The Google Pixel 7A review: a top of the range for 509 euros

With limitations, this is evident.
And there is, given that Google had to contain costs and differentiate Pixel 7A from the older brothers, namely Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
However, the American giant has saved in the right way, giving life to a smartphone that manages to satisfy users at 360°: the display is beautiful, the performance is excellent, the photographic sector is above average and the battery gets you through the day without too much difficulty.
All this for a price, 509 €which places it in the medium-high range of the market.
However, let’s leave the reasoning on price and positioning at the end, first we want to tell you how it behaves in the field.

The Google Pixel 7A review

This time we want to start from a table, from a comparison, to help you understand what actually changes compared to the two top of the range from Google.

Confused by the data? Don’t panic, let’s try to give you a summary of the important things: Pixel 7A is slightly smaller and lightermonta the same processor of the top of the range and has a photographic sector that has little to envy to Pixel 7.
Then there are elements that cannot be deduced from the table, starting with materials.
We have spent several months with the Pixel 7 Pro and the difference with the 7A is evident from the first moment.
Let’s try to explain better.
Pixel 7 Pro is obviously a top of the range, which costs like a top of the range and offers materials… from top of the range. We have Gorilla Glass Victus on both the front and back, with a polished aluminum frame and curved display. The feeling, holding it, is of great solidity and great ergonomics, you have a premium phone in your hands and you realize it immediately.
Pixel 7A is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and has a metal frame but still, once taken out of the box, you understand that this is one of the elements on which Google has tried to keep costs down.
Let me be clear, it does not mean that it is not well done and well built. On the contrarywe found it much more durable and convincing than a good deal of the competition but the difference with the older brother is there and it is noticeable.

The colors also change: Pixel 7A arrives on the market in variants Black, White, Blue and Coral, the latter, however, sold exclusively on the Google Store.

We haven’t mentioned the design yet because, to tell the truth, nothing changes compared to the Big G flagships. Rounded edges, soft lines, G tone on tone on the back and a metal band that includes the rear camera module while the front one is housed by a central hole. On the right profile we find the power button and the volume rocker, on the left there is the door for the SIM and on the lower part the USB-C connector for recharging.

Everything is familiar

Google Pixel 7A if presented with a 6.1-inch OLED display that’s pretty much perfect.
The small size makes it very comfortable in daily life. You don’t get anywhere with your thumb but using it with one hand isn’t impossible, even with one of the substantial made by Google covers.
We then excellent color rendition, deep blacks, a brightness that guarantees you to see everything even under the sun, there is support forHDR and the FullHD+ resolution is more than adequate for reading, watching videos, playing games, working or anything else you want to do with a smartphone.
The refresh rate reaches 90 Hz. Or rather, it can be a 60 Hz o 90 Hz, with the smartphone choosing the most suitable one based on the displayed content. You can obviously disable the option and keep the 60 Hz fixed, saving a little in terms of autonomy.

To protect the screen we have the already mentioned Corning Gorilla Glass 3which allowed us to throw it in the backpack without worrying too much about any consequences.
After 2 weeks of heavy use there is not even a small scratch.

The user experience is therefore similar to its older brothers, also in terms of performance. In fact we find on board Tensor G2Google’s proprietary processor, designed in California and designed to support all the artificial intelligence that animates this product.
To support it another chip, Titan M2. It’s still from Google but it deals exclusively with security. Because it is important? Because by now our phone holds everything: emails, passwords, photos, files… The smartphone is almost a reflection of our lives and we like our lives to remain private, at least in part. That’s why Titan M2 is important, because it is responsible for our safety.
Pixel 7A also supports two biometric recognition systems: the fingerprint, under the display, and the scan of the face.
Plus you can count on the VPN di Google One that yes, it’s free on Pixels. Once activated, it will take care of creating a secure connection every time you connect to Wi-Fi.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere

Pixels are unusual smartphones in the Android landscape. If desired, we could equate them to Apple’s iPhones.
For what reason? Why here the hardware is from Google, the software is from Google, the artificial intelligence is from Google.
All this allows on the one hand an extreme optimization and on the other hand the inclusion of functions that are quite unique in their kind. Functions that, in the case of Pixels, revolve around AI. On the other hand, Tensor, as we said before, was born for this.

But “artificial intelligence” is a bit vague. It is seen and not seen. It is never clear what it does and how it works.
So let’s do some practical examples of AI inside Pixel 7A.
Imagine you are on the phone with someone who is in a bar, out in the wind, in the middle of traffic… In short, in a noisy place. You can activate the function Nested call which reduces background noise so you can hear your caller better.

The AI ​​also allows for translate received messages into other languagespractically with a click and on a lot of platforms, from WhatsApp and Google Messages, from Instagram to Twitter.

Autonomy is also based on artificial intelligence, with the Pixel 7A analyzing your behavior for understand which apps you use the most and which you use the least and then limit consumption. That’s why it takes a while to find the right rhythm. In fact, in the first few days we were not fully satisfied with the seal but over time the autonomy settled down allowing us to get to the end of the day even with intense use.

Finally, there is one last, important element that takes advantage of AI: the camera.

Top notch camera

Google Pixel 7A comes with two rear sensors:

• the main one, called Quad PD Quad Bayer, from 64 megapixelwith an aperture of F/1.89;
• the ultra-wide angle, from 13 megapixel, with an F/2.2 aperture and a 120° field of view.

The rear module allows you to bring home videos in 4K or Full HD, both at 30 and 60 fps.
The 13-megapixel front camera with 95° ultrawide field of view supports Full HD movies at 30 or 60 fps and 4K at 30 fps.

Both benefit from artificial intelligence that takes care of optimizing the yield, both of photos and videos. What does this mean in real life?
Focusing is flawless and fast; yield during the day is excellentwith vivid and natural colors while in the dark it manages the lights well and grains very little.

The photo of the flower you see above is incredible: in another context it would be difficult to understand whether it was taken with a mid-range phone or a super cameraphone. By zooming we naturally lose something but it is a more than justified behavior.

Something more could be hoped for in the video sector where the yield is good if you stand still but in motion the lack of stabilization somewhat undermines the result.

Overall though the AI ​​and the software work really well together.

Pixel 7A

There is more. Google technology brings a series of extremely interesting features to the little one at home. For example, Super Res Zoom it allows you to take home good quality photos even with the digital zoom, with the phone taking more photos to capture as much detail as possible, stitching them together and returning an image that has nothing to envy to the optical zoom.
We also have Remove Blurwhich brings slightly out of focus images into focus, or Magic eraser, with which you eliminate unwanted elements from your photos. Both tools can also be used on old photos, not taken with a Pixel.

The Pixel 7A review: conclusions

Now you can understand why, in our opinion, Pixel 7A is…