Google Pixel 7a 2023 – faster, smarter, better camera

11/05/2023
By Ray Shaw
In Announcements Featured

The Google Pixel 7a 2023 was announced today at the Google I/O developers conference. It is part of the lower-cost a-series between the 7 and yet-to-be-announced 8 series.

In fact, at $749, it will be quite tempting as it has the Google Tensor G2 System on a Chip (Soc is the same as the Google Pixel 7/Pixel 7 Pro – high-class, almost identical twins. A lot of the AI smarts rely on this SoC – more later.

It is available for pre-order from 11 May from Google Store, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Telstra and Optus.

Here is what we know about the Google Pixel 7a 2023

Screen: 6.1” 2400x 1080, 433ppi, 20:9, 60/90Hz OLED with Gorilla Glass.
Processor: Google Tensor G2, 2×2.85GHz + 2×2.35GHz + 4×1.80 GHz.
Ram: 8GB LPDDR5.
Storage: 128GB (or 256GB) UFS 3.1.
Comms: Wi-Fi 6E AX/BT 5.2/NGC/USB-C 3.1.
Security: Fingerprint under glass and 2D Face ID.
Sound: Stereo. No 3.5mm port.
Camera Rear: 64MP (bins to 16MP) PDAF/OSI primary and 12MP Ultrawide. 4K@30fps video.
Camera Front: 13MP (crops to 10.8MP) FF, 4K@30fps video.
Battery: 4500mAh, 20W capable (no charger supplied), Qi Wireless charge 7.5W (Google Charger only) and 5W non-certified chargers.

What is a Tensor G2

The Tensor G2 (GS201) is made by Samsung using a 4nm fab. It has 2 x 2.85GHz, 2 x 2.35GHz and 4 x 1.8GHz cores and is locked only to run 64-bit Apps. The GPU is an ARM Mali-G710 MP07.

It is faster than the Samsung Exynos 2100 but well behind the Qualcomm SD8+ Gen 1.

New AI experiences include Clear Call (ANC), Hold For Me (call waiting), Call Screening and announcements with more feature drops to come.

Phone experience

It uses the same Samsung S5300 modem for city and suburbs with good tower coverage (not for rural or remote areas). It has a single nano sim and eSIM.

Camera Experience

Google Pixel is about doing more with less – in this case, two rear sensors. Independent camera testing sites like DXOMark rate the Google Pixel 7 Pro at 147 and Pixel 7 at 140 (the top is the OPPO Find X6 Pro at 153).

We expect the Google Pixel 7a to be a few points below as it lacks a ToF depth sensor but uses the same AI/NPU/SoC. That is a big jump from the Pixel 6a at 122.

Camera features

Photo Unblur	Macro Focus	Night Sight 2	Top Shot
Portrait Mode	Super Res Zoom 8x	Motion autofocusses	Live HDR+
Frequent Faces	Dual exposure	Cinematic Pan	Ultrawide lens
Portrait Light	Magic Eraser	Motion Mode	Real Tone
Face Unblur	Panorama	Manual white balancing	Locked Folder

Battery Experience

Bad Google for following Samsung and Apple with no charger inbox. It has a similar-sized battery to the Pixel 7. Typical users should recharge daily, and power users may need to top up at the end of a workday.

Android 13

You get three Android OS upgrades and five years of security patch updates (from the launch date). Excellent.

Security

It has a Titan M2 discrete RISC-V security chip. It communicates with the Tensor G2 security core. As a custom-designed security subsystem, it supports Android Strongbox, which securely generates, and stores keys to safeguard user passwords and PINs. In short, it makes Pixel more secure than most other brands.

Build

Gorilla Glass front, alloy frame and ceramic rear with IP67 dust and water resistance. It comes in Charcoal, Snow and Sea colours. The warranty is two years.

Missing

3.5mm port
MicroSD
Dolby Atmos and Qualcomm aptX (varieties) codecs
Charger in box

CyberShack’s view – The Google Pixel 7a 2023 is a substantial upgrade over the Pixel 6a

The Google Pixel 6a – a smaller, more affordable 6 was fine for a mid-level phone. The 7a has the same processor, more RAM, a bigger camera and more ‘feature drops’ – software improvements. It is the same price as the 6a.

It is not in a highly competitive space – most price competitors are run-out models