Pixel 7a Gets Noteworthy Upgrades, Equivalent To A Flagship And Supports Face Unlock, But It Also Costs More Than The Pixel 6a

The torrent of leaks may have divulged all the necessary information you were searching for, but that has not stopped Google from officially unveiling its next mid-range offering, the Pixel 7a. There are several upgrades to talk about that will make it an enticing purchase for customers who do not wish to spend ‘flagship level’ funds on a smartphone, but those extra features mean you will have to pay more than the asking price of the Pixel 6a. Let us get into the details so you know exactly what we are talking about.

The Pixel 7a is a slightly downgraded version of the Pixel 7a but offers more than its predecessor

The Pixel 7a now features a recycled aluminum chassis, glass, and plastic, with a display size measuring 6.1 inches diagonally. The panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, and it sports a 2400 x 1080 resolution, with support of up to a 90Hz refresh rate, allowing for smoother scrolling. Users can bring that refresh rate down to 60Hz if they want to conserve battery life, but the 4,386mAh cell should be more than enough to keep it powered on for the whole day.

According to Google, using the Extreme Battery Saver mode, the latest mid-ranger can last up to 72 hours on a single charge. Like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, the affordable handset is powered by the same Tensor G2 SoC, along with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage.

Here are the available colors that you will get from Google’s latest offering

The device is also IP67 dust and water-resistant, which is a nice layer of protection, but it is still recommended that you do not take it near water bodies because Google will not entertain any warranty for this kind of damage. As for the cameras, the main sensor is a 64MP shooter; alongside it, you get a 13MP ultrawide unit with a 120-degree field of view. The camera also has dedicated software features like Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Night Sight, and Real Tone.

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Google also promises a minimum of five years of security updates, plus three years of major annual updates, meaning that the Pixel 7a will be supported well into 2028. If you want to know what is present under the hood, we reported about the Pixel 7a’s teardown video, showing that some areas of the smartphone are easy to repair and replace while others are not.

Pricing, availability, and colors

Google’s Pixel 7a can be ordered today, costing a ‘not so cheap’ $499. However, when you take into account that it sports the Tensor G2, along with wireless charging, upgraded cameras, and more, it slowly starts making sense, but then again, this can mean that the Pixel 7 will look like a better value, especially when we continue to see routine discounts on it. For the colors, you get Charcoal, Sea, Snow, and Coral. If you order through the Google Store, you will get a free pair of Pixel Buds A-series and an official case.

In case you forget, we'd like to remind you that the Pixel 7a is IP67 dust and water-resistant

Apart from the U.S., Pixel 7a is available in 16 other regions to order right now; Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Do you believe that for $499, Google’s latest smartphone is worth the money? Tell us in the comments.

Written by Omar Sohail