Google Pixel 8a

Technical specifications

A positive surprise; for a phone with a starting price of 2449 PLN, it has a brilliant price-to-quality ratio. The camera takes quite good photos. The system runs extremely smoothly, much more so than the S23 I had previously - there is no possibility of stutters. People write that it heats up, which is unfounded to me; it simply becomes warmer, and it must be admitted that the vast majority of people use a case and will not even feel it. I do not play games on the phone, so I will not comment on that; I mainly use social media and in this area, the phone is excellent. It makes a much greater impression on me than the Samsung, even though I liked that phone very much. The only downside is the battery, which depletes quite quickly and charges quite slowly for 2024, but I hope we will soon receive an update that will improve this at least slightly.

Smartphone very, very handy!
Pretty, but that is a matter of taste and everyone has a different opinion on this subject. Below are a few positives and negatives:
- handy and at the same time a display of sufficient size,
- the system operates very smoothly,
- it does not overheat (it becomes normally warmer during demanding processes),
- excellent speakers,
- very good cameras (x1 zoom is excellent and does not require an additional camera lens for it),
Something that should be better:

- battery, below average..,
- charging, it is a failure! 18W via cable and 7.5W induction,
- the system is in my opinion worse than in the Pixel 5,
- no possibility to assign a function other than the camera to the power button...

I have had a great many phones/smartphones in my life. Pixels and iPhones are unique. Everyone has their own taste, habits.. I consider the iPhone 12 pro and Google Pixel 5 to be the best from these brands. This model introduces nice fresh new features but still loses to the 5! If you still have a Pixel 5, I sincerely advise against an exchange! Besides, if you manage to buy this model for the price of 2000 zlotys, I recommend it.

I thought for a very long time about which phone to choose. I searched through various manufacturers because my main criteria were the size and weight of the phone...

In this respect, the Google Pixel 8a is ideal :)
The problems with carrying a heavy and large device in my pocket are over; it is a phone perfectly fitted to the hand, small and well-proportioned.

As for performance, there are various opinions about Tensor processors, but I have not noticed (although it might be a matter of individual hardware configuration) any problems with overheating or responsiveness. The phone operates smoothly, lags occur very rarely and, in my opinion, they are related to the currently used application rather than the phone software itself, which, by the way, is as simple as possible.

Regarding the camera - it is high quality. You simply turn on the camera and take a photo without wondering if it turned out well; every time it turns out as you expect.

The biggest drawback of this phone is the charging system and the battery used. Charging is very slow, so I usually leave the phone connected overnight. Battery life is a rather individual matter. Everyone uses their phone differently, but in 9 out of 10 cases, the battery lasts until late at night.

In summary - if you are looking for a well-proportioned phone with a good camera - I recommend it wholeheartedly :)

After nearly a year with the Pixel 8a, I have mixed feelings, with a prevalence of negative ones. Regarding the positives: -
Unfortunately, the ergonomics of use are a failure. I switched from a 6-year-old Huawei P30 and expected a qualitative leap, but instead, I received annoying errors. The fingerprint reader hardly responds. The list of recently opened applications freezes regularly, which makes it impossible to switch efficiently between windows – exceptionally troublesome when copying data for transfers. Although it is the cheapest model in the range, I believe that basic functions should work flawlessly. At this moment, I do not recommend it.
The camera is a regression compared to the P30; there is no optical zoom, the main lens takes average quality photos, and the camera application processes the photos heavily, making them look even worse.
The worst part of all is that the phone is neither compact nor handy. It is uncomfortable, heavy, difficult to hold, and difficult to play games on. It is simply weak.
I forgot to mention the battery. With two SIM cards (Orange + Tmobile eSIM), the phone does not last until evening with 2 hours of Screen-on Time (SoT). This is the main reason for selling this device.

Reference point: Samsung S20 FE and Moto 30 Fusion. I used these phones previously. I have a significant basis for comparison. Appearance is a matter of taste... Battery – and here I will surprise everyone – the Pixel has the best result, but I must note that 5G is turned off. Two days of use without difficulty. Photos... Pixel is the best, then S20 FE, and finally Motorola. Phone speaker... Pixel, Motorola, S20 FE. However, the Pixel is the loudest but plays very unevenly, something around 65/45 stereo. Operating culture from worst... Pixel, Motorola, S20 FE.... Pixel can heat up the casing. Here, the Samsung with Snapdragon 865 is the best.... Call quality... Motorola 1st place unquestionably, then Samsung, and finally Pixel...... the Pixel did not impress me here. Charging... Pixel 18 W, Samsung 25, Motorola 68, there is nothing to comment on here :D Do I recommend this phone... no :) But I love pure Android; it has many flaws, but I overlook them. For me, what matters is the excellent software, lack of bloatware, personalization, etc., even at the expense of the processor. Oh, and one more thing – it charges extremely slowly ;)

The previous opinion was written impulsively.After about a dozen days, I find that... The phone does not heat up much at all; maybe it is due to the Spigen case, but it is not noticeable, and the performance is exemplary. In my case, the battery is excellent, with the appropriate configuration (5G disabled, Wi-Fi scanning off, etc.) SOT 7 h. The performance is incredibly pleasant :)
Regarding call quality, I consider the Motorola Fusion 30 to be number 1, Samsung FE20 number 2, and then the Pixel 8a. On headphones (I use Soundcore Liberty 4), it is very good. Wi-Fi seems weaker than on the Motorola and Samsung. The camera for me is better than the S20 FE or Moto 30 Fusion. Stereo speakers in the phone: Pixel 8a, Motorola 30 Fusion, Samsung S20 FE. Signal strength is hard for me to judge, but the Motorola likely had the best.
"Touchscreen usage feeling".... Motorola, Pixel and Samsung are tied. To sum up, I bought it for 1999 and I regret nothing. The only disadvantage is the slow charger; I reason with myself that I plug it in at night :) These Pixels have a certain hidden charm that makes them really pleasant to use :)

I do not delve into the specifications - probably few people use everything, but the software is completely unintuitive!!! A dual-SIM phone where it is impossible to set two different ringtones for each SIM card - an absurdity. Sending SMS messages to several people is either impossible or done in a complicated way. Slow charging. Speed dial - no such option. Searching for contacts (it does not find people from the phone keypad, despite the same surname) - also problems. In summary, the simplest matters are complicated (those used as a phone or messenger), and I believe that a phone is primarily used for calling and sending messages (this should be the most refined part).

Hello, so charging takes 2 hours, which is a long time. The battery lasts a maximum of one day; connecting it to the charger in the evening is standard. The camera takes good photos during the day; I compared it with Xiaomi, and it is not as different as it used to be, nor is it worth buying even for 1899 PLN. Pure Android – I regret my decision to choose it; I prefer the Samsung interface with its numerous applications over this bland pure Android. A small screen and large bezels; I recall seeing this somewhere before. Yes, I saw it 10 years ago; that is what smartphones looked like back then.

After the March update, the phone runs even smoother and better. Practically zero lag. The camera app opens extremely fast. I have had it for half a year now and I find it to be a great phone. Only 5G is disabled, because in this case, the battery really lasts about 15 percent less. In my case, using LTE plus Wi-Fi at home, the standard is 7 h SOT. I do not play games. I have had many phones, but I have never been as satisfied as I am with this Pixel, and I have tried many brands. Pixel proves that software is the most important thing, not 3 million in Antutu and the battle for points.

I switched from Moto G42 and after one day I regret it.
- Dark screen. On Moto I normally use about 35% brightness. Here I need at least 60%!
- keyboard. The letter areas are smaller and it is easier to make a mistake.
- annoying search bar that cannot be removed without installing another launcher.
- Signal! In the Moto inside a building I have 4 bars. In the Pixel, after 3 meters I completely lose signal.
- mobile internet and Wi-Fi tiles are together. Which is annoying when I want to switch between them.

The only advantage is the camera.