Google Pixel 7A: 3 Months Later, Should You Buy It?

Speaker 1: The Pixel seven A is one of C Net's favorite budget smartphones. It has the same processor as the Pixel seven and seven Pro and a great camera all for less than $500. But three months later, is it still a good pick? The answer isn't so simple. Yes, everything we liked about the Pixel seven A when we reviewed it is still true, but with the Pixel eight likely right around the corner and the [00:00:30] Pixel seven, seeing deep discounts, there are some good reasons to think twice. But first, let's take a look at my impressions. I just revisited the pixel seven a three months after reviewing it. And here are my thoughts. First, using the Pixel seven A again made me remember how much I really like its size. It has a 6.1 inch screen, which is smaller than the pixel sevens and therefore makes it easier to manage with one hand. Speaker 1: The other nice thing about having a smaller phone, it actually [00:01:00] kind of fits in my pocket. With larger phones, it's a bit harder to really get it to fit completely. It also has a really great 64 megapixel main camera that is technically a bit different than the pixel sevens. For example, Google says that the Pixel sevens camera has a bigger sensor that's more sensitive to light, but in my experience, photos were very similar between the two phones. If you really want a phone just for taking photos of family, friends, vacations, pets, that kind of a thing, the Pixel seven [00:01:30] or the Pixel seven A will be just fine. You're not really missing out on much by going through Google's smaller phone. Another thing I appreciated when returning to the Pixel seven A is how Google updates its software over time. Now this isn't specific to the seven A Google releases updates from multiple pixel devices, but it is a reminder of what you'll get with a pixel phone compared to a different Android phone. Speaker 1: Google released an update for the pixel lineup shortly after the Pixel seven A came out. That update brought some more [00:02:00] emergency and safety features as well as some new wallpapers and other updates. One feature I've been playing around with is the new cinematic wallpaper, which applies a three D like effect to your two D photos. That makes the subject stand out from the foreground a bit more. This was a lot of fun to play around with, but I do have to say there are times when Google cropped in on the photo a little bit more than it should have, which resulted in an image that looked a bit too awkward to have as your background wallpaper. But still, it [00:02:30] was fun to play around with and it's a great example of how Google continues to update its pixel phones with new features over time. Now for the downsides, even though I like the size of the Pixel seven a screen, it's just not bright enough to see outdoors with without cranking the brightness all the way up. Speaker 1: So right now I have the brightness about halfway and I can barely see the screen. It's not until I really turn it all the way up that I can actually see the display clearly. And also battery life on [00:03:00] the Pixel seven A is just okay. It's long enough to get me through a full day without worrying. But I did notice that battery life in my testing was almost on par with the Galaxy SS 23 lineup. Now on one hand that is impressive considering Samsung's phones are a lot more expensive than the Pixel seven A, but you also have to remember that Samsung's devices have brighter screens with higher refresh rates, but the biggest downside to buying the Pixel seven A right now comes down to timing. Google just heavily [00:03:30] discounted the Pixel seven, bringing its price down to about the same as the Pixel seven A and the Pixel seven has a bigger screen, faster wireless charging and some extra features like reverse wireless charging, which lets you charge other devices on the back of the phone and the action pan camera mode. Speaker 1: That said, there are still some reasons to consider the Pixel seven A, even though it's around the same price as the Pixel seven right now. For one, those who prefer smaller phones might still want the seven A instead. And also since [00:04:00] the seven A is newer, you should get Android version updates for slightly longer than the Pixel seven. It's also important to remember that the Pixel eight might be coming out soon since Google usually releases new pixel phones in October. If you're not in a rush and can't afford to wait, you might want to see what the Pixel eight has in store. Of course, we won't know until Google announces the phone, but based on years past, we can probably expect to see a new tensor processor and some camera improvements. But it's also important to remember that if you wait too [00:04:30] long, you might miss buying the Pixel seven at its current discounted price. So what do you think of the Pixel seven A? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to keep following CNET for more pixel coverage. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.