Let’s be honest: it can be hard to get excited about budget phones. With flagship devices adding brand-new features and top-tier specs on a yearly basis, the idea of holding your breath to see what features make the cut for a value phone doesn’t feel nearly as exciting for the average buyer. However, with the Pixel A series, Google has shown that it’s willing to provide some of those flagship features and specs to sway customers towards the more expensive end of the budget spectrum.
Google Pixel 8a: News, leaks, rumored price, and release window
Not sold on the Pixel 8? Google’s next midrange phone might be for you
Yes, the Pixel 8a is likely going to be more expensive than its predecessor, which may be pricing it out of the budget smartphone market altogether. Still, based on a wide range of leaks over the last few months, the Pixel 8a is poised to add a wide range of new features and excellent specs that should at least pique your interest in the upcoming phone. Here are some of the top reasons we’re excited about the Pixel 8a.
1 New curvy design
The rounded corners give the Pixel 8a a fresh look
Yes, all smartphones are rectangles, but what manufacturers do with the edges makes a big difference, particularly when it comes to how these devices actually feel in your hand. According to Pixel 8a leaks and rumors from multiple sources, the budget smartphone is going to have a notably more curvy design, with rounded edges and a chunky body. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Pixel 8a looks like an old iPhone, particularly when looking at it from the front.
As far as smartphone body design is concerned, any change is exciting in 2024. Smartphone manufacturers are pretty set in their ways, and any deviation warrants a bit of anticipation. While the design hasn’t been entirely confirmed, these leaks seem quite reliable, so it’s safe to assume the future of the Pixel A series will be a lot rounder in the future.
2 DisplayPort support
Connecting your device to a nearby monitor could get a lot easier
Google finally enabled the Pixel 8 to support DisplayPort, with the smartphone being the first iteration to get the functionality. While many thought the budget A series wouldn’t receive USB-C to HDMI compatibility, we have some good news that we’re definitely excited about.
That’s right, the Pixel 8a will support DisplayPort, so you can easily connect your smartphone to a monitor or other display. The support is admittedly a bit limited, but the addition to the budget lineup is a huge boon for those trying to save a bit of money using the helpful technology where one device can truly compute on any screen.
3 Tensor G3 on board
The improve chip from Google will provide some serious power
Budget smartphones almost always suffer serious performance issues. After all, manufacturers have to cut corners somewhere to keep the costs low, and with performance harder to measure in specs, it’s understandable that Google might give the Pixel 8a one of its older iterations of the Tensor chip.
Fortunately, Google has avoided the trend of saddling budget smartphones with lesser chipsets, as the Pixel 8a is reportedly equipped with the Tensor G3 chip. This will give it all the AI power promised in marketing, although it’s worth remembering that AI features shouldn’t be your primary focus in 2024 when it comes to buying a new smartphone.
4 High fresh rate
You’ll get 120 Hz with this budget smartphone
There is nothing more exciting about a new phone than the display. Something about the crisp, new screen fills me with dopamine that no amount of social media notifications could replicate. That, combined with a better refresh rate than I’m used to, will literally have my heart beating faster than a hummingbird.
That’s the main reason I’m so excited about the Pixel 8a, because the display on the upcoming smartphone will reportedly have a 120hZ refresh rate. This represents the higher end of the spectrum for most smartphones, further cementing the Pixel 8a as a budget smartphone for those that can’t do without some premium features.
Google’s Pixel 8a could finally get the display upgrade we’ve been waiting for
A 120Hz screen with DisplayPort output is reportedly in the cards
5 Wider availability
Grab the Pixel 8a in more countries than before
There is truly nothing worse than learning about an awesome, affordable smartphone and then realizing that the manufacturer doesn’t provide it in your country. Sure, there are ways around the lack of official availability, but the loss of convenience is enough to make the average buyer look elsewhere. Fortunately, some countries won’t have to worry about this anymore with the Pixel 8a.
If you live in one of the countries that did not provide access to the Pixel 7a, you may be in luck because the Pixel 8a is reportedly going to be available in more countries than its predecessor. This is based on the fact that eight additional European countries reportedly have warranty labels from Google.
