Google Pixel 8a – Unlocked Android smartphone with advanced Pixel Camera, 24-hour battery and powerful security – Obsidian, 128GB

Really like this Pixel 8a, it's been a really good experience since having it. I love everything about the phone, it's premium feel, the screen is clear and really bright!! It has everything I need, the wallpapers and themes are really good. I have installed Nova Launcher on mine as the icons were a bit small out of the box, but that's just a personal thing, the sound is really loud and clear, the camera is bloody good for a sub 600 blower. I've had all the chinese phones and the redmi notes, and the big names, and this is my favourite so far. It hasn't had any issues touch wood so far since I've had it. The battery life could be better, but I do like to play games and mess around on it. The only downside to be really honest is the time it takes to charge, it's got an 18w charge rate and there's no charger or screen protector or case in the box. So you'll have to buy these separately, you can charge it wirelessly but again it's only 15w charge which isn't the best, but this wouldn't put me off buying it again when the next model comes out. Google have really outdone themselves here superb phone.

I’ve had this Google Pixel 8a mobile phone for a couple of weeks and I am impressed, it’s was very easy to transfer photos etc over from my Samsung phone to this phone. Having a Google account helps too. I really like the phone’s camera, it’s better than my Samsung A21s phone which has a good camera, but this is sharper and can take photos in a dull light much better. I like magic eraser tool, under Tools, and the best take option that gives you the option of picking different faces from other photos taken of the subject. A really good idea with a group photo where someone looks down etc. The camera has a front on screen fingerprint unlock that has worked most times, since I’ve had it. It has a face recognition option too, but I took it off as it opens too easily for me. Calls are very clear and music sounds great. The phone is slightly smaller than the Pixel 8 which I prefer, as I can fit it much easier into the phone pockets of handbags. I have noticed recently the camera editing has been a little oddly glitchy, not saving an edited photo, plus I had the phone freeze once when trying to turn it off. But other than that it’s a super phone with over 6 years of updates from Google. One thing I can’t wait to try is the translate live, I downloaded the language I wanted so I can use the translate app offline too, speaking live as the phone translates live in both languages is amazing. There’s also more AI in Gemini available too on the phone. All in all it has a lot to offer, yet quick and easy to use.

I switched to Pixel as my old motorola was getting tired, slow and the night vision had packed up on its camera after just one pic of the aurora in May! A new Moto I tried had numerous intermittent faults and a rubbish night vision mode, so I decided to switch to a different brand.I had a Pixel several years ago, it was one of the best phones ever, until it developed a bootloop fault just outside its warranty, it was a known mfr error, but Huawei refused to help customers in the UK as they had for those in the USA, since when I have never bought anything made by them including Pixels.So, when I discovered Huawei were no longer making the Pixels, it was an easy decision to switch back, as I wanted a phone that used stock Google apps, without all the memory hungry overlays other brands add to it. I also wanted a phone with night and astrophotography for the auroras weve been having this year. (I havent had the opportunity to fully test those features yet - will add to my review when I have). However the camera and photo editing has lots of useful functions like the ability to merge group pics so that everyone is looking at the camera, and even one where the photographer can be included in a group!Its one fairly major letdown is battery life. Its really poor. Its been years since I had a brand new mobile with such short battery life. If you use it for more than phonecalls and texts, it wont last anywhere near 24 hours - probably more Iike 10 or 12, thats less than my old phone has with same usage. It's also slower to charge. If it had not been for this I would have awarded more stars.Its a pity about the battery life, as otherwise its a great little phone, smart looking too. Very easy to use, it has lots of useful features and functions. Its reasonably quick. The display is clear and bright, and a good range to enlarge text and icons. The sound quality is good too, and images are clear and sharp, even on video/whatsapp calls. I like that the fingerprint sensor is on the screen rather than the back of the phone (although I do wonder if that would cause problems if the screen were ever damaged.)

I bought this to replace an aging Motorola G6 running Android 9. This runs Android 14 and is guaranteed system and security updates for several years, which for me is a huge benefit as I only change my phone infrequently. The camera is excellent - a 2x true zoon and a digital zoom to 8x. The quality of the pictures has been very good and there are far more options for editing in the phone than in Android 9 - quite a revelation as to how phones have come on. Hand held long exposures are possible (for example flowing water) and on this setting a "normal" photo is captured at the same time. Useful to be able to compare the two and keep the better shot. There is also a wide angle zoom to 0.5x but this has to be used with caution as there is quite a lot of "fisheye" distortion. It will work better in some situations than others. The battery life is also proving very good. I'm a light user and get four days between recharges (and even then I've usually got 20%-30% left). The screen is crisp and sharp and copes in most lighting conditions, the exception being bright sunshine when it can seem a bit dark so making taking photos a bit hit and miss.Overall for me this has been a worthwhile upgrade and it really is probably one of the best mid-range phones available.