I just used the Trade-in estimator on Google's store and surprised to find the Pixel 7a is not a trade-in option but Google would give me $200 for my Pixel 4a.
#Looking at
a comparison between the Pixel 7a that I own with the new Pixel 8s Google announced yesterday. First thing of note is that the Pixel 8 is basically the same size as the Pixel 7a, which is good. The displays are basically the same though the 7a has one more PPI, but I think the big difference is that the Pixel 8 brightness can go as high as 2000 nits whereas
the max of the 7a is 1070 nits. If you use your phone bright sunlight a lot that alone may make you swap the phones. Battery capacity is a notch greater on the Pixel 8 than 7a, 4575 mAh versus 4385 mAh. The Pixel 8 has the third generation of Google's Tensor chip where as the 7a has the second generation. Lots of claims of how much more powerful the G3 is, but time will tell in terms of feature limitations. The other big question about the G3 is how it helps with battery life. The camera comparison is confusing, if you look at "megapixels" the camera on the 7a appears better, but I think the 8 has a better sensor and larger field of view that should make it a better camera.
#It seems to me that the additional capabilities make the Pixel 8 worth the $100 higher price than the Pixel 7a. My recommendation between the two is to buy the Pixel 8. If you are too concerned about the price, you could wait for sales around Christmas time or earlier next year. I personally think Google should knock off $100 on the Pixel 7a to justify the purchase decision between it and the Pixel 8. A $150-$200 price difference would keep people from just skipping over it.
#I think the biggest news of the Pixel 8 event was that
Google will be providing OS and security updates for seven years. I wish Google would extend that level of support to the Pixel 7a that I bought earlier this year. However, I wonder if there will be a relationship between this new length in OS support and how long Google will sell the Pixel 8 in their store. Right now Google is selling the Pixel 6a through the just announced Pixel 8 Pro in their store, that is seven different phones. I wonder how much longer Google will be selling the Pixel 6a and Pixel 7 phones. I don't know why someone woudld buy the Pixel 7 Pro.
#Been running Android 14 on the Pixel 7a for about 12 hours. So far I have not found much that I find to be a personal benefit. I've changed the clock display on the lock screen and fiddled with the wallpaper on my home screen. Android is not the only OS with mere cosmetic changes, iPadOS 17 is mostly just more lipstick. It took enables me to change the lock screen and that has triggered me to play with focus modes and change the wallpaper on my iPads, which are nice but in no way necessary.
#During
Google's launch event yesterday they put heavy emphasis on their AI "enhancements" to Android, but so far none of those are available on the Pixel 7a. I thought the AI wallpaper personalization was going to be available, but I see that for now that is a Pixel 8 only feature. I will have to wait for a future feature drop. I don't get why Google feels it necessary to with hold software features like this as I find it hard to believe they drive hardware sales. Pixel owners should get the full benefit of owning one at each launch day.
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