Google Pixel 8a leaks paint a picture of a cheaper Pixel 8 with only a few small compromises

The upcoming Google Pixel 8a is expected to launch soon as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro that hit the streets last fall. With prices expected to start at around $499, the phone has the same processor, memory, and storage as the Pixel 8, which starts at $699. The screen is also nearly identical in most respects. And like its pricier siblings, the Pixel 8a will receive software updates for 7 years and supports most of the same camera features.

So what do you lose out on if you opt for this cheaper model? Not much, really… but there are a few small differences.

Google hasn’t officially announced the Pixel 8a yet, but a series of recent leaks give us a pretty good idea of what to expect:

Here’s how the Pixel 8a compares with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, at least according to the latest leaks:

	Pixel 8a (rumored/leaked)	Pixel 8	Pixel 8 Pro
Display	6.1 inches 2400 x 1080 pixels 430 ppi 60 – 120 Hz AMOLED Up to 1400 nits HDR Up to 2000 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass 3	6.2 inches 2400 x 1080 pixels 428 ppi 60 – 120 Hz AMOLED Up to 1400 nits HDR Up to 2000 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass Victus	6.7 inches 2992 x 1344 pixels 489 PPI 1 – 120 Hz AMOLED Up to 1600 nits HDR Up to 2400 nits peak brightness Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Processor	Google Tensor G3
RAM	8GB LPDDR5x		12GB LPDDR5X
Storage	128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1		128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB UFS 3.1
Battery	4,492 mAh	4,575 mAh	5,050 mAh
Charging	30W (USB-C) Qi wireless charging supported	27W (USB-C) 18W (wireless w/Pixel Stand 2) 12W (wireless w/Qi chargers)	30W (USB-C) 23W (wireless w/Pixel Stand 2) 12W (wireless w/Qi chargers)
Security	Fingerprint sensor Face Unlock VPN by Google One Titan M2 security chip
Cameras (rear)	64MP wide-angle (80°) 13MP ultra wide-angle (120°)	50MP primary 12MP ultra-wide (125.8°)	50MP primary 48MP  ultra-wide (125.5°) 48MP telephoto (5x optical)
Camera (front)	13MP	10.5MP (fixed-focus)	10.5MP (auto-focus)
Camera features	Magic touch-up Better grip Magic Eraser Audio Magic Eraser Real Tone Visage Net Panorama Manual white balance Folder lock Top Shot Night vision mode Portrait mode Portrait lighting Autofocus on the move Frequent Faces Live HDR+ Ultra HDR Long Exposure Double-exposure controls	Best Take Audio Magic Eraser Photo Unblur Macro Focus Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Super Res Zoom Motion autofocus Live HDR+ Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Cinematic Pan Portrait Light Magic Eraser Motion Mode Real Tone Face Unblur Panorama Manual white balancing Locked Folder Magic Editor Ultra HDR Astrophotography	Pro Controls High-resolution photography Best Take Audio Magic Eraser Video Boost Night Sight Video Photo Unblur Macro Focus Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Super Res Zoom Motion autofocus Live HDR+ Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Cinematic Pan Portrait Light Magic Eraser Motion Mode Real Tone Face Unblur Panorama Manual white balancing Locked Folder Magic Editor Ultra HDR Astrophotography
USB	USB 3.2 Type-C
Wireless	WiFi 7 BT 5.3 NFC GPS 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) 4G LTE
Audio	Stereo Speakers 2 microphones Noise suppression	Stereo speakers 3 microphones Noise suppression Spatial Audio
Water resistance	IP67	IP68
OS	Android 14 7 years of Feature Drops and Security Updates	Android 14 7 years of OS, feature, and security updates
Dimensions	152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm	150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm 5.9″ x 2.8″ x 0.4″	162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm 6.4″ x 3″ x 0.3″
Weight	188 grams	187 grams	213 grams
Starting price	$499	$699	$999

Overall the leaks paint a picture of a phone that’s basically a cheaper Pixel 8. It has a 6.1 inch display covered in Gorilla Glass 3 rather than a 6.2 inch screen with Gorilla Glass Victus. But both displays are 2400 x 1080 pixel AMOLED screens with refresh rates up to 120 Hz and up to 1400 nits HDR brightness or 2000 nits peak brightness.

Like the Pixel 8 (and Pixel 8 Pro), the Pixel 8a is powered by a Google Tensor G3 processor. And like the Pixel 8 it has 8GB of LPDDR5x memory and comes with a choice of 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage (which is kind of new – earlier Pixel a-series devices typically didn’t offer a choice of different amounts of storage).

Here’s what’s different about the cheaper phone:

• While it supports many of the same photography features, the Pixel 8a has a different, (and probably cheaper) set of cameras.
• It’s rated IP67 for water and dust resistance (the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are IP68-rated).
• The battery is a tiny bit smaller.
• The Gorilla Glass 3 display isn’t quite as shatter-resistant as the Gorilla Glass Victus used in the Pixel 8.
• The Pixel 8a has 2 microphones instead of 3.

Those are pretty much the only differences I could find. The leaked specs seem to indicate that some of the more advanced photography features may be limited to higher-priced phones, but it’s a little hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison, because the leaked documents don’t always use the same names to describe camera features as the official specs listed on the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro websites.

Keep in mind that nothing is official until Google actually launches the phone, so it’s possible that some of the details listed above may be inaccurate (or they may have been accurate when the documents were leaked, but may have been changed by Google since then).

Given just how many leaks of semi-official looking documents have been making the rounds recently, it seems likely that an official launch is just around the corner though. I’d be surprised if Google didn’t unveil the Pixel 8a at its Google I/O developer conference that begins May 14, 2024.

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