5 things Google needs to fix with Pixel 8a

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There are plenty of great Android smartphones under $500, but the Pixel 7a stands out among them. The OnePlus 12R wins in that regard, despite not packing the best specs, but Google’s Pixel experience is one of the few Android devices to come close. However, the Pixel 7a isn’t perfect, with overheating issues, poor battery life, and a below-average display making for a poor overall experience. With the Pixel 8a launch just around the corner, here’s a list of issues Google should fix in its next midranger.

Google Pixel 8a: News, leaks, rumored price, release date

Not sold on Pixel 8? Google’s next midrange phone might be right for you

1 Higher refresh rate display

The bezel is also slimmer

Pixel 7a lying on a moss-covered rock with the home screen displayed

Some of our favorite Android smartphones under $500 feature 120Hz OLED panels with slim bezels. By comparison, the Pixel 7a’s 6.1-inch OLED panel with its 90Hz refresh rate feels outdated. Certainly jumping from 60Hz to 90Hz makes a bigger difference in usability than jumping from 90Hz to 120Hz. Still, considering almost every smartphone over $300 has a large 6.5-inch 120Hz display, there’s no reason Google can’t use a similar panel for the Pixel 7a.

As if a 90Hz panel wasn’t enough, it’s surrounded by relatively thick bezels, and to make matters worse, viewing angles are narrow. This makes the phone feel less premium and more like a sub-$300 phone.

While we’re complaining about the Pixel 7a’s display, let’s not forget about the Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass that launched in early 2013. While cost is a concern, there’s no reason to include something like that in Google’s budget Pixel. Glass becomes obsolete, especially when other phones in the same price range use improved materials while maintaining the same price.

Android smartphone displays have never been better, no matter their price, and it’s time for Google to step up in this area with the mid-range Pixel. Thankfully, the leak suggests that the Pixel 8a will likely feature a 120Hz OLED panel capable of achieving a higher peak brightness of 1,400 nits, similar to the one that shipped with the Pixel 8 last fall. We can only hope.

2 Extend battery life

Leave the power on for as long as possible

Budget Android smartphones are known for delivering great battery life thanks to a combination of low-power chips and powerful batteries, but the Pixel 7a is a notable exception. Google’s midranger comes with a smaller 4,385mAh battery considering its compact size. Despite being significantly less than the 5,000mAh cells offered by competitors, it was enough to guarantee that this phone would last him a day, were it not for the inefficient Tensor G2 chip and Exynos modem.

Let’s focus on the battery, as both are complaints in their own right. Due to Samsung’s manufacturing, there is only so much Google can do about the power consumption of his Tensor, but he could have used larger cells in the Pixel 7a to achieve longer run times. Imagine squeezing a 5,000mAh cell to avoid using power-hungry components. That would get us a lot closer to what we’re looking for.

The Pixel 7a’s poor battery life is compounded by its painfully slow 18W wired charging speed. Again, this is a long-standing problem with Google’s Pixel lineup in general, and the company needs to address it with this year’s Pixel 8a. Even if it doesn’t come close to faster options from Motorola or OnePlus, and bumps up to 30W like the Pixel 8, it should be a big benefit for everyday use.

3 A better, more efficient Tensor chipset

More specifically, a better Exynos modem

A common problem with all of Google’s Pixel devices is subpar battery life, overheating, and poor performance. This is mainly due to the company’s in-house Tensor chip. Naturally, the Pixel 7a also suffers from the same problem due to his Tensor G2, which has had a very hard time in this regard.

SoC performance is strictly average, especially for the flagship series. That’s fine for a low-cost phone, but the inefficiency makes the problem worse. If you press hard on your Pixel 7a while playing games or running heavy apps, your phone will start to overheat. However, even worse is the Exynos modem. It’s not as good as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon or MediaTek modems when it comes to holding a signal in poor network areas. When he uses his Pixel 7a to browse the web on a 5G network, it easily drains the battery in just a few hours.

Google could solve the Pixel 7a’s performance and battery life issues by using better Tensor chips. The Pixel 8a will almost certainly use the Tensor G3 SoC and include some efficiency upgrades. It won’t completely solve overheating, battery life, or connectivity issues, but it should provide a noticeable improvement.

Four Faster wireless charging speeds

Time to increase speed to 10W

Wireless charging is standard on most midrange and premium Android smartphones, and even some budget devices like the Moto G Power 5G. The Google Pixel 7a includes its own wireless charging support, but Google’s implementation leaves a lot to be desired. Wireless charging speed for mobile phones is up to 5W. That means it takes a whopping 4 hours to charge the battery from 0 to 100%.

Such slow speeds mean you can’t even rely on wireless charging to trickle charge the phone’s 4,385mAh cell. This makes the Pixel 7a’s wireless charging support useless for anything other than nightly charging, as you can’t rely on it for daily use.

If anything, Google should increase the Pixel 8a’s wireless charging speed to at least 10W to make sure it’s actually useful and not just an item on a spec sheet.

Five Choose from more storage options

Google’s budget lineup desperately needs more storage options

Google Pixel 7a running on a 5GUW network outdoors.

Smartphones like the Google Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 Ultra come with up to 512 GB or 1 TB of storage, and most mid-range smartphones have storage options of 256 GB or up to 512 GB. Next is the Pixel 7a. Only 128GB is available, and Google doesn’t offer any other storage configurations. It’s one thing to charge $50 or $100 extra for an extra 128 GB of space, it’s another to not offer any options at all.

128GB may feel like enough at first, but after a few months of use, you’ll run out of storage space. If you install a few big apps and games, shoot videos while on vacation, and download offline playlists on Spotify, you’ll quickly run out of space.

With Pixel sales strong and the lineup growing in popularity, there’s no reason why Google wouldn’t launch the Pixel 8a with more storage options. At the very least, a 256GB model is required in addition to his basic 128GB model. Thankfully, according to recent rumors, that’s exactly what we’re getting.

Google needs to give its budget Pixel more love

Google’s mid-range lineup plays a key role in keeping Pixel relevant. But despite five generations of Pixel A-series smartphones on the market, these smartphones still suffer from many of the same issues that have plagued them since their inception. With the Pixel 8a, it’s time for Google to course correct and address these issues.