What to know
- Pixel 8A will house a more powerful Tensor G3 chip, better refresh rate and peak brightness.
- It’s also slated to get a slightly better battery and all of Google’s recent AI features, which pegs it closer to the Pixel 8 than the Pixel 7A.
- Google is most likely to launch Pixel 8A at I/O 2024 in May.
If you’re itching to buy a new Android phone, you may want to wait just a wee bit longer. Chiefly because Google is expected to launch the Pixel 8A – the successor to the highly popular 7A – in just over a month, you might get the best that Google has to offer with its mid-range Pixel ‘A’ series. But if you can’t see why you should wait for the launch of Pixel 8A, here are five reasons to stay your hand.
5 reasons to wait for Pixel 8A
Thanks to several leaks, we have just about enough information to create Pixel 8A’s specification sheet ourselves. But that also tells us what we can expect from the launch. So if you needed practical reasons to justify being patient, here are five reasons why you should wait for Pixel 8A and what you stand to gain from it.
Better performance with Tensor G3 chip
Pixel 8A is all but confirmed to get the same Tensor G3 chip as the other two Pixel 8 devices. In terms of raw performance, the G3 is much more powerful than last year’s Tensor G2 and marks the same generational jump that exists between G2 and G1.
The 7A in comparison also suffers from overheating, especially when put under heavy workloads. Although updates did alleviate this issue for the most part, the throttling hasn’t disappeared entirely. Sure, there’s no guarantee that the Pixel 8A won’t have similar issues, but one would at least expect Google not to make the same mistake twice in a row. So, if it was 7A that you were eying, we’d suggest you consider not just Pixel 8A’s better performance but also Pixel 7A’s issues.
Higher refresh rate and peak brightness
Pixel 8A’s display is also expected to get a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz, up from Pixel 7A’s 90 Hz display. Although everything else will most likely stay the same, including the OLED display, the jump in refresh rates would make it the first Pixel A device to be on par with higher-end Pixels. Additionally, Pixel 8A will also boast a higher peak brightness of 1400 nits that will come in handy when viewing the display in direct sunlight, something that users might consider a more practicable feature than the higher refresh rate.
Image: SaeedEnterprize (X) Image: SaeedEnterprize (X)
Similar features to Pixel 8, at a lower cost
Of all the various Pixel A devices, the 8A may also be the closest to the premium Pixel devices of its generation. In terms of the silicon, the size, and the battery, 8A is the facsimile of the Pixel 8. The cameras is one front where you can expect some differences between the two. But to the extent that the Tensor chip contributes to photo processing, the quality of images you get won’t be to far off either. So if you wanted to get the best that Google has to offer but found the Pixel 8 just out of your budget, Pixel 8A will be right up your alley.
Better battery and faster wireless charging (possibly)
Pixel 8A is slated to have slightly better battery than last year’s Pixel 7A. Leaks suggest the new mid-tier device might have around 4500 mAh battery compared to the 4385mAh battery on its predecessor.
Moreover, since Pixel 7A became the first A-series device to support wireless charging, we can expect the same on this year’s Pixel A device as well. What matters is whether we’ll see a bump in the maximum wireless charging speed. Although there’s no confirmation on this front, we are hopeful that it should be more than the 7.5 watts offered on the Pixel 7A.
AI features and software updates
With several AI features trickling down to earlier phones, you can expect the latest Pixel device to have all the AI goodness that Google has to offer, including Circle to Search, Audio Magic Eraser, Gemini, and all the rest of it. And although there’s no telling how many years of software updates Pixel 8A might get, being a year ahead of the 7A, you’ll at least secure them for one additional year.
If the past few years are anything to go by, the launch of Pixel 8A might take place during the upcoming Google I/O 2024 itself. So it would be better to wait, especially when it’s a matter of only a few weeks.
