Google Pixel 7a vs the competition: Pushing the boundaries of a budget phone

Google’s announced the Pixel 7a — and made it available for immediate purchase — during its annual I/O conference. Like other A-model Pixel phones, this is a budget version of what came before, namely the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. At $499, it’s $100 cheaper than either of its siblings but manages to meet or exceed many of their specs. It has a similar design, uses the same Tensor G2 processing chip, and offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage like the base model Pixel 7. The 7a also matches the water resistance and display refresh rate of that phone, but has a larger battery and higher-res cameras. One key difference is the smaller screen, measuring 6.1 inches versus the Pixel 7’s 6.3-inch display.  

We know it stacks up nicely against other current-model Pixels, but how does it compare to other budget-model phones? It’s a little pricier than either the iPhone SE or the Galaxy A54 and falls between the two on battery capacity, screen size and number of cameras. The Pixel 7a beats both of its competitors on base-level memory and is also the only budget model to use the same processor as its top-end, flagship counterpart. Here are the specs for each phone side-by-side so you can see which one makes the most sense for you. 

Google Pixel 7a vs. Apple iPhone SE vs. Samsung Galaxy A54 

	Google Pixel 7a	Apple iPhone SE (3rd gen)	Samsung Galaxy A54
Pricing	Starts at $499	Starts at $429	Starts at $450
Release date	May 10, 2023	March 18, 2022	March 24,2023
Dimensions	6.0 x 2.87 x 0.35 in (152.4 x 72.9 x 9.0 mm)	5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in (138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm)	6.23 x 3.02 x 0.32 in (158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm)
Weight	6.81 oz (193 g)	5.09 oz (144 g)	7.13 oz (202 g)
Operating system	Android	iOS	Android
Screen size	6.1 in	4.7 in	6.4 in
Screen resolution	1080 x 2400 at 429ppi	1334 x 750 at 326ppi	2340 x 1080 at 403ppi
Screen type	OLED (90Hz)	Retina HD LCD (60 Hz)	Super AMOLED (120Hz)
Processor	Tensor G2	A15 Bionic chip	Exynos 1380
Water and dust resistance	IP67	IP67	IP67
Battery	4385 mAh	2018 mAh	5000 mAh
RAM	8GB	4GB	6GB / 8GB
Internal storage	128GB	64GB / 128GB / 256GB	128GB / 256GB
Rear camera(s)	Two cameras: Main: 64MP, ƒ/1.89 aperture Wide: 13MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	One camera: Main: 12MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture	Three cameras: Main: 50MP, ƒ/1.8 aperture Wide: 12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture Macro: 5MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture
Video capture	4K 60 fps	4K at 60 fps	4K at 30 fps
Front camera	13MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	7MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	32MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture
WiFi	WiFi 6E	WiFi 6	WiFi 6
Charging	18W fast charging, 7.5W wireless	20W fast charging, 7.5W wireless	25W fast charging
Connector	USB-C	Lightning	USB-C

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2023 right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-7a-vs-the-competition-pushing-the-boundaries-of-a-budget-phone-190029045.html?src=rss

Author: Amy Skorheim. [Source Link (*), Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics]

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