Google announces Pixel 8a phone with seven years of support
The new budget version of Google’s Pixel 8 product line also has most of the AI features that come with the more expensive flagship devices
Google has announced its Google Pixel 8a phone, a cheaper version of its flagship Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices.
Although €50 dearer than last year’s Pixel 7a, the new device uses Google’s most recent Tensor G3 chip and has most of the AI-infused camera features of the flagship devices, including ‘Best Take’ and ‘Magic Eraser’.
The 6.1-inch smartphone also has Google’s latest high definition ‘Actua’ display, which has a 120hz refresh rate and is around 40pc brighter than the screen on the Pixel 7.
Other AI features on the phone include ‘Circle To Search’. On any screen on your phone — a photo, a web page you’re on, or anything else — you can long press the home button and it will invite you to ‘circle’ (with your finger) whatever you want on the screen. Once you do that, it will instantly call up results via a reverse Google image search.
On previous devices we’ve tried this on, it works very well for most things, from landmarks to celebrities to animals to food. You can quickly snap a photo of an actor and then look them up quicker than it would take to google ‘[film]’ cast and then click on the right one.
It can also be potentially useful for those who scroll a lot of Instagram or TikTok, as it will throw up things like recipes for circle-searches you do around bits of food, or clothes-shopping sources for garments you circle.
New features on the Pixel 8a include something called ‘Audio Emojis’, which will “make your phone calls more expressive and engaging than before. With Audio Emojis, just tap on an emoji to trigger an audio reaction and visual effect. Try using a hand- clap emoji to applaud a job well done or the laughing emoji after telling your best joke.”
Like the other Pixel 8 models, the Pixel 8a is offering seven years of software support, including security updates and Android upgrades. Google is also saying that the Pixel 8a will “benefit from all the new features and improvements in ongoing feature drops”.
While the phone comes in a matte back and a polished aluminium frame, it has a few new colours — “Aloe” and “Bay”, as well as the usual “obsidian” and “porcelain”.
With an IP67 rating, there's also a larger storage capacity option at 256GB.
Available next week, the Pixel 8a will cost from €559.
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