Google Pixel 8A Impressions: Just Get The 8!
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses Google's new budget phone, the Pixel 8A, which maintains a $500 price point while offering several improvements over its predecessor. The phone features a slightly larger battery, a new Tensor G3 chip, and a display upgrade to 120Hz, with a peak brightness increase of 40%. The Pixel 8A retains the same camera sensor as the 7A but introduces new colors and a matte texture. The device also supports Gemini Nano, which is Google's latest AI assistant, creating some inconsistency with the Google Assistant. Despite these enhancements, the Pixel 8A is compared to the Pixel 8, which offers a better display, camera, battery, and charging capabilities for a slightly higher price. The video also mentions dbrand's hydro dip skins, which provide a unique look without adding bulk to the device.
Takeaways
- 📱 Google's new budget phone, the Pixel 8A, maintains a simple design with a few key improvements.
- 💸 Priced at $500, it fits into the mid-range category without being a flagship device.
- 📈 The Pixel 8A has a slightly larger battery, going from 4385 mAh to just over 4400 mAh.
- 🔋 Retains wireless charging capabilities and is IP67 rated for water and dust resistance.
- 🖥 Upgraded to the new Tensor G3 chip from last year's flagships, offering decent performance.
- 🚀 Offers 128GB of storage with a new option for a 256GB version.
- 📺 The display has been improved with a peak brightness 40% higher and a dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz.
- 📷 Cameras are mostly unchanged from the Pixel 7A but still offer high-quality images.
- 📲 Comes with Google's smart AI features, including Call Assist, Pixel VPN, and Magic Eraser.
- 🔍 Google is developing two separate assistants with overlapping capabilities, which may lead to future consolidation.
- 💰 Compared to the Pixel 8, the Pixel 8A does not offer a significant price advantage, making the Pixel 8 a potentially better deal.
Q & A
What is the price of Google's new budget phone, the Pixel 8A?
-The Pixel 8A is priced at $500.
What are the main design changes in the Pixel 8A compared to its predecessor?
-The main design change in the Pixel 8A includes slightly more rounded edges, giving it a distinct look, and new color options with a matte texture.
What is the battery capacity of the Pixel 8A?
-The Pixel 8A has a slightly larger battery capacity compared to the 7A, going from 4385 milliamp hours to just over 4400 milliamp hours.
What new chip does the Pixel 8A use, and what is known about its capabilities?
-The Pixel 8A is equipped with the new Tensor G3 chip, which is also used in last year's flagships, indicating it is decently capable but may be a little inefficient.
What are the storage options available for the Pixel 8A?
-The Pixel 8A starts at 128GB of storage, and for the first time, a 256GB version is also being offered.
How has the display been improved on the Pixel 8A?
-The Pixel 8A features an improved display with a peak brightness 40% higher than its predecessor and a refresh rate that can go up to 120Hz, compared to 90Hz on the previous model.
What is the Pixel 8A's refresh rate setting out of the box?
-The Pixel 8A's refresh rate is set to 60Hz out of the box, but users can manually adjust it to a dynamic rate up to 120Hz in the settings.
What is the Pixel 8A's position in the market compared to other Pixel phones?
-The Pixel 8A is a mid-range phone with a solid set of features and is positioned as a budget version of the Pixel line, offering great software and camera capabilities.
What are the concerns raised about the Pixel 8A in terms of Google's AI assistants?
-The concerns raised include the inconsistency and potential confusion caused by having two separate but overlapping AI assistants, Gemini and Google Assistant, on the Pixel 8A.
How does the Pixel 8A compare to the Pixel 8 in terms of price and features?
-The Pixel 8A is priced at $500, which is not significantly cheaper than the Pixel 8, that can be found for around $550. The Pixel 8 offers a higher quality display, better cameras, a larger battery, faster charging, and an IP68 rating.
What is the reviewer's recommendation for those interested in personalizing their Pixel 8A?
-The reviewer suggests using dbrand skins, which add no thickness to the device but can significantly change its look and feel.
What is the reviewer's final verdict on the Pixel 8A?
-The reviewer considers the Pixel 8A a solid mid-range phone with all the expected features from a Pixel device. However, they also note that its pricing makes it a less attractive option compared to the slightly more expensive Pixel 8.
Outlines
📱 Introduction to Google Pixel 8A: Mid-Range Marvel
The video introduces Google's new budget phone, the Pixel 8A, highlighting its similarities with last year's model and its key improvements. The phone is noted to be in the mid-range category, priced at $500, and is recognized for its simple design with rounded edges and new color options. It retains its wireless charging and camera sensor from the previous model but introduces a new matte texture and slightly larger battery. Internally, it's upgraded to the Tensor G3 chip and offers increased storage options, including a 256 GB version. The display has been improved with higher peak brightness and a dynamic refresh rate up to 120 HZ. The Pixel 8A also boasts of advanced software features like AI capabilities, call assist, and Google's Magic Eraser, along with a promise of seven years of updates. The camera quality is praised, referencing the high rating of its predecessor in a blind smartphone camera test.
💲 Pixel 8A Pricing and Comparison with Pixel 8
The speaker expresses concerns about the Pixel 8A's pricing, noting that it is not significantly cheaper than the Pixel 8, which was named phone of the year and is available for just $550. The Pixel 8 is highlighted to have a better display, camera, battery, and charging capabilities, making the 8A seem overpriced in comparison. The Pixel 8A is described as a solid mid-range phone with all the expected Pixel features, but the comparison with the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro raises questions about its value proposition. The video also mentions the availability of dbrand skins for customization, which are thin and do not add bulk to the device, and come in various colors for a unique look.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pixel 8A
💡Mid-range
💡Design
💡Wireless Charging
💡Tensor G3 Chip
💡Storage Options
💡Display
💡Software Features
💡Speech-to-Text
💡
💡Updates
💡Camera
💡Gemini Nano
💡Price Comparison
Highlights
The Pixel 8A is Google's new budget phone, maintaining a simple design with key improvements and the same $500 price point.
The phone features a slightly larger battery, going from 4385 milliamp hours to just over 4400.
The Pixel 8A retains wireless charging capabilities and an IP67 rating.
The device has a new Tensor G3 chip, offering decent capabilities and starting at 128GB of storage with a new 256GB option.
The display has been improved, now featuring an Actual Display with 40% higher peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate, up from 90Hz.
The Pixel 8A comes with great software, including smart AI features like Call Assist, Pixel VPN, and Magic Eraser audio.
The phone offers the best speech-to-text transcription speed and accuracy, allowing for fast and reliable typing.
The Pixel 8A promises seven years of updates, including OS, security, and feature drop updates.
The camera setup is mostly unchanged from the Pixel 7A, but it received the highest ELO rating in a recent blind smartphone camera test.
The first Pixel device to enable Gemini Nano, which operates locally on the device.
There is an inconsistency with different assistants on the Pixel phone, with Gemini and Google Voice search operating side by side.
The Pixel 8A is priced at $500, which is not much cheaper than the Pixel 8, which is currently priced at $550.
The Pixel 8 offers a better deal with thinner bezels, a brighter display, better cameras, a bigger battery, faster charging, and an IP68 rating.
The Pixel 8A is a solid mid-range phone with all the expected features from a Pixel device.
Channel sponsor dbrand offers hydro dip skins for the Pixel 8A, providing a unique look without adding thickness.
dbrand supports nearly 200 devices with their hydro dip skin, including phones, laptops, tablets, and consoles.
The Pixel 8A is a safe bet for Google or Pixel fans, offering a reliable mid-range experience.
Transcripts
all right so there is just one thing
that's starting to feel a little bit
weird with this new pixel but I'll get
to that by the end of this video let's
just start with the obvious stuff what's
actually new here so I just got some
Hands-On time with Google's new budget
phone the pixel 8A and I can confirm
they are mostly sticking to the script
here keeping it simple last year's phone
was already really good making a few key
improvements where it counts and keeping
the price the same $500 500 bucks isn't
cheap but it's also not a flagship it's
definitely in this nice little mid-range
territory and I feel like that pixel has
been slowly catching up their Hardware
to the rest of the competition in this
price point so at first glance it is
well pretty unmistakably a pixel with
the camera bar up top but there's a
little change there's a little bit more
rounded edges I really hope I'm not the
only one getting round SpongeBob vibes
from these corners but that's definitely
what I see but that's the main design
change back here and then also around
the back it's still got wireless
charging it still has the same main
camera sensor as the 7A with an ultra
wide next to it but now there's new
colors and this new matte texture so
there's a black and a white that are
called obsidian and Porcelain which look
pretty tame but then there's also a new
green and blue called aloe and Bay and
they are definitely more vibrant the
rails and the camera bar are all
aluminum still it's still IP67 rated and
then there's a slightly larger battery
but I mean it's we're talking very
slight here I think it goes from 4385
milliamp hours to just over 40 4400 but
it still has wireless charging too then
on the inside it's been bumped up to the
new tensor G3 chip from last year's
flagships so we know it's decently
capable if a little inefficient but then
it'll also start at 128 gigs of storage
but for the first time they're also
going to offer a 256 gig version of the
aone as well and then around the front
an improved display so it's the same
size still 6.1 in still has the middle
hole punch cut out for the selfie camera
still has an optical fingerprint reader
but it's now an actua display so the
peak brightness is 40% higher than
before and I think it's noticeable this
is one of those things that makes a big
difference to everyday life and
usability just being able to see it
outdoors and it's now a ped that gets up
to 120 HZ instead of the 90 HZ like last
year now before you even type it I know
a lot of people are going to argue
immediately this is not something that
makes much of a difference to most pixel
buyers and you're right in fact many of
them will not notice this Improvement
just because smooth display is actually
off Again by default so it's a 60 HZ
phone out the box and then you have to
know to go into the settings and turn it
on knowing it'll impact battery life and
then even once you do it's not like
locked at 120 HZ it's Dynamic up to 120
HZ so I played around with this phone
for a little bit it did feel very smooth
to me it feels nice at 120 HZ so I'm
personally happy about that change but I
won't dwell on about it for too much
longer so from there you already know
what a pixel is right this is the
mid-range SL budget version of the phone
with great software like this is the one
with the really smart AI features like
call assist and pixel VPN and Magic
Eraser audio and all kinds of other
classic Google features it's the one
with easily the best speech to text
transcription speed and accuracy I've
ever used on a phone it's reliable
enough to just write whatever you want
emails texts notes whole paragraphs as
fast as you want it's also the one
that's promised seven years of updates
OS updates security updates feature drop
updates and it's the one with really
good cameras mostly basically unchanged
from last year but all the pixel 7A did
was literally get the highest ELO rating
on our recent blind smartphone camera
test with millions of votes up against
other top tier Flagship phones so I'd
say that's a pretty good Baseline so it
seems like a pretty safe bet pretty easy
bet if you're a Google or pixel fan but
I'll just say here are my worries with
this pixel so first of all this is the
first as series device that they're
going to enable Gemini Nano on and Nano
is the one that can go locally on the
device entirely which is great they're
probably going to make a big deal about
it at the event and talk about it more
at Google IO and all this stuff but
there's also now like this weird
inconsistency with different assistants
on the pixel phone it's not even just
this phone but now you've got the Gemini
app like showing off prominently on the
home screen on these pixel 8 a which is
the latest available and most capable
voice and multimodal AI search that they
have but then the Google search page
right next to the home screen if you tap
the mic there that's going to a totally
separate but also very capable Google
Voice search with Google Assistant
Google is literally now developing two
different assistance side by side with
overlapping but not fully congruent
capabilities is just a little weird a
little inconsistent and we saw it coming
and we knew this would happen but I
think they'll eventually have to
consolidate them all into one I think
Gemini will do everything at some point
but then hey I guess the other thing to
keep in mind is the price so again it's
this phone's launch for $500 US
mid-range phone mid-range price
everything seems reasonable here but let
me remind you you can still buy last
year's phone of the Year brand new pixel
8 for 550 bucks so this 8A right now is
not that much cheaper than the 8 and if
you do go with the eight while it is a
couple months old now sure you're also
getting a phone with thinner bezels and
a brighter higher quality display
arguably even better cameras with bigger
sensors a bigger battery faster charging
ip68 and it's the same tensor G3 like is
that not a way better feeling deal I
mean if you can find one used that's
even better pixel 8 was just such a good
phone for that price that it makes
phones both more and less expensive feel
like worse buys like I talked about how
pixel 8 Pro feels like such a hard sell
cuz it's $250 more but now it also kind
of makes the pixel 8A look a little too
high priced so either way I'm sure pixel
9 and 9 Pro when they come out will
shake things up but uh as of right now
pixel 8A is just it's a solid mid-ranger
solid it's got all the stuff you kind of
already know you're getting from a pixel
and if you also plan on picking one of
these up then Channel sponsor dbrand
also has you covered with their hydro
dip skins now I've been using dbrand
skins literally since 2013 so that's
over a decade now uh and the biggest
thing for me is they basically add no
thickness obviously to the device like a
case wood but they can still totally
change the look and feel now Beyond just
the pixel skin and case dbrand also
supports with the hydro dip skin almost
200 devices so there's phones but also
laptops tablets consoles you name it and
there's four colorways of this one so
Gold Rush solar flare toxic waste and
cotton candy I'm thinking Gold Rush is
the best looking one out of the bunch
like I'm into the black white and gold
combo super clean but honestly they all
look pretty unique so if you have a
favorite I'll leave a link down below so
you can grab one for yourself but yeah
that's basically it let me know what you
think of pixel 8A versus pixel 8 in this
weird 6mon release stage thing Google's
doing I'll check the comments either way
thanks for watching catch you guys in
the next one peace
[Music]
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)