Google Pixel 8a Two Weeks Later - Hero Or Villain?

This is the Pixel 8a, what Google calls as Colorful, Powerful, AI-full, and what I’m gonna call the best flagship for most people, even if yes, this technically isn’t a flagship. See, at this point, we’ve become accustomed to getting the best performance, photos, and even features from flagships, but if we’re honest, none of us like the price. Many praised OnePlus for creating such a thing the flagship killer, meaning mostly the best of everything for less money, but the company that actually deserves that title is Google. The Nexus 4 was the first time I remember a company giving us mostly the best of everything at half the price. For context, 2012’s iPhone 5 was $649, when the Nexus 4 was just $299. The only problem? Well by mostly I mean you got the best chips and some of the best hardware, but boy howdy did those photos suck. Google’s Nexus project barely figured some of it out at the tail end of the Nexus 6P, and by the time OnePlus figured it out with the 10 Pro, it already had a flagship price tag. I wish I could tell you that some of the Premium-Midrange offerings from Samsung get this right, but after testing everything under the sun, the last night in shinning armor is The Pixel 8a.. Sort of. I’m Jaime Rivera with Pocketnow, and let me explain to you why in our full review..

0:00 - Intro
1:58 - Hardware
3:46 - Software
5:14 - Experience
6:22 - Photos and Video
9:01 - Conclusion

Follow us:

[paulhughes]

I've bought flag ship phones for too many years and this time I said no to $1000 dollar phones. I got the Pixel 8 A and I am completely happy.

[Maximusprime]

I've been using the 8a for a week now and I really like it. The biggest positive is the form factor. I'm tired of using 6.7 in phones and it's nice to have one where I can hold and use with 1 hand. The bezels could be thinner but doesn't bother me that much.

[OddOneOut]

Good to see you’re catching up, Jaime! Can’t wait for the Reviews on the M2 Air and M4 Pro!

[CommodoreFan]

I've currently got a Pixel 6a, and I'm just waiting for a deal on an 8a before upgrade, as my 6a is still doing everything I need it to do just fine.

[wizzgamer]

Ridiculous value this phone here in the UK £300 for a near flagship camera and great performance with 7 years of software support is incredible.

[Lansky]

One of the best parts of the pixel 8A is having the plastic back. Especially since I hate using a case on my phones

[mad]

Great review !!! I think you hit all the high note. again Great Video.

[wethepeoplegh]

I love the father and son bond. Excellent review as always.

[ccastela]

I have the 6 a running GrapheneOS and I bought the 8 a. It's excellent! I don't need more! It does everything I need on a daily basis. It's wonderful!

[not_addoK]

In Portugal you can get the 256GB version for 260€ (290-300$) which for me looks like a steal of a deal.

[BobKag]

I appreciate your review on the Pixel 8a (and all your reviews 😊) Jaime. But I have to mention that many reviewers throw shade at pixel devices for their lack of gaming capabilities. I'm not sure I understand or agree with that. I have owned many pixel devices and I play some demanding games like COD mobile, PUBG and last day on earth. Never had any hiccups in performance and I run at high settings. Am I alone on this?

Keep up the good work!

[MrBaskins]

love the new pocketnow logo but i think the color scheme is ... interesting lol

glad to finally see this phone in the flesh and not in some rumor roundup for months on end

[nate]

That's a great review! I've been using it for a month now and feel the exact same way... Great phone!

[wundyboy]

Absolutely right - this is a killer phone! It does it all, it does it well & it doesn't cost a small fortune.
Most people do NOT need the extra power and abilities of a top model EVER!!!

[hjpinhei]

a consistent and informative review. saw several others that are just fireworks and echoing repetitive ideas

[LeeJoRo]

loving the 8a (upgraded from pixel 5) the aloe colour is so nice

[Snarkyafterthoughts]

Just ordered one of these with a new fi plan.
Your review help that decision. I have a very fancy Samsung Ultra and I've missed call screening and accurate dictation. I'm definitely at that stage in life where I'd rather have two features that work well than 10, 000 I never use.

[donaldbraugh]

Thanks for taking us back to the good days! 👍

[darthraider]

I got this phone for £198 with a student code earlier this week, and the same store having a promotion to claim Pixel Buds Pro next month for free, and I already have free cases and screen protectors via amazon vine. I have it listed on eBay because they usually sell for £300 but I'm having second thoughts. My Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a big green line across the middle of the screen and needs to be replaced, but despite the big green oled line it still works. Maybe I'm being a cheapskate and should get rid of the 6 year old phone that doesn't get any software or security updates for the Pixel 8a which I bought.

[MRQKC]

Google Pixel 8a is awesome. This is a great video. 😇💎👍