Google Pixel 7a Review: A worthy successor to the Pixel 6a?
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What is in the Box
- Pixel 7a in snow color
- USB-C to USB-C Cable (USB 2.0)
- Quick Start Guide
- Quick Switch Adaptor
- SIM Ejector Tool
Display, Hardware And Design
Google earlier this month launched the Pixel 7a, the company's latest mid-range Pixel phone as the successor to the Pixel 6a. It has a similar design but also includes a 90Hz screen, the latest Tensor G2 SoC, new cameras, and wireless charging. Is it a good upgrade to Pixel 6a? Let's dive into the review to find out. box contents
Display, hardware, and design camera Software, UI and Apps fingerprint sensor Music Player & Multimedia sim and connectivity Performance and Benchmarks battery life conclusion box contents Pixel 7a in snow color USB-C to USB-C Cable (USB 2.0) quick start Guide quick switch adapter sim ejector tool Display, hardware, and design
Google launched the Pixel 7a, the company’s latest mid-range Pixel phone, earlier this month as the successor to the Pixel 6a. This has a similar design, but gets a 90Hz screen, latest Tensor G2 SoC, new cameras, and also adds wireless charging. Is this a good upgrade to the Pixel 6a? Let us dive into the review to find out.
| Box Contents |
| Display, Hardware and Design |
| Camera |
| Software, UI and Apps |
| Fingerprint sensor |
| Music player and Multimedia |
| SIM and Connectivity |
| Performance and Benchmarks |
| Battery Life |
| Conclusion |
Box Contents
- Pixel 7a in snow colour
- USB-C to USB-C Cable (USB 2.0)
- Quick Start Guide
- Quick Switch Adaptor
- SIM Ejector Tool
Display, Hardware and Design
Starting with the display, the Pixel 7a has a 6.1-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a pixel resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of about 431 PPI. The display is bright, and has HDR support. Outdoor visibility is good as well.
The phone has a 90Hz refresh rate display, compared to 60Hz in the Pixel 6a, but the competitors in the price range offer 120Hz refresh rate. Hope Google finally moves to 120Hz refresh range for all the Pixel 8 series. You can notice the high refresh rate, especially when you are scrolling through the UI and when gaming. It also has HDR 10+ support, which works for YouTube and Netflix.
Under the display options, there are different options to adjust colours based on your preference. There is also a night light option that lets you reduce the display’s blue light emission, so it doesn’t cause eye strain when you are reading at night. There is Dark mode and an always-on display option for the lock screen, but it doesn’t offer a lot of customization. It doesn’t have MEMC or DC Dimming option. The phone comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, compared to Gorilla Glass Victus protection in the Pixel 7.
The phone has a tiny centre punch-hole that houses an 13-megapixel camera, which doesn’t disturb when watching videos since it just occupies a small space. This is an upgrade from the 8-megapixel camera in the Pixel 6a. Above the display, there is an earpiece on the top edge, which also doubles up as a secondary speaker.
The phone has an optical in-display fingerprint scanner which is present almost near the centre area, similar to Samsung. You can also notice a small bezel below the display, which is slight bigger than the bezels on the sides and the top.
Coming to the button placements, the power button and volume rockers are present on the right side. The single SIM slot is present on the left side, and the phone has eSIM support for the secondary SIM. The USB Type-C port, microphone and speaker grill are present on the bottom. The secondary microphone is present on the top. Since the sides have an aluminum frame, you can see the antenna bands, and it doesn’t attract fingerprints.
Compared to the glass back on the Pixel 7 series, the Pixel 7a still uses a plastic back from the Pixel 6a, which the company calls 3D thermoformed composite back cover. The back cover is prone to scratches and also attracts fingerprints easily, so it is recommended to use a case.
The phone is 9mm thick and weighs 193.5 grams. Even though the thickness is not noticeable, the 15.5g increase in weight from the Pixel 6a can be noticed when you hold the phone. However, the phone feels solid in hand.
In addition to the Snow, the phone also comes in Charcoal and Sea colours, which are Grey and Blue, but the Coral colour is not available in India. The phone has IP67 ratings for dust and water resistance compared to IP68 in the Pixel 7 series, but this is still good since some phones only have IP52 and IP53 ratings.
