel 7a also has a Night Sight mode which kicks in when the camera deems it necessary. The camera's usage of Night Sight doesn't make the image look unnatural and not overly bright. Also, there was minimum noise in the pictures shot via Night Sight. The Pixel 7a also has the best shutter speed and manages to freeze most subjects. I would have been happier if the fine-tuning process was as quick and I didn't have to wait to preview the image that was clicked. The Pixel 7a also shines while taking portrait images with the most natural-looking bokeh effect. The phone gets closer to the subject and that's exactly how a portrait should be. Images shot in 1x portrait mode are better than 2x portrait mode with the latter disappointing on some occasions.

Google Pixel 7a Performance, Battery And Software

Google has fitted almost the same battery in the Pixel 7a as the flagship Pixel 7 (4355mAh battery). The 4385mAh battery supports 18W charging which is pretty slow when compared to the insanely fast charging speed that Realme, OnePlus and Oppo offer. Juicing up the battery from 0 to 100 per cent takes about two hours which can be a headache for those used to quick charging speeds. It is among the slowest charging devices in the market right now. The Pixel 7a supports wireless charging, which is a first for a Pixel A series phone and needs a special mention. It is also a feature missing in similarly priced competing smartphones. Battery life is one area where the Pixel 7a falls behind competition. It did not last a full day with my average usage. I was checking emails, browsing videos and streaming Spotify, mostly and I needed to plug in the phone before I hit the bed. The only frustrating experience is the slow charging speed of the phone. I've always loved Pixel phones for the clean and bloat-free UI experience and timely upgrades and Pixel 7a also lives up to that reputation. Google has pledged five years of security updates, which is a year more than what Samsung has promised for its flagship Galaxy line. You get a vanilla Android experience on the Pixel 7a and it ships with Android 13 out of the box. It will be among the first line of smartphones to get Android 14 next week.

Google Pixel 7a Final Verdict

The Pixel 7a is a great overall device with an excellent camera and almost no competition in the heavily contested mid-range price segment. In fact, the Pixel 7a gives stiff competition to Google's Pixel 7 and only lags in terms of display protection, onboard storage and IP rating. But what you get at this price point makes up for the lack of these. With Pixel 7a, Google has made a flagship for the masses.