Google Pixel 8A 5G 256GB (Obsidian)

The Pixel 8a is an excellent overall offering from Google in the mid-range sector of the industry. With an all-day battery, a wide range of great performance features and minimal detractors, this phone makes for a very easy recommendation as the best among its competition.The 8a is designed well, with round corners and a prominent camera housing. The “Aloe” green color looks great and is a fun addition to a smartphone world full of dull colors. While I didn’t find the materials and finish exactly like a flagship phone, it comes close, and the build quality is great for the price point.As for the part of the phone you’ll be looking at the whole time, the 8a delivers with an impressive OLED display, complete with a high refresh rate (up to 120 hz), vibrant yet ... MoreThe Pixel 8a is an excellent overall offering from Google in the mid-range sector of the industry. With an all-day battery, a wide range of great performance features and minimal detractors, this phone makes for a very easy recommendation as the best among its competition.The 8a is designed well, with round corners and a prominent camera housing. The “Aloe” green color looks great and is a fun addition to a smartphone world full of dull colors. While I didn’t find the materials and finish exactly like a flagship phone, it comes close, and the build quality is great for the price point.As for the part of the phone you’ll be looking at the whole time, the 8a delivers with an impressive OLED display, complete with a high refresh rate (up to 120 hz), vibrant yet balanced colors, and the ability to get bright enough while out in the sun. The screen is on the smaller side in today’s age of giant screens, with thicker bezels that make it easier to notice. However, the 8a screen’s vibrance and fluidity make it as enjoyable a panel as any I’ve gotten to use.A not-so-hidden secret of the Pixel line is the quality of the cameras, and the 8a is no exception. A combination of a good set of camera sensors and the phone’s Tensor G3 chip allow for some great software tricks and put this phone’s camera setup among the very best in the industry, no matter the price range. This is especially true in the photo department, where Google’s image processing shines brightest, delivering, some of the sharpest, best colored, most accurate shots out there. On the video side of things, the phone is less impressive than with its photos, and it’s camera hardware differences from the “Pro” are more discernible. However, I find it still has the ability to take videos comparable to what you get in more expensive phones. All in all, the 8a’s camera package packs a punch way above its price range.Part of what makes the cameras performance so well is Google’s use of various software and AI tricks. Color correction, editing and audio features ensure that the Pixel is always delivering the best videos and images possible. These advantages exist outside of the camera system as well, with very smart search functions, and the best live speech recognition and transcription I’ve used on any phone, including during phone calls and voice memos. Google is also shipping the phone with its new Gemini AI, an assistant well on its way to being much more powerful than assistants like Siri, Alexa, etc. The Pixel line just has features other phones don’t have, keeping afloat its standing as having the smartest phones in the industry.There just might not be a better overall package in the segment. Throw in Google’s 7-years of software updates, plus the frequent discounts, and the Pixel 8a has everything to be the perfect smartphone for the money.

The Google Pixel 8a has a 6.1 display and has 128 gb storage. The battery life lasted for me about 12 hours and it took about 1-2 hours to fully charge. Battery usage manly depends on the person. Some people may use their phone more than others. The camera is fantastic I love it. The colors pop and images are very detailed. Performance of the phone is overall very good. It also has AI Features.Calls and sounds on this phone are loud and clear as well. It's like they combined things from the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro into the Google Pixel 8a.Excellent CameraLong Battery LifeAI FeaturesPerformance Great

As a decades-long iPhone user and former BlackBerry user, it was a hard sell to convert me to Google Pixel. But the CAMERA!! I immediately tested each mode and setting on the same object, then tested my current phone on the same object. The quality is crystal clear - although, the 8a only zooms to 8x. The zoom is incredible, the display is clear, and moving between modes/ apps has none of the odd lag time I’ve noticed in other phones. The phone showed up fully charged, which was nice, and with a cord and adaptor. The Aloe color is pretty and unique. The set up process was clear and had helpful tutorials, and I appreciated that they broke the legal verbiage down into easier-to-read sections. As for the phone body itself, the size is perfect for my hand - no ... MoreAs a decades-long iPhone user and former BlackBerry user, it was a hard sell to convert me to Google Pixel. But the CAMERA!! I immediately tested each mode and setting on the same object, then tested my current phone on the same object. The quality is crystal clear - although, the 8a only zooms to 8x. The zoom is incredible, the display is clear, and moving between modes/ apps has none of the odd lag time I’ve noticed in other phones. The phone showed up fully charged, which was nice, and with a cord and adaptor. The Aloe color is pretty and unique. The set up process was clear and had helpful tutorials, and I appreciated that they broke the legal verbiage down into easier-to-read sections. As for the phone body itself, the size is perfect for my hand - no stretching to reach each side of the screen and getting that weird pinky cramp. The semi-textured back is also helpful because I’ve noticed on previous models that the back was so slick that the phone would slide off of surfaces. Overall, a great budget-priced phone.