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00:00All right, so there is just one thing that is starting to feel a little bit weird with
00:05this new Pixel, but I'll get to that by the end of this video.
00:08Let's just start with the obvious stuff, what's actually new here.
00:11So I just got some hands-on time with Google's new budget phone, the Pixel 8a.
00:17And I can confirm, they are mostly sticking to the script here, keeping it simple.
00:21Last year's phone was already really good, making a few key improvements where it counts
00:24and keeping the price the same, $500.
00:26$500 isn't cheap, but it's also not a flagship.
00:30It's definitely in this nice little mid-range territory.
00:33And I feel like that Pixel has been slowly catching up their hardware to the rest of
00:38the competition in this price point.
00:40So at first glance, it is, well, pretty unmistakably a Pixel with the camera bar up top, but there's
00:46a little change.
00:47There's a little bit more rounded edges.
00:48I really hope I'm not the only one getting round SpongeBob vibes from these corners,
00:53but that's definitely what I see.
00:54But that's the main design change back here.
00:56And then also around the back, it's still got wireless charging.
00:59It still has the same main camera sensor as the 7a with an ultrawide next to it.
01:03But now there's new colors and this new matte texture.
01:06So there's a black and a white that are called obsidian and porcelain, which look pretty
01:10tame.
01:11But then there's also a new green and blue called aloe and bay, and they are definitely
01:16more vibrant.
01:17The rails and the camera bar are all aluminum still.
01:19It's still IP67 rated.
01:21And then there's a slightly larger battery, but I mean, we're talking very slight here.
01:26I think it goes from 4,385 mAh to just over 4,400, but it still has wireless charging
01:32too.
01:33Then on the inside, it's been bumped up to the new Tensor G3 chip from last year's flagships.
01:38So we know it's decently capable if a little inefficient, but then it'll also start at
01:42128 gigs of storage.
01:43But for the first time, they're also going to offer a 256 gig version of the A phone
01:48as well.
01:49And then around the front, an improved display.
01:51So it's the same size, still 6.1 inches, still has the middle hole punch cutout for the selfie
01:55camera, still has an optical fingerprint reader, but it's now an Actua display.
02:00So the peak brightness is 40% higher than before.
02:04And I think it's noticeable.
02:05This is one of those things that makes a big difference to everyday life and usability,
02:08just being able to see it outdoors.
02:10And it's now a P-OLED that gets up to 120 Hertz instead of the 90 Hertz like last year.
02:15Now, before you even type it, I know a lot of people are going to argue immediately.
02:19This is not something that makes much of a difference to most Pixel buyers.
02:22And you're right.
02:24In fact, many of them will not notice this improvement just because smooth display is
02:28actually off again by default.
02:31So it's a 60 Hertz phone out the box, and then you have to know to go into the settings
02:34and turn it on and knowing it'll impact battery life.
02:37And then even once you do, it's not like locked at 120 Hertz, it's dynamic up to 120 Hertz.
02:42So I played around with this phone for a little bit.
02:44It did feel very smooth to me.
02:46It feels nice at 120 Hertz.
02:48So I'm personally happy about that change, but I won't dwell on about it for too much
02:52longer.
02:53So there you already know what a Pixel is, right?
02:57This is the mid-range slash budget version of the phone with great software.
03:01Like this is the one with the really smart AI features like call assist and Pixel VPN
03:06and magic eraser audio and all kinds of other classic Google features.
03:10It's the one with easily the best speech-to-text transcription speed and accuracy I've ever
03:14used on a phone.
03:15It's reliable enough to just write whatever you want, emails, texts, notes, whole paragraphs
03:20as fast as you want.
03:21It's also the one that's promised seven years of updates, OS updates, security updates,
03:26feature drop updates.
03:27And it's the one with really good cameras, mostly basically unchanged from last year.
03:32But all the Pixel 7a did was literally get the highest Elo rating on our recent blind
03:36smartphone camera test with millions of votes up against other top tier flagship phones.
03:41So I'd say that's a pretty good baseline.
03:43So it seems like a pretty safe bet, pretty easy bet if you're a Google or Pixel fan.
03:48But I'll just say, here are my worries with this Pixel.
03:52So first of all, this is the first A-series device that they're going to enable Gemini
03:56Nano on.
03:57And Nano is the one that can go locally on the device entirely, which is great.
04:01They're probably going to make a big deal about it at the event and talk about it more
04:04at Google IO and all this stuff.
04:07But there's also now like this weird inconsistency with different assistants on the Pixel phone.
04:13It's not even just this phone, but now you've got the Gemini app like showing off prominently
04:18on the home screen on these Pixel 8a's, which is the latest available and most capable voice
04:23and multimodal AI search that they have.
04:25But then the Google search page right next to the home screen, if you tap the mic there,
04:29that's going to a totally separate, but also very capable Google voice search with Google
04:34Assistant.
04:35Google is literally now developing two different assistants side by side with overlapping,
04:41but not fully congruent capabilities.
04:43It's just a little weird, a little inconsistent, and we saw it coming and we knew this would
04:47happen, but I think they'll eventually have to consolidate them all into one.
04:52I think Gemini will do everything at some point, but then, hey, I guess the other thing
04:55to keep in mind is the price.
04:58So again, it's this phone's going to launch for $500 US.
05:02Mid-range phone, mid-range price.
05:04Everything seems reasonable here, but let me remind you, you can still buy last year's
05:09phone of the year, brand new Pixel 8 for 550 bucks.
05:13So this 8A right now is not that much cheaper than the 8.
05:17And if you do go with the 8, while it is a couple months old now, sure, you're also getting
05:22a phone with thinner bezels and a brighter, higher quality display, arguably even better
05:28cameras with bigger sensors, a bigger battery, faster charging, IP68, and it's the same
05:34Tensor G3.
05:35Like, is that not a way better feeling deal?
05:38I mean, if you can find one used, that's even better.
05:41Pixel 8 was just such a good phone for that price that it makes phones both more and
05:46less expensive feel like worse buys.
05:49Like, I talked about how Pixel 8 Pro feels like such a hard sell because it's $250 more,
05:55but now it also kind of makes the Pixel 8A look a little too high priced.
05:59So either way, I'm sure Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, when they come out, will shake things up.
06:04But as of right now, Pixel 8A is just, it's a solid mid-ranger, solid.
06:10It's got all the stuff you kind of already know you're getting from a Pixel.
06:13And if you also plan on picking one of these up, then channel sponsor dbrand also has you
06:17covered with their HydroDip skins.
06:19Now I've been using dbrand skins literally since 2013, so that's over a decade now, and
06:25the biggest thing for me is they basically add no thickness, obviously, to the device
06:29like a case would, but they can still totally change the look and feel.
06:32Now beyond just the Pixel skin and case, dbrand also supports, with the HydroDip skin, almost
06:39200 devices.
06:40So there's phones, but also laptops, tablets, consoles, you name it.
06:45And there's four colorways of this one.
06:46So Gold Rush, Solar Flare, Toxic Waste, and Cotton Candy.
06:51I'm thinking Gold Rush is the best looking one out of the bunch.
06:53Like I'm into the black, white, and gold combo, it's super clean, but honestly, they all look
06:58pretty unique.
06:59So if you have a favorite, I'll leave a link down below so you can grab one for yourself.
07:02But yeah, that's basically it.
07:04Let me know what you think of Pixel 8a versus Pixel 8 in this weird six month release stage
07:11thing Google's doing.
07:12I'll check the comments.
07:13Either way, thanks for watching.
07:14Catch you guys in the next one.
07:15Peace.