Google Pixel 7a: The essentials of its original flagship

Thriving on the lowered retail price relative to the other Pixel 7 devices, the upgrades found on the Pixel 7a quickly caught our attention – even creeping towards its standard counterpart.

This was in contrast to our impression that the status quo of the device should remain similar to its lineup: a flagship SoC while cutting the bells and whistles.

Cutting back on premium aesthetics

As we rejoice over the enhanced value of the said device, this A-series iteration still utilises a polycarbonate backing as opposed to glass while still maintaining a pseudo-glass aesthetic without the associated fragility.

The previous Pixel 6a was found to have used a more economical edition of Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 which can be said to be less tough than its flagship counterparts. At the time of this writing, we are unable to determine the exact version of Gorilla Glass on the Pixel 7a.

It is also worth mentioning that the Pixel 7a contains a slightly smaller display measuring at 6.1” as opposed to 6.3” on the standard Pixel 7 model.

The budget model also means giving up high adaptive refresh rates at just 90Hz on the Pixel 7a as compared to 120Hz for the top-tier Pixel 7 Pro.

Potentially surpassing the Pixel 7’s camera

The Pixel 7a features a 64MP wide lens and 13MP ultrawide lens as its main camera array which could possibly capture more details than the Pixel 7  which only contains a 50MP wide lens and 12MP ultrawide lens.

At the front, the Pixel 7a now features a 13MP wide lens which is an improvement over the 10.8MP on the Pixel 7.

One differentiating factor of the Pixel 7a is the lowered light sensitivity rating, coming in at the lowest among the other Pixel 7 variants – resulting in more artefacts (discolouration) that may occur during low light photography (reference pictures below).

Battery life and screen quality

A highlight across all models is its peak brightness which can only be achieved automatically under high-intensity light.

Simulated with a bright beam of light, the Pixel 7a and 7 Pro achieved similar increase in brightness levels, especially useful when outdoors or under the sun.

Storage options and performance capabilities

Running on the same Google Tensor G2 chip, the Pixel 7a performed similarly in speeds like fingerprint unlock and facial recognition.

Powering the 6.1” FHD screen at 90Hz, the device drains about 40% after 5 hours of YouTube video playback in our testing. We are confident the device can last a full day of usage.

In terms of storage options, there will only be a single 128GB variant with 8GB of RAM for the Pixel 7a.

Availability and Pricing

The Google Pixel 7a is now retailing for S$749 in Singapore and is available in 3 colours – Snow, Sea and Charcoal.

The device is available online and in stores via the Google Store, Amazon SG, Courts Online, Challenger Online, and Shopee.

Any purchase of the Pixel 7a will come with a coupon for SGD 150 off your next purchase on Google Store and an exclusive phone case.