Hardware and Design Google officially released the Pixel 7a on May 10, 2023, bringing a highly capable device to the market at a competitive $499 price point. Measuring 6 by 2.87 inches and weighing in at just 6.81 ounces, it packs robust hardware into a comfortably sized frame. The phone features an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, along with reliable biometric options including a touch fingerprint sensor and 2D face unlock. Google kept the design aesthetic lively, offering the phone in Charcoal, Snow, Sea, and Coral finishes.
Performance Under the Hood At the core of the Pixel 7a is Google’s proprietary 5-nanometer Tensor G2 system chip. It utilizes an octa-core processor combined with a Mali-G710 GPU to handle heavy lifting. The device ships with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of fast UFS 3.1 internal storage, though it lacks an expansion slot for memory cards. Looking at the raw numbers, the hardware performs admirably. PhoneArena’s benchmark tests logged a single-core score of 1437 and a multi-core score of 3461 on GeekBench 6, alongside respectable 3D Mark scores. It is fully integrated into Google’s ecosystem, supporting operating systems up to Android 15.
Display and Camera Capabilities The 6.1-inch OLED display boasts an 80.86% screen-to-body ratio, a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, and full HDR support. With a 2400 by 1080 resolution and 431 pixels per inch, the Gorilla Glass-protected screen gets exceptionally bright, averaging 1277 nits in peak conditions. For photography enthusiasts, the rear dual-camera setup houses a 64-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens. You can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second or take sharp selfies using the 13-megapixel front camera. These solid specifications translate to an overall camera test score of 133.
Battery Life and Connectivity Powering the device is a 4385 mAh lithium-polymer battery capable of 18W wired fast charging and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. In practical terms, independent tests estimate about six hours of battery life for intensive gaming, jumping up to over 15 hours for standard web browsing. The connectivity suite is equally impressive. The phone is fully equipped with 5G readiness across dozens of bands, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. While Google ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack a while ago, they included dual speakers and an extra microphone specifically for noise cancellation.
The Software Experience Hardware is only part of the equation, as the software truly defines the daily smartphone experience. Devices like the 7a, along with practically all Google phones released since 2017, rely heavily on the Pixel Launcher. This pre-installed system app powers the standard home screen interface, and it is currently undergoing a notable software evolution.
Expanding the At a Glance Widget The popular “At a Glance” feature lets users view upcoming appointments, tasks, and local weather right on their home or lock screen. A new update is currently rolling out to early adopters, expanding this widget with two highly requested categories: Sports and Finance.
Tracking Scores and Stocks Sports fans can now select their favorite teams from various leagues to receive live score updates pushed directly to the display. There is a slight catch, however. Google warns that this specific function can impact battery life due to the constant background data retrieval required for live updates. Meanwhile, the new Finance category allows you to monitor stock updates directly from your Google Finance Watchlist. You can check market movements compactly on your home screen, and unlike the sports feature, it comes with no warnings regarding battery drain.
Activating the New Categories Because the rollout is happening gradually, it might take a little while before these additions appear on all compatible Pixel devices. Once the update hits your phone, configuring your preferences is simple. Long-press the date displayed on your home screen to pull up the settings window. From there, select the customize option to toggle the specific categories you want to see or hide moving forward.