It’s likely that Google’s Pixel 8a will launch at the I/O developer conference in May. CAD renders have already been published, and there has been a disturbing rumor about its price.
The Pixel 7a has a 90Hz display, one of its biggest upgrades. Google finally addressed one of the major complaints with its 2023 budget phone: the lack of a high refresh rate panel.
Display:
With the Pixel 8a, the A series display will be upgraded even further. While the display’s resolution and size remain unchanged, the OLED panel now supports 120Hz refresh rates with 1,400 nits of peak HDR brightness, just like the higher-end Pixel 8. As with the Pixel 8, the panel is likely to be sourced from BOE and Samsung. It follows that the displays of the two devices should perform similarly based on all this information.
DisplayPort:
Google has also increased the corner radius of the Pixel 8a display, which now more closely matches the design of the Pixel 8 series, confirming design leaks. Google Pixel 8 series introduces long-awaited DisplayPort output support for power users. As a result of a recent Android 14 QPR3 beta release, it has now been enabled in a limited form. Even though it isn’t a Samsung DeX-like desktop mode, it shows Google is committed to improving the feature in the future.
Processor:
Also expected, the Pixel 8a features the Google Tensor G3 SoC. The Pixel 8 series uses the same processor. There is a slight difference in the G3 version used by the Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. It is the plastic package that differs from the silicon die inside the chip. The regular G3 uses FOPLP (Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging), while the 8a’s G3 uses IPoP (Integrated Package on Package). Because IPoP is thicker, hotter, and cheaper than FOPLP, Samsung chose IPoP over FOPLP. Despite the small differences, the chip is still a massive upgrade in terms of performance.
Camera:
Google finally swapped out the 12-megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor in the Pixel 7a last year for a 64-megapixel Sony IMX787 sensor. The main camera setup for the Pixel 8a will remain the same this year.
Availability:
One of the most exciting aspects of the Pixel 8a is its expanded availability. It will launch in 21 countries, as well as these new ones: Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
