Google Pixel 8A Unlocked Android Phone with IA, Advanced Pixel Camera and 24-Hour Battery, Obsidian, 128GB

So, I've been using the 8a for about 6 months. I upgraded from the Pixel 5a due to support for that supposedly ending soon. I saw the 8a on sale so pounced. I'm mostly going to compare the 8a to the 5a. Keep in mind I really liked the 5a. 8a vs 5a Battery life : 5a wins (slightly). I'm not sure how they compare on mAh but the 5a kept a charge a little longer. That's not to say the 8a won't last long. It pretty much always gets me through the day and I don't really feel held back by the difference. Screen: 8a wins (slightly). 8a is a little crisper, overall both are very good. Downside to the 8a is the screen size was a hair smaller I believe. Camera: 8a wins solidly. 5a took good pictures. 8a is even better, especially in low light. I also found the 8a AI editing feature to be handy at times. Charging: Mixed bag. 5a had a faster charging speed (although no Turbo charge). But I like having the wireless charging in the 8a which the 5a didn't have. After about 2yrs of 5a use the port was kinda loose. Wireless charging should negate that later problem of the port wearing out. Functional speed: 8a wins. 5a wasn't slow, but 8a is a little snappier. Headphone jack: 5a wins only because the 5a had one, 8a does not have a headphone jack. Most of my headphones/ear buds I use are wireless, but I still use a few wired ones. But you can get an adapter which has worked fine for the 8a. **Fingerprint reader/sensor: 5a wins by a long shot. This is the reason I removed a star. The 5a fingerprint reader on the back of the phone worked right nearly every time (except with moist fingers). The 8a in screen finger reader works more than half the time, but was is far less accurate than the 5a method. To make matters worse, I think the Pixel engineers forgot most people like to put a screen protector on. With a screen protector on the 8a, the fingerprint reader is nearly useless. (I had tried resetting the fingerprint scans to no avail). Maybe this wasn't the engineers' fault. Maybe a sales exec thought a fingerprint sensor on the screen sounded cool so demanded it while the engineers said it needed more work. But I digress. Out of frustration, I had started using the less secure face unlock which does work reasonably well. But the face unlock doesn't work well if you're wearing sunglasses or in dimly lit rooms. So, I've had to type the numerical unlock a lot more with the 8a. Overall this is a good phone at this price point that does most of what the expensive phones can do. But they need to overhaul the fingerprint sensor. Either move it to the back again or improve it so that it a) works nearly every time and b) works with most screen protectors.

I don't use a smart phone for much besides personal entertainment, since I don't need it for work. Due to that, I didn't want a flagship smartphone that cost $800+ dollars that I would just use to look up random internet facts and watch Youtube videos on. At the same time, when it comes to tech like this, I prefer to stick to name brands I'm familiar with. After researching available phones, I bought the Pixel 8a, and it was the perfect choice. There were of course no problems with set up - the phone actually initiated the transfer of data from my old phone on its own on startup, which was really convenient. When I had it for the first couple of months, the screen protector I was using made it difficult for fingerprint recognition to work, but after switching screen protector brands, there have been no issues. It of course does what I need it too, plus other things I don't need it to because it's got features I'm sure I'll never need. I wish it was thinner and narrower, but most other brands are about the same these days, so it's fine. speakers and cameras are pretty good, and I really like the "adaptive charging" feature that recognizes when I plug the phone in at night and optimizes charging to extend the battery life. Speaking of which, great battery life so far, at least for my usage. Hopefully it'll stay that way for a good, long time. I can't be trusted with a phone without a case, so I can't speak 100% on the durability, but I have dropped it countless times by now, and no issues have come up with the phone or the cases it's been in. I really recommend this phone. I think it's a great take on a known brand at a reduced price without feeling like you're taking a huge step down in quality.

Came on time by UPS! Box was a bit damaged but contents were fine. Phone needed charging. Still waiting to transfer from iphone to android. Not sure how complicated it will be but my daughter needed a better phone that doesn't glitch and has more space. I already have this phone so she wanted one too. If all goes well, it will be a great phone for her. Doesn't come with a charger so that's the next thing but I was aware of that. Happy with this purchase and will update review if necessary.

Very happy with this phone! I'm not a power user and don't need the flagship level phones. I've spent plenty on those in the past but this does the job just fine. I ordered from Amazon instead of Google because my phone died right before a trip and I needed Prime shipping speed, and this is exactly the phone I would've gotten if I'd ordered from the manufacturer. Be real with yourself about what features you need in a phone - you can probably save money with a low end model like this. (For example, if you're only going to be posting photos on social media, do you really need a camera that can take pictures good enough for poster size prints?)

I bought this phone and I was initially skeptical as it was a refurbished phone. However, I am still using it two years later and have not experienced any issues. This was a huge money saver over a new phone, which at the time was a 9Pro.