Google Pixel 8a - user opinions and reviews
- r.why.me
- uwW
Tseng ET4000, 21 Jan 2025The Pixel 8a is an average smartphone at an average price. It is nowhere near flagship level, ... more"The Pixel 8a is an average smartphone at an average price. It is nowhere near flagship level, it's mid-range at around $400 or €400"
Look, I don't know what country you live in that the Pixel 8a is considered "mid-range". In much of the world it released for a price point that puts it close to flagship territory. It released here where I live for damn near the price of a OnePlus 12 or Galaxy S23 base variants. It is still selling here for roughly the same price as S23 8GB/256GB. The Pixel series are not considered a "mid-range" family of devices in much of the world. They are exorbitantly expensive, and the Pixel 8a especially so for all the negatives I listed.
- Anonymous
- AAs
oldjackbob, 14 Dec 2024Fast charging a battery reduces its life.Go research on the claim, you will find that there's literally no useful research done on that subject other than people talking about risks.
There are many factors to consider such as many different types of fast chargers, many different ways of controlling the temperature and so on, so I don't think you can generalize it.
But it is commonly known that heat isn't good for battery; therefore, you should always try to keep the phone cool as much as possible regardless of fast / slow charger.
Pixel is not commonly known for staying cool.
- Tseng ET4000
- mdB
r.why.me, 21 Jan 2025I was given this phone last month by a cousin who didn't know any better. He had it lying... moreThe Pixel 8a is an average smartphone at an average price. It is nowhere near flagship level, it's mid-range at around $400 or €400. Nevertheless, It has a powerful CPU, but it's not top-of-the-line. I've had Android 15 on it for months and receive monthly updates and security patches until 2031, which is unique in this price range. I have a desktop mode, which is not comparable to Samsung's DEX, but I can still work on a monitor. The Pixel 8a supports wireless charging and has a USB 3.x port. But you're right, battery usage could be better and charging takes two hours but stops at 80% with this enabled. This means the battery lasts seven years.
- r.why.me
- uwW
I was given this phone last month by a cousin who didn't know any better. He had it lying around, after he had switched over to iphone. He hadn't even set it up yet.
It is just a waste of money. It has so many negatives going for it that make it a device that I would not recommend to most people. Heck, I am not keeping this device, and I got it for free.
* The display's PWM gave me a massive migraine in the time I took to set-up the device. The PWM is just that bad. Increasing brightness to near maximum did not help. I would like to point out that I am only moderately PWM sensitive. I have had no issues with my Galaxy A51 or my wife's A71 for five years, or my aunt's S23. But this phone? Absolutely horrible for a device which released here for near-flagship level pricing. I have tried it again and again thinking I'll get used to it. But the problem keeps recurring. The PWM in the Pixel 8a is the worst I have seen, and I have tried out a lot of smartphones and laptops while checking for PWM flickering.
* The phone heats up quite a bit just with mobile data enabled. Turning on location and using GPS makes it even worse. It gets as warm with mobile data plus location enabled as a Galaxy A35 when gaming.
* Speaking of mobile data: The signal reception strengths are the worst I have seen for a phone in this price range, and some of the worst - period. The Motorola G34 and Galaxy A15 cost a fraction of this device and do immensely better in this regard. My five year old Galaxy A51 and my dad's Galaxy A13 pick up a usable 4G signal in my office whereas the Pixel 8a can't manage even that (even with LTE preference enabled). The 5G reception is even worse. I used the very same app that Cybershack uses to test signal reception strength in their phone reviews. The Galaxy A51 (a budget device from 2019-2020) manages three times the reception strengths of the Pixel 8a (a premium device from 2024). Even the Galaxy A13, and entry level device from 2022, is better. And, mind you, this wasn't even in a remote black spot, but an area of moderate (not poor) coverage in an urban setting.
* Battery life is worse than on my wife's Galaxy A71 from 2020, and much worse than on the Galaxy A35 released in the same year. Moderate users like me who start the day with 90% charge will have to top up the device again at night. And it takes two hours to charge, which is excusable on something like a Motorola G34 or Galaxy A14 5G (which released in India for a quarter the price of the Pixel 8a) but inexcusable on a device of this price bracket. Comparably priced devices like the Galaxy A55 (12 GB RAM variant) and OnePlus 12R are battery life champions in comparison. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro and Neo also do much better on battery life despite similar capacities.
* Internal storage is supposedly UFS 3.1, but feels like the 2.2 variety. Read/Write speeds are barely faster than the Galaxy A35 and Edge 50 Pro, both of which have UFS 2.2 storage.
The only positive about the device is the main camera set-up. Selfies are meh. And even then, there are devices in the same price range (or even lower price range) which match or even absolutely trounce the Pixel 8a in the camera department while having none of the same negatives.
All things considered, absolutely bad device. I wouldn't use one if you paid me.
- Gino76ph
- PxA
gft77, 19 Dec 2024Generally speaking, when Google releases their A series Pixel phones, many issues that were in... moreSo, would issues on the Pixel 8 phones you think have been ironed out and optimised more for the Pixel 8a?
- gft77
- E9a
Gino76ph, 28 Nov 2024There are limited number of phones with said display issues. Are you telling me the Pixel 8a ... moreGenerally speaking, when Google releases their A series Pixel phones, many issues that were in the other phones are fixed.
- oldjackbob
- 4Dv
Gino76ph, 11 Dec 2024May sound like a stupid question but would you rather have a phone that charges slow under 30w... moreFast charging a battery reduces its life.
- Gino76ph
- LaZ
Tseng ET4000, 12 Dec 2024I like the way the Pixel 8a does it. While the smartphone is charging, I stream music or video... moreI've had the Pixel 8 for almost two weeks now. And i think i'm starting to see signs of the battery life beginning to "stabilize" as i (almost) constantly left with 30% by 9pm. This is on a typical daily 9-5 work use and home wifi in the evening.
If i use it during my holiday i may get slightly less than that due to weak network signals and lots of taking photos. But i have yet to observe that.
The display could be better (more sharper, more contrast, more colour), the audio could use Dolby Atmos and battery capacity could be bigger but overall i'm quite pleased with it.
- Tseng ET4000
- mdB
Gino76ph, 11 Dec 2024May sound like a stupid question but would you rather have a phone that charges slow under 30w... moreI like the way the Pixel 8a does it. While the smartphone is charging, I stream music or videos and it still keeps cold. I also have a wireless charger, but I dislike it because of the heat it generates.
- Gino76ph
- LaZ
Tseng ET4000, 10 Dec 2024Energy consumption is higher when installing apps. An always-on display requires some energy. ... moreMay sound like a stupid question but would you rather have a phone that charges slow under 30w & doesn't heat up that much (Pixel 8/8a/9) or a phone that charges in minutes but with negligible heat (like a OnePlus or Xiaomi)?
- Tseng ET4000
- mdB
Gino76ph, 09 Dec 2024So would you say based on my Pixel 8's usage the battery is expectedly average? Decent? or bad?Energy consumption is higher when installing apps. An always-on display requires some energy. There are many settings that use energy and you can turn off many things to avoid using any energy. The CPU is a big consumer, but it is also very powerful. Then I only charge the battery to 70 or 80% and rarely use it below 30% because I want to keep the smartphone for seven years. Nevertheless, I get through the day well with it, while at the same time I monitor my usage and energy consumption. Despite the small battery and despite the powerful and energy-consuming CPU, I am convinced that the smartphone is good, but it is not a pro/max/ultra for 1000 dollars or euros. I think it's normal to spend more display-on time in the first few days, but you should also keep in mind that the smartphone is a small powerhouse that can easily get warm.
- Gino76ph
- LaZ
shknz, 10 Dec 2024I think the battery of the Pixel 8/8a isn't bad, but it's not good either. It depend... moreI'm not being obsessed by the battery life. I am being mindful that if i go on a holiday (where it requires lots of photo taking, listening to podcasts or music, etc.) it may not last the whole day. Compared with going for work at 8am and going home by 6pm may be different and may last a bit longer.
I probably have read and seen all "battery saving tips" online that i think sometimes you filter all the good things that makes it a Pixel and more becoming like an old Nokia 3210.
- Hot Rod
- c}3
Very limited, bought this phone the day it came out, only for Google to promote the 9.
No sd card slot with only 128gb storage really limits the potential for this phone.
2 stars out of 5
- shknz
- xyB
Gino76ph, 09 Dec 2024So would you say based on my Pixel 8's usage the battery is expectedly average? Decent? or bad?I think the battery of the Pixel 8/8a isn't bad, but it's not good either. It depends a lot on what you use and how you use the phone.
Use it as you like and don't obsess over the battery.
- Gino76ph
- 39y
Tseng ET4000, 07 Dec 2024Same here. First, disable 5G, because 5G drains the battery very fast. Then, choose a low reso... moreSo would you say based on my Pixel 8's usage the battery is expectedly average? Decent? or bad?
- Tseng ET4000
- mdB
Gino76ph, 07 Dec 2024I found that my newly-bought Pixel 8 charges 2% every 2 minutes but also drains 1% per two min... moreSame here. First, disable 5G, because 5G drains the battery very fast. Then, choose a low resolution for youtube (and other streaming stuff), because 1080p also drains the battery. And there are many things to do like enabling 60 Hz, display not so bright etc.
- Gino76ph
- LaZ
shknz, 03 Dec 2024I was a bit wrong.
Today at 6:25 am I put it to charge with 31% until 7:10 am when I left hom... moreI found that my newly-bought Pixel 8 charges 2% every 2 minutes but also drains 1% per two minutes just by doing simple tasks such as downloading apps, watching Youtube tech and news channels, listening to 2-3 podcasts (of around 45-60 minutes each), going to my socials, checking my emails, MS Teams, writing notes, etc. No gaming, no streaming, no vlogging, no memory intensive tasks.
I charge my Pixel up to 90% each day. With my first 48 hours doing those tasks my battery could drain to 50% past 3pm and could still have some juice by 9pm of under 30%.
Does those sound good to you? Or not?
- Silcat
- Y69
Jackie, 28 Nov 2024Hi, I have a question about being unable to put the phone on silent. Is the Do Not Disturb op... moreDo not disturb is definitely a feature. I just prefer to use the silent mode, so I have to get used to it being in the volume slider lol.
- Tseng ET4000
- mdB
Got it! I bought a 256GB model and I intend to use it for seven years. It replaces my Galaxy J7 from 2016, which is now slowly getting very, very old. It has many modern features such as wireless charging, artificial intelligence and a desktop mode. Seven years of updates and the easy-to-unlock bootloader were the main reason for the purchase. I am disappointed by the possibilities with artificial intelligence, which is mostly handled via the servers of Google. I hope that more calculations will be made on the smartphone in the future. I find it difficult to get used to the small screen, but the small smartphone fits well in the hand. The CPU sometimes gets a little warm and wireless charging also produces some waste heat. And did I mention the bezels? I chose a black background so that I cannot see them. I paid 432 euros and will happily live with these little things.
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