Google Pixel 8 vs Google Pixel 7 vs Google Pixel 7a: Which one should you buy?

Which of the three Pixel phones offers the best price to performance ratio, and effectively best value for your money

The rumours and leaks of the impending Google Pixel 8a are in full flow at the moment. Expected to launch (if at all) at Google I/O 2024, the unveiling is still a few weeks away. In the meantime, we thought why not look back at the existing non-Pro Pixel models in India and decipher which of them offers the best value for money at their current selling price. That can also work as a good yardstick to understand if the Pixel 8a is worth its launch price whenever it reaches the Indian shores.

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The Google Pixel 7 and 7a are still excellent phones that offer good all-round performance. In fact, the Pixel 7a is less than a year old and sells for an attractive price. Yes, we know that the Pixel 8 is easily the best of the lot in terms of features and performance, but its pricing is still far from competitive. That makes the last-gen Pixel phones even more relevant. Let’s take a quick look at how their key features, performance and current pricing stack up against each other, and figure which is the best Pixel (non-Pro) phone to buy in India right now.

Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7a: Design

All three phones speak the trademark Google Pixel design language with the distinct camera band at the back. Unless you have a keen eye to spot the subtle differences, the three phones are almost identical in appearance. When placed next to each other, you realise that the Pixel 7a has a slightly slimmer camera band as compared to the other two, and also the thickest bezels around the display.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

The weight and hand-feel is pretty much similar for all three phones, and they are relatively compact for today’s standards. In terms of sturdiness, they all have aluminium frames, and the Pixel 7 and 8 have IP68 rated ingress protection and a glass back with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus scratch resistance. The Pixel 7a has a slightly lower IP67 dust and water resistance, which is perfectly acceptable, but has a plastic back panel instead of glass, which makes it prone to scratches.

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Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7a: Display

All three phones sport Full HD+ OLED displays with 2400 x 1080 resolution but with slightly different screen sizes. The Pixel 7 has the largest 6.3-inch display, while the Pixel 8’s measures 6.2-inch, both with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The Pixel 7a has the smallest 6.1-inch screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection but noticeably thicker bezels. The latest Pixel has by far the narrowest bezels, making it feel a lot more compact than the other two.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

The Pixel 8 also boasts of 120Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 7 series phones are stuck at 90Hz. Obviously, a higher refresh rate is great to have for smoother visuals, but 90Hz isn’t a deal breaker given the price difference. If we keep the price aside for a moment, the Pixel 8 easily has the best display of the lot; it is much brighter and vibrant with better HDR performance.

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Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7a: Processing power and features

The Pixel 7 series phones are powered by Google’s last-gen Tensor G2 SoC, while they have fitted the Pixel 8 with their latest Tensor G3. All phones have 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 internal storage; you do get a 256GB variant of the Pixel 8 in India. While the Tensor G2 is still a perfectly capable chip, the G3 offers 15 per cent extra muscle in productivity tasks and a solid 30 per cent bump in gaming performance as per synthetic benchmarks.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

Neither chips are in the same league as Qualcomm’s previous flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in terms of raw performance, but you won’t find them deficient in most day to day tasks even in the near future. For mobile gamers, you can play most of the newer games out there comfortably, but you may have to lower the graphics settings in some cases for better frame rates.

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Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7a: Camera performance

Click here for unedited camera samples shot on the Google Pixel 8.

Click here for unedited camera samples shot on the Google Pixel 7.

Click here for unedited camera samples shot on the Google Pixel 7a.

All three Pixel devices have excellent main cameras with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and competent ultra-wide cameras. While the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 use 50MP sensors, the 7a is graced with a 64MP unit. The performance is similar across the board with the main cameras capturing some vibrant images with great detail and contrast in proper as well as low lighting. Yes, the images captured using Pixel 8 are slightly more refined but not drastically different.

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Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

All these phones deliver impressive results in portrait photography too. The ultra-wide camera performance is pretty decent across the board, but the one on Pixel 8 is more versatile due to the presence of auto-focus. It doubles up as a capable macro camera; a functionality missing in the other two phones. Neither phones have dedicated telephoto cameras, as a result, you only get digital zoom here. While 2X zoom is quite good, results are decent enough up to 5X. Beyond that, images are too soft and low in detail.

Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7a: Battery life and charging

The battery capacities of these phones range between 4355 mAh to 4575 mAh, and the battery backup is quite similar with each phone lasting a full day of moderate use. That’s acceptable, but what isn’t acceptable is the time taken to charge their batteries fully. Pixel phones are among the slowest charging phones in the segment and do not offer a real fast charging solution like those offered by Chinese phone manufacturers like OnePlus, Oppo or Vivo.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

Firstly, Google does not bundle a charger with either of the phones. Secondly, with compliant chargers, the fastest charging speed you get is 88 minutes for the Pixel 8, followed by 95 minutes for the Pixel 7, and upwards of two hours for the 7a. In comparison, the OnePlus 11 - the company’s previous flagship phone, charges in less than 30 minutes despite hosting a higher capacity battery. So no matter which Pixel phone you buy, you will need to be patient with its charging.

Google Pixel 8 vs Pixel 7 vs Pixel 7a: Which one should you buy

It is time to answer the very question that was the driving force behind this article. Before we do that, let’s take a look at their current pricing with and without discounts. At the moment, the Google Pixel 8 is priced at Rs 69,999, the Pixel 7 at Rs 46,999 and Pixel 7a at Rs 37,999. While the Pixel 8 is easily the best of the three, it doesn’t justify the astronomical premium it demands. Between the Pixel 7 and 7a, the differences are even fewer and not worth the 9K price difference.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Ameya Dalvi

More so, there is no difference in their core performance or camera quality, and hence, as things stand, the Pixel 7a offers the best value for money as long as you can tolerate its long charging times. Having said that, the price of the Pixel 7 fluctuates more than the stock market and is often spotted under 40K. In such a scenario, for a Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 price difference, the Pixel 7 would be a marginally better buy for its larger screen, scratch-resistant glass back and savings of 30 minutes every full charging cycle.

As for offers, if you have an ICICI credit card, you can get the Google Pixel 8 for Rs 59,999, the Pixel 7 for Rs 43,999 and the Pixel 7a for Rs 34,999 effectively on Flipkart. In this scenario, while the Pixel 8 seems like a much more tempting option, we would still go with the Pixel 7a and save 25K. An official price cut for the Pixel 8 is long overdue. Once that happens and the effective price drops closer to 50K, feel free to go for it, unless the Google Pixel 8a changes the game completely. We will know shortly.