The Pixel 8A: Google's Newest Budget Phone

Google's newest budget phone, the Pixel 8A, is set to launch on May 14th for $4.99. But how is it different from last year's Pixel 7A? The biggest differences come down to the display, design, and of course, the processor. The Pixel 8A runs on Google's Tensor G3 chip, which is the same processor that powers the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

The screen brightness is also a notable difference compared to the Pixel 7A. Google has made the screen brighter this year, which is a welcome change, as the display was found to be a little bit too dim on last year's phone. The design of the Pixel 8A is also more premium and polished compared to the Pixel 7A. The corners are softer, and there's a matte finish on the back that more closely matches the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

One thing that hasn't changed is the camera. Google is using the same camera sensor on the Pixel 8A that it used for the Pixel 7A last year. However, what really stands out about the Pixel 8A is that it's bringing some of its AI features from the Pixel 8 to the A series phone. One of these features is called "Best Take." If you're taking a bunch of group images, maybe there's one shot where your eyes are closed and then there's another shot where you look great but maybe your friend is looking off camera. The idea behind this feature is that Google uses AI to combine those images to create one image where everybody is actually looking at the camera.

You can choose which face you want for each person in the image, and it's a really useful feature for group shots. I tried this out a few times, and while it's not an entirely new feature (it's been on the Pixel 8), it's still a great addition to the A series phone. Another feature that's coming to the Pixel 8A is audio Magic Eraser. This feature cleans up audio on videos by detecting distracting sounds in the background and making them disappear.

This feature is really useful for creators who need to focus on their content without any distractions. The Pixel 8A will also support Google's Gemini Nano model, which runs on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. However, this feature will be available as a developer option in a future update. So, what does this mean for the A series phone? Google is bringing AI features that are typically only found on premium phones to its budget offerings.

This kind of approach by Google tells us about its vision for AI on phones: it wants AI to be part of the core experience, not just a niche feature for a subset of users. This approach is similar to Samsung's strategy with its Galaxy A series phones, which have also started to include more advanced features like AI-powered cameras and processors.

One of the biggest changes that will affect the Pixel 8A is the support for software updates. The phone will receive 7 years of software updates, which means it shouldn't feel out of date anytime soon. This approach follows Google's strategy with the Pixel series phones, where software updates are typically rolled out to all models simultaneously. However, this time around, the Pixel 8A is getting this benefit without having to be a premium phone.

This is really nice to see, as it means that budget phone buyers can also get the latest and greatest features from Google without breaking the bank. The Pixel 8A is set to launch on May 14th for $4.99, so if you're in the market for a new budget phone, this could be an interesting option to consider.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the pixel 8A Google's newest budget phone that Launches on May 14th for $4.99 so how is it different from last year's pixel 7A I'll show you right now the biggest differences come down to the display the design and of course the processor the pixel 8A runs on Google's tensor G3 chip which is the same processor that powers the pixel 8 and pixel 8 Pro Google also said it made the screen brighter this year compared to the pixel 7A which is a welcome change because I found found the display to be a little bit too dim on last year's phone and then of course there are some design changes as well the pixel 8A since it's part of the pixel 8 family looks a lot more like the pixel 8 and pixel 8 Pro you'll notice when looking at the 7A and the 8A next to each other that the corners are much softer than they are on the 7A and there's also a matte finish on the back that more closely matches the pixel 8 and 8 Pro I personally really like this I think it makes the phone feel a little bit more premium and Polished and just gives it a bit of a boost when it comes to build quality compared to the glossy back on the pixel 7A but one thing that hasn't changed is the camera Google is using the same camera sensor on the pixel 8A that it used for the pixel 7A last year but what really stood out to me is that Google is bringing some of its AI features from the pixel 8 to the pixel 8A and for some of these features it is the first time we're seeing them on an A series phone one of those features is called best take so if you're taking a bunch of group group images maybe there's one shot where your eyes are closed and then there's another shot where you look great but maybe your friend is looking off camera the idea behind this feature is that Google uses AI to combine those images to create one image where everybody is actually looking at the camera and you can actually choose which face you want for each person in the image I tried this out a few times and of course this isn't an entirely new feature it's been on the pixel 8 so we've had plenty of time to play around with it but you'll notice that you can hold down on um someone's face and see the the different options that you can swap in and out and then there's also audio Magic Eraser which is coming to the pixel 8A which is a feature that cleans up audio on videos so if you're taking a video and there's some distracting sounds in the background audio Magic Eraser can detect that and make it disappear the pixel 8A will also support Google's Gemini Nano model which also runs on the pixel 8 and 8 Pro and this will be available as a developer option in a future update so what really stands out to me about this is the fact that Google isn't really just saving these AI features for its premium phones it's not using these features as an excuse to try to get you to buy the more expensive model it's even bringing it to its cheaper phones and that kind of tells us about Google's vision for AI on phones it wants it to be part of the core experience rather than something that's just a niche for a subset of users like those who might go for the pro model so I do think that's really interesting and it kind of reminds me of Samsung's approach as well Samsung initially launched Galaxy AI which is its own set of AI features back in January but then it later expanded that to older Galaxy models as well otherwise there are some other changes that you'll want to take note of one of the biggest being that the pixel 8A will support 7 years of software updates so it shouldn't feel out of date anytime soon that again also follows Google's approach with the pixel 8 series but again it's really nice to see this trickle down to the cheaper model as well so that's what stood out to me so far about the pixel 8A I'll have much more to say about it once I've had time to actually spend more time with it and test it in the meantime you could check out the full story on cet.com for more details thanks for watching and I'll see you next timethis is the pixel 8A Google's newest budget phone that Launches on May 14th for $4.99 so how is it different from last year's pixel 7A I'll show you right now the biggest differences come down to the display the design and of course the processor the pixel 8A runs on Google's tensor G3 chip which is the same processor that powers the pixel 8 and pixel 8 Pro Google also said it made the screen brighter this year compared to the pixel 7A which is a welcome change because I found found the display to be a little bit too dim on last year's phone and then of course there are some design changes as well the pixel 8A since it's part of the pixel 8 family looks a lot more like the pixel 8 and pixel 8 Pro you'll notice when looking at the 7A and the 8A next to each other that the corners are much softer than they are on the 7A and there's also a matte finish on the back that more closely matches the pixel 8 and 8 Pro I personally really like this I think it makes the phone feel a little bit more premium and Polished and just gives it a bit of a boost when it comes to build quality compared to the glossy back on the pixel 7A but one thing that hasn't changed is the camera Google is using the same camera sensor on the pixel 8A that it used for the pixel 7A last year but what really stood out to me is that Google is bringing some of its AI features from the pixel 8 to the pixel 8A and for some of these features it is the first time we're seeing them on an A series phone one of those features is called best take so if you're taking a bunch of group group images maybe there's one shot where your eyes are closed and then there's another shot where you look great but maybe your friend is looking off camera the idea behind this feature is that Google uses AI to combine those images to create one image where everybody is actually looking at the camera and you can actually choose which face you want for each person in the image I tried this out a few times and of course this isn't an entirely new feature it's been on the pixel 8 so we've had plenty of time to play around with it but you'll notice that you can hold down on um someone's face and see the the different options that you can swap in and out and then there's also audio Magic Eraser which is coming to the pixel 8A which is a feature that cleans up audio on videos so if you're taking a video and there's some distracting sounds in the background audio Magic Eraser can detect that and make it disappear the pixel 8A will also support Google's Gemini Nano model which also runs on the pixel 8 and 8 Pro and this will be available as a developer option in a future update so what really stands out to me about this is the fact that Google isn't really just saving these AI features for its premium phones it's not using these features as an excuse to try to get you to buy the more expensive model it's even bringing it to its cheaper phones and that kind of tells us about Google's vision for AI on phones it wants it to be part of the core experience rather than something that's just a niche for a subset of users like those who might go for the pro model so I do think that's really interesting and it kind of reminds me of Samsung's approach as well Samsung initially launched Galaxy AI which is its own set of AI features back in January but then it later expanded that to older Galaxy models as well otherwise there are some other changes that you'll want to take note of one of the biggest being that the pixel 8A will support 7 years of software updates so it shouldn't feel out of date anytime soon that again also follows Google's approach with the pixel 8 series but again it's really nice to see this trickle down to the cheaper model as well so that's what stood out to me so far about the pixel 8A I'll have much more to say about it once I've had time to actually spend more time with it and test it in the meantime you could check out the full story on cet.com for more details thanks for watching and I'll see you next time\n"