Google Pixel 7A Review – A Mid-Range Phone with Impressive Camera!

May 31, 2023

The Pixel A series phones have always aimed to provide many of the same features as the more expensive models at a lower price, and with the Pixel 7A, Google has included even more of those nice features. Let’s check them out in this Google Pixel 7A review.

Design and Build:

The design of the 7A is quite familiar, with its flat back, rounded edges, and the signature bar-shaped camera bump extending across the backside. The bar is made of metal, as is the frame, but the back panel itself is made of plastic. Overall, the phone feels heftier than expected for its size, weighing in at almost 200 grams.

One thing worth noting is that the volume keys and power button are clicky and require a solid squeeze to use, which helps against accidental activations. Just like last year, the Pixel 7A brings IP67 rated ingress protection, which is not quite as water-resistant as the Pixel 7 with its IP68 rating, but it’s close. SPECIAL OFFER!! Google Pixel 7a – 128 GB – Charcoal with $50 Amazon Gift Card

Display:

In terms of the display, the Pixel 7A features a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 1080p resolution and a fast 90Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate makes swiping and scrolling appear much smoother than on a 60Hz panel. The screen can dial down to 60Hz when you stop interacting with the device to save energy.

The display is super bright, measuring a maximum of just under 500 nits with the manual slider, and it can boost to 1070 nits in auto mode, making it great for outdoor use. Despite the somewhat thick bezels, the display looks good with the great contrast you’d expect from an OLED. It also supports HDR10+ video.

Audio and Biometrics:

Audio-wise, there’s a pair of stereo speakers with the earpiece doubling as the top speaker. The speakers have good loudness, and the sound quality is even better than the Pixel 7’s. The under-display fingerprint reader is well placed and quite responsive for biometric authentication.

Software and Performance:

One of the main reasons to get a Pixel phone is the clean Android software experience, and the Pixel 7A delivers on that front. It runs Android 13 with Google’s UI, offering the stock Android look. You also get the fastest Android updates on the market, with Google promising at least three years of major Android updates and five years of security patches. There are also a bunch of AI-based features exclusive to Pixel phones, such as Now Playing, Call Screen, and Face Unblur.

Powering the Pixel 7A is Google’s own Tensor G2 chipset, which powers the phone’s AI-based features. While it’s a powerful chipset overall, it doesn’t match up to this year’s Android flagship silicon, the Snapdragon HN2. However, the phone runs smoothly, and there’s enough power to tackle heavy games and tasks, including unique AI-driven ones.

Storage and Battery Life:

The Pixel 7A comes with a single storage option of 128GB, which is not expandable through microSD. This falls behind the regular Pixel 7, which offers an option for 256GB of storage.

Battery life on the Pixel 7A is not spectacular, with an overall endurance rating of just 76 hours. Charging speed is also not a strong suit, with the phone supporting only 18-watt charging. However, in a first for a Pixel A model, the 7A supports wireless charging.

Camera Capabilities:

Moving on to the camera, the Pixel 7A introduces new camera hardware that hasn’t been seen before on a Pixel A series phone. It features a 64-megapixel main camera with the first quad-Bayer type sensor on an A series phone, accompanied by a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera.

Photos from the main camera come out as 16 megapixels thanks to pixel binning, and they are excellent during the day, with vibrant and true-to-life colors, wide dynamic range, and good detail. Portrait mode shots use a digital crop and zoom, and while the results are generally good, some parts of the subject’s face may end up soft.

In low light conditions, the Pixel 7A automatically applies its Nightside processing to photos, resulting in very good detail and expressive colors. Video recording with the main camera can be done in up to 4K resolution at 60fps, with decent DTI levels, vivid colors, and a contrasty look. Stabilization is available in all modes and on all cameras, but it isn’t perfect on the main camera.

The ultra-wide camera on the Pixel 7A captures excellent sharpness and detail, consistent colors and contrast with the main camera, and performs well in low light conditions. Video recording with the ultra-wide camera is surprisingly good, with consistent quality and good dynamic range.

Selfies are taken with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera, producing great colors and skin tones, wide dynamic range, but leaving a bit more to be desired in terms of sharpness.

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Conclusion:

The Pixel 7A is a nice mid-range phone that delivers pretty much everything you’d expect from a Pixel device. It features a solid waterproof build, a clean Android interface, a powerful chipset with AI capabilities, and excellent photo quality from the rear cameras.

However, it does come with some compromises, such as slower charging speeds and limited availability worldwide. Additionally, the battery life is less impressive compared to the regular Pixel 7. If those compromises don’t bother you, the Pixel 7A could be worth considering. SPECIAL OFFER!! Google Pixel 7a – 128 GB – Charcoal with $50 Amazon Gift Card