Google Pixel 8a
- Silcat
- Y69
- 20 Nov 2024
I'm back, and I finally got this phone! I've had it for about 3 weeks and here are a few notes:
Pros:
Bay Blue is so freaking pretty
Everything feels smooth, both the back of the phone and the software
Charging speeds are ok
Coming from an LG V40 ThinQ, cameras are awesome
Pixel Android is awesome
Flashlight is so bright like wow
Clear calling feature DEFINITELY works, I was honestly so surprised
Some things have Google's playful touch, like the charging sound/animation, or when the front camera appears to get larger when in use
Battery life is perfect, im usually at 20% by the end of the day
Screen is bright
Cons:
when playing a game or wireless charging, it gets pretty warm
There was a glitch where notifications kept unblocking themselves but it seems it has gone away
Kinda silly, but there's no battery low sound, not even a pop up unless you enable it
More of an android thing, why can I only set the phone on silent through the volume slider? I'm so used to it being in the quick settings.
Fingerprint scanner works wonderfully, I'd say 9/10 times it works. The con here is that it's optical. The Pixel 9's ultrasonic scanner is so fast, I hope the 9a has it.
People complain about the bezels around this phone, but ever since I got it I haven't noticed it at all. My V40 had a slightly bigger screen but I got used to this one really quick. If you want a good phone for a midrange price, this is the one. Sure you could get a Galaxy A25 or something like that, but it might feel glitchy and sluggish. I'd say that Google does really well for it's A series. And if you'd like to save a bit more money, get the 7a. It's basically the same thing for cheaper and not as rounded at the 8a.
- E
- Euglema
- pB{
- 19 Nov 2024
Excelent phone. No complains. I game take pictures everything and it does not overheat. Very cool customization
- a
- ale285
- Hye
- 18 Nov 2024
I bought this about 3 months ago, mostly because of its size: I wanted a small phone and, while I had much smaller phones in the past, this 15.2-cm-tall one one is among the smallest on the market today. The regular updates are also much appreciated.
It does everything I expect it to do without any noteworthy issues: I can stream podcasts to my Bluetooth headset, pay with NFC, get driving directions, and much more. Nothing my previous phone wouldn’t do just fine, but batteries die. :(
Unfortunately, the Pixel 8a also has a non-replaceable battery, which puts a short expiration date on it (battery-replacements, in my experience, are always risky).
There are phones with user-replaceable batteries, notably from HMD and Fairphone, but they are bigger; if that’s not an issue for you, I highly recommend evaluating those first. Otherwise, this Pixel is imho among the best options today.
- Gino76ph
- LaZ
- 17 Nov 2024
I've had a Pixel 7a a few months and I'm interested with the Pixel 8a.
Is it a good/decent upgrade over the 7a in aspects such as cameras system, performance and battery life? Or would a Pixel 8 be a better choice?
- ?
- Anonymous
- mE0
- 16 Nov 2024
Anonymous, 05 Nov 2024I can't use anything other than Pixels. And they suck.... moreSkip 9. Go to 10.
In the meantime grab any flagship from 2020.
- I
- Izumiyamura
- k2G
- 07 Nov 2024
Anonymous, 05 Nov 2024I can't use anything other than Pixels. And they suck.... moreGoogle decided to make it suck even more. 9a's keeping the slow charging speeds and downgrading to 48MP.
- ?
- Anonymous
- 0Uc
- 05 Nov 2024
Anonymous, 03 Nov 2024Pixels don’t appeal to me at all I can't use anything other than Pixels. And they suck. :((
Waiting faithfully for 9a...
- ?
- Anonymous
- vak
- 03 Nov 2024
Scissors, 20 Oct 2024Just not feeling the love for this phone yet. I’ve had it f... morePixels don’t appeal to me at all
- ?
- Anonymous
- 0Uc
- 30 Oct 2024
ulv, 30 Oct 2024Why would I need a smartphone for that?You can also take pics and send SMS. :>
- u
- ulv
- pRa
- 30 Oct 2024
hman, 28 Oct 2024Yes, to make voice callsWhy would I need a smartphone for that?
- h
- hman
- xyB
- 28 Oct 2024
ulv, 27 Oct 2024Can one use Pixel 8(a) without an internet connection? With... moreYes, to make voice calls
- T
- Tseng4000
- mdB
- 28 Oct 2024
ulv, 27 Oct 2024Can one use Pixel 8(a) without an internet connection? With... moreFirst, you have to set up your smartphone where you have to input your e-mail-address etc. Here, you need any type of connection to the internet.
But then, i think it is possible to use it without internet.
- u
- ulv
- pRa
- 27 Oct 2024
Can one use Pixel 8(a) without an internet connection? Without a data plan and away from Wlan?
- ?
- Anonymous
- p%d
- 26 Oct 2024
Disappointing after 3 months of use. Coming from Pixel 5a:
- lower battery life
- sluggish
- fingerprint reader works about half of the time
- very bad GPS, takes forever to lock then visibly "floats off" blocks from the real location
I have been using Google phones since Nexus 4, this is probably the last one.
- Azu10157
- IAM
- 23 Oct 2024
ulv, 18 Oct 2024How does one turn off this phone?You're the reason why we have "how to turn [insert phone model] off" videos on YouTube
- u
- ulv
- pRa
- 22 Oct 2024
colours, 19 Aug 2024Have to agree 100% with comment about kids colours..Horribl... moreThis phone is bashed for all the wrong reasons.
The colours are superb and not this phone's first problem. If between black, white, green and blue, you can't find your pink or burgundy red, complain to google or buy moto, apple etc. Someone wrongly called pixels google's iphones. These ones actually are its Lumias 😊
- u
- ulv
- pRa
- 22 Oct 2024
People who used both, what should I get between 8 and 8a? If none, then perhaps Moto Edge 50 Neo could be a better deal? Thanks.
- S
- Scissors
- raM
- 20 Oct 2024
Just not feeling the love for this phone yet. I’ve had it for 6 weeks now and it just isn’t engaging with me. I don’t know if its the thick black bezel or the lack of photography options but the phone is just so bland. In particular, the camera strikes me as very poor. Reviews led me to believe the 8a had a great camera, but I’m finding the picture quality a real step back. I feel I took better pictures with my Huawei P30 Pro or even my HTC Desire. The focus is muddy and the overall pictures seem bland. Portrait mode is ok, but the distortion when using the lens at 0.8 zoom (a wideangle effect) is shocking. Buildings tend to curve and lean inwards like something from a nightmare. I thought the fabled camera AI would correct this anomaly?
A couple of good things - over time it has started to charge more quickly - I don’t know if this is a software update, but It’s quite acceptable. Also, the battery is holding enough charge for a full day of browsing, photos and social media use, so not as bad as first reports might have seemed.
I moved from a Pixel 6 Pro that decided to break 3 days outside of warranty. Until that moment I loved that phone. Not having the cash to continue upgrading to newer Pro models I thought this might be a good stopgap, but to be honest it just doesn’t really offer very much to keep me excited and onboard the Pixel express. Now if they decided to upgrade the software and improve the bezel and photo options I might change my mind, but as of now I am disappointed.
- u
- ulv
- pRa
- 19 Oct 2024
I noticed that the reviews include photos taken at different times of day and even in different seasons lol. To top it all, even different objects.
I can't compare. Let's say I want to compare camera on Pixel 8a and Moto Edge 50 Neo. Especially the ones taken at night. There's different sets of images with different buildings pictured. The ones in the daylight, there's different days lol, one is sunny the other is cloudy. Can there be consistence here GSMArena?
- R
- Rafay
- QBk
- 19 Oct 2024
ulv, 18 Oct 2024How does one turn off this phone?Swipe down the status bar and would would see the power button on bottom right