Pixel 7a is the latest addition to Google’s affordable A series that is somewhat creating confusion with last year’s more premium Pixel 7. The A series offering had always resembled the base model, but this time the Pixel 7a is closure than ever to a point that it’ll be hard to distinguish between them for most people.
The Pixel 7a is almost on par with the Pixel 7 in every aspect, but it’s not quite the same in any aspect!
Let’s talk about the pricing first
The Pixel 7a is launched at $499 (8, 128GB) in the US, though it’s already available at $449 at Best Buy. Usually, the price of the A lineup comes down quite a bit within a couple of months. However, if you want to buy it now, you also get the more premium Pixel 7 as an option.
The Pixel 7 was launched at $599 (8, 128GB), but now it’s also available at the same $499 territory. So, either you can save a bit or else you can get basically a more premium experience, and this creates the confusion.
Let’s take a look at what more you can have if going with the more premium Pixel 7 or if there’s anything you don’t mind sacrificing for a lower price with the Pixel 7a.
Pixel 7 is better than Pixel 7a in many aspects
- Glass at the back makes it premium
- Thinner bezels on the display looks better
- The larger flagship grade Samsung GN1 sensor outshines in low light
- The UI feels slightly smoother in the Pixel 7
But that’s it. Otherwise, it’s hard to differentiate the two. It depends on the deal you get on the 7. If the price is close to that of the Pixel 7a and you have that extra money, then go with the Pixel 7.
But there are people who don’t care much about the things I mentioned above. If you belong to them, and notice a more than $50 difference between the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7, this is a no brainer for you, go with the 7a.
And if you want to know a bit more, here’s an in depth look.
Design and build: very similar though
You don’t have to compromise much in build quality with the Pixel 7a. Yes, the Pixel 7a has plastic back whereas the Pixel 7 has glass; but this time, you can barely tell the difference between them. The frame is made up of aluminum in both which makes it feel premium in hand.
The camera module also looks quite similar except the fact that the Pixel 7 has more camera bump because of the bigger sensor inside. But that’s also not a big deal.
There’s not much of a sacrifice in the Pixel 7a in terms of back design and build.
Display: Pixel 7 has thinner bezels
Both of them have a smooth 90Hz 1080p panel that looks great. However, the Pixel 7a’s display is slightly smaller at 6.1″ OLED as compared to the 6.3″ AMOLED in the Pixel 7’s.
I found the peak brightness of the Pixel 7 going a bit higher than the Pixel7a, but again, you won’t have any problem in outdoors. You have to compare them side by side to tell the difference.
But the Pixel 7a’s thicker bezels really differentiates it from the more premium version.
Let’s take a look at the cameras
The Pixel 7a this time has a resolution bump up from 12.2MP to 64MP in the main camera. Additionally, the Pixel 7a features a much larger sensor at 1/1.73″ compared to the Pixel 6a’s 1/2.55″. The larger sensor has significantly improved the Pixel 7a’s low-light shots. However, Pixel doesn’t provide an option to shoot images at full resolution; instead, it uses pixel binning to increase the light capture per super-pixel while bringing down the resolution to 16MP.
But on the other side, the Pixel 7 still has a much larger flagship-grade 50MP Samsung GN1 sensor measured at 1/1.31″, which really differentiates it in low-light conditions and also provides a better bokeh effect. The Pixel 7a’s ultrawide has a wider field of view at 120 degrees instead of the Pixel 7’s 114 degrees. But the wider field of view also brings some distortion to the image.
The images above are shot from the main sensor, cropped in from the edge. You can notice the Pixel 7 sample being less distorted and a bit clearer as well. Though the differences are only noticeable after zooming in quite a bit and it’s hard to notice in most of the scenarios.
There’s also not much to talk about the selfies as software processing is Google’s secret sauce and that’s pretty much the same in the two.
In well lit situations, the Pixel 7a performs on-par but as soon as you go to a low light situation, you start notice a difference in noise levels and colors.
These are the scenarios where the Pixel 7 shows up it’s position.
Computational photography plays a key role in Pixel’s cameras. The hardware difference isn’t allowed to make its way into the images until the situation is very adverse, and it can no longer compensate.
Performance and battery life
This is where things get a bit interesting. Even though both of them have the same Tensor G2 inside, the Pixel 7 always appears a bit smoother to my eyes. All of these factors make the Pixel 7a a better option, given that the price is quite similar.
The Pixel 7 and the 7a have pretty similar battery capacities at 4355mAh and 4385mAh, respectively. The battery life is also nearly the same. Both devices have good enough battery life to last you a whole day with moderate to heavy usage. However, the screen-on time you can get depends on your specific usage.
One thing to note is that Pixel devices are focused on the overall experience and aren’t quite tuned for gamers. You can game on them, but if your main use case is gaming, then you have better options from other brands. The main selling point of a pixel revolves around it’s ML capabilities and it does those things pretty well.
Which one is the way to go for?
Once again, the Pixel 7 is currently available at $499 at Best Buy, while the Pixel 7a is priced at $449 at the same store. I found a lower price and have provided a link, but please note that it may change in the future.
The Pixel 7 is more premium and better in almost every aspect. However, the difference is small enough to be missed by most people. If you want the best, then the Pixel 7 is a no-brainer. However, for most people, their choice will depend on the pricing.
The Pixel 7a is likely to have a price drop, which would make it more appealing. But for now, my recommendation to anyone with the funds is the Pixel 7, as it offers a better experience for a similar price.
