Google Pixel 7a review

26 May 2023


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  • Anonymous
  • n1c
  • 27 May 2023

niro56, 27 May 2023This has to be the most detail captured in a phone image pe... moreBecause they insist on using 12mp camera. All those 100+ fake megapixels physically bin to 12mp anyway. But here just increasing to 16mp shows noticeable increase in detail. If they just produced 20mp RGB 1" sensors for phones it would be next major step.

    MRSTEK, 27 May 2023No, the size is nothing beautiful. It has outrageous bezels... moreI recently saw the Xiaomi 13 in a store in Germany and was very impressed by the hardware. I previously bought a lot of Xiaomi phones, but a few trends killed it for me. Google started making the Pixel A line, with the 4a having a decent design even though it was extremely plastic. Xiaomi stopped making small phones all together for a couple years. Custom ROMs became less widely available unless you're willing to roll the dice with a GSI. Xiaomi's prices have significantly increased.

    The software and camera are the biggest points of emphasis for me when purchasing. I bought every Xiaomi phone except for the Mi A2 and Mi A3 with the intention of flashing a custom ROM ASAP. This simply became less reliable and too expensive to do over time especially when Google was providing everything I care about minus a glass back with the A line.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • n1c
      • 27 May 2023

      rajutee, 27 May 2023Google hasn't been quick to adopt a high refresh rate ... more"unremarkable" is poor choice of word. It means "not particularly interesting or surprising". This would indicate an average battery life.
      However, we're talking about 76h of endurance rating. 76h! In 2023! It's absolutely remarkable, remarkably poor! Way below average. Is there any other phone with this much worse battery in production?
      The venerable Pocophone F1 of 4 years ago had 94h endurance rating with a smaller battery.

        rizki1, 27 May 2023so many cons yet 4.3 star, although recently review the Poc... moreIt's because MIUI is poop bro.

          Big failure...75 hours??? Does Google really want to imitate the SE crap? And for that price?

            igguk1, 26 May 2023Pixel 7a it's a nice phone, one of the best midrangers... moreAgreed. If I didn't have any of these phones and just needed 1 phone for the best possible value I would pick the 6a not the 7a. IMO the wireless charging and 90Hz aren't game changers like reviewers believe them to be. The camera and performance are improved over the 6a, but not enough to justify the price difference. Thankfully both phones are still on the market. The 6a is my favorite phone all time, but I'm unsure if the 7a is my 2nd place over the 4a yet when we consider improvements over their predecessors. If the 7a ever drops to 300 like the 6a frequently was then I would say all is forgiven price-wise.

              bmudallal, 26 May 2023I don't know why they didn't compare the image qu... moreNah... I have both the 6a and 7a. Both take excellent pictures btw. Neither is a wrong choice for camera quality, especially in the mid range segment. However, the 7a is noticeably better in terms of detail and performance in more challenging light. The problem is just that most phones in this price range take bad photos so even the 6a is at the top of the segment.

                JackS, 26 May 2023The only explanation that makes sense to me is they did the... moreThat makes total sense. I wasn't affected by this bug personally. On any of the 4 Tensor Pixels I own. My Pixels also don't throttle or get hot. Last night I played Wild Rift maxed out on 90fps no problems. Either I'm really lucky or people are just reproducing what they have heard and not what they have personally experienced.

                  I have bought every Pixel A. For me the worst things about the 7a are the size, the price and the plastic back. I personally don't care at all about wireless charging or 90Hz so it seems like a price increase that I can't personally appreciate. Now while I say I don't like the size of the 7a it's only because it's larger than the what I considered perfect size of the 6a. A lot of reviews say the size is the same as the Pixel 7 or a negligible difference, but that's not really how it works. If you prefer smaller phones, there is like a point where a phone's size becomes a deal breaker vs usable. For me the 6a was perfect. The 7 and 7a are both right on the edge of what I consider a deal breaker. The differentiator is which side of the dealbreaker line they sit on. The 7a is on the usable side of that edge and the 7 is on the unusable side of that edge. There are also people saying the 7a is the same size as the 6a. It's not possible to be simultaneously both the same size as the 6a and basically the same size as the 7. The reality is that it is in between both, for better or for worse.

                    • g
                    • gaber
                    • gDL
                    • 27 May 2023

                    everyone would like the best phone for €200, but that's not possible. Like Mercedes Benz, it is not for €10,000.

                      I'm surprised Google screwed up with the battery life on pixel 7a. The standby and calling should be at least as good as on pixel 7, so the overall score should be also at least the same.

                        They probably only knew about the heating issue after signing with Samsung to manufacture their Tensor, that's why their charging speed is like a joke to keep the heat down. Slow charging + power hungry chip = forever to charge.

                          jimmy, 27 May 2023Screen size is very beautiful dear but i can't critici... moreNo, the size is nothing beautiful. It has outrageous bezels. I am happy to remind you that it is only a little bit smaller that Pixel 7.

                          And way more bulkier than S23 or even Xiaomi 13.

                            Google hasn't been quick to adopt a high refresh rate display on its 'midrange' model and even when it finally has, it's a 90Hz panel in a sea of higher RR competitors. Battery life is unremarkable, charging speed is downright unacceptable, the lack of storage options is limiting, and the Tensor G2 runs hot and throttles. There are also missteps in what should be any Pixel's forte - camera performance.
                            How can you give a rating of 4.3 after this assessment?... Terribly misleading. Please display signs of guts rather than hypocrisy.
                            SHAMEFUL!!!!!

                              This has to be the most detail captured in a phone image period, the 4th low light pic, could never look into the glass cabin across the street before!

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • g4b
                                • 27 May 2023

                                Androuser, 27 May 2023So many cons yet GSMArena rated it 4.3 🤣🤣Google will always have rabid fanboys.
                                Think about it, they successfully convinced their customer base that they should buy their phones because it has LESS features than the competition, and pointless security updates.

                                  • j
                                  • jimmy
                                  • KIJ
                                  • 27 May 2023

                                  Nick, 26 May 2023So many disadvantages: Lo internal Rom without micro SD ca... moreScreen size is very beautiful dear but i can't criticized on your choice

                                    so many cons yet 4.3 star, although recently review the Poco F5 costs a lot cheaper and slightly better here and there only 4.1 star.

                                    I agree with alternatives, Pixel 7 and Moto Edge 40 the rest are not. But I would choose Edge 40 which is way better. In my opinion, Nothing Phone 1 is no longer feasible to be used as an alternative because it is already 1 year old.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • n1c
                                      • 27 May 2023

                                      507AMS, 27 May 2023...looking at the Pixel 7a's cons list, the POCO F5 se... morePixel is scam. If you want truly clean Android, try getting lineageOS on Poco F5! Till then, use Xiaomi EU custom ROM

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • n1c
                                        • 27 May 2023

                                        4.3 stars for a phone with just 76 hours battery life in 2023??? What is this gsmarena? You gave only 4.1 stars to Poco F5 which has miles better processor and battery life. You always overrate pixel, despite Google's insistence in continuation of using the worst of the worst CPU and fingerprint sensor available. Poco phones never get these two things wrong, despite costing much less. As always, you keep using this arbitrary and scammy "muh UI" and "muh software updates" phrase as an excuse, despite the fact that one can change software by means of custom ROM, but hardware CANNOT be changed! You cannot improve tensynos and fingerprint scanner with software but you certainly can improve MIUI (EU ROM) or just get an AOSP custom ROM, resting on proper, high quality hardware. Moreover, can you even tell apart Android 12, 13 and 14 beta in daily use, despite over-emphasizing software updates? Only thing going for pixel is camera, but even that is tackled well by other devices in competition, and even surpassed when GCam is used if sensor is larger.
                                        Google's hardware quality is the worst of the worst in the world. The worst hardware in any phones in production today are: pixel 7/pro/a!

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