Google Pixel 7a Review

The new Pixel brings wireless charging and fast refresh rates to budget phones

Let's get straight to it. The Pixel 7a, Google's latest entry-level smartphone, costs $499 in almost all cases (more on that below). That's relatively cheap compared with the nearly $2,000 price on premium phones, though it's a small $50 bump up from the launch price of last year's Pixel 6a.

What does that $50 get you? Quite a bit. The Pixel 7a is the most full-featured midpriced phone we’ve seen since last year's Samsung Galaxy A54, $450. (The Galaxy A54 has a higher 120Hz refresh rate and a memory card slot, but it doesn't have wireless charging or some fancy, Pixel-exclusive photo features.)

In addition to an update to Google's home-brewed Tensor G2 processor, the Pixel 7a improves upon its predecessor with a fast, 90Hz display refresh rate for smoother scrolling, more memory (8 gigabytes instead of 6), wireless charging, face unlock, built-in VPN for added security, and better specs in the rear and front cameras. It's rare to find a phone for $500 or less with this combination of features.

One note on pricing: You’ll spend a bit more for the phone if you buy it from Verizon. That carrier's version of the Pixel 7a costs $550. Like the other Pixel 7a versions, it can work on all 5G networks, but it can also work on the 5G mmWave frequency, which is very fast but also limited to certain types of locations, like large stadiums.

On paper, the Pixel 7a more closely resembles the slightly larger and more expensive Pixel 7 than the Pixel 6a—though not when it comes to storage. The new phone is limited to 128GB of storage, while the Pixel 7 has a 256GB option.

Once we buy the device and run it through our lab tests, we’ll have a better idea of how it stacks up against other modestly priced phones. CR testers will evaluate the color accuracy of photos taken with the phone, measure the charging time and battery life, drop the device 100 times in a giant metal tumbler to test for durability, and more. (Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization, and we buy everything we test, from budget phones to luxury cars, at retail.)

In the meantime, I borrowed a Pixel 7a from Google to get a hands-on feel for it. I had questions: Does it have the irksome fingerprint unlocking issues found on earlier Pixels? Does the faster refresh rate really make a difference? Would I buy the Pixel 7a for myself or a family member?

See below for the answers (and stay tuned for CR's lab results).

The Pixel 7a shares the same distinctive design as the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, with a wraparound horizontal bar housing the two rear cameras. Instead of a glass back, however, the Pixel 7a has a plastic back that's a fingerprint magnet. It doesn't feel cheap, however, and I think the phone has the same elegant appeal as its larger siblings.

Measuring 6.1 inches diagonally, the Pixel 7a is very close in size to the 6.3-inch Pixel 7, so I wouldn't make a decision between them on size alone. I find the 7a comfortable to hold and operate with one hand, and although it's not the brightest phone I’ve ever used, the OLED display is easy to read outdoors in direct sunlight.

Photo: Melanie Pinola/Consumer Reports Photo: Melanie Pinola/Consumer Reports

The phone is available in four colors: Sea (light blue), Charcoal (dark gray), Snow (off-white), and Coral (a vibrant pink-orange that's available only at the Google Store).

The Pixel has long been the phone brand of choice for people who want the stock Android experience—a clean interface without the UI extras Samsung and other phone manufacturers layer on. I’m a long-time Samsung Galaxy user and can be stuck in my ways, but the Pixel 7a feels downright zippy to use, thanks to the streamlined interface. For example, instead of seeing a dozen icons and options in the pull-down notification shade, you get big tiles for just the basics (with, of course, the option to customize the tiles).

The 90Hz refresh rate? That makes a huge difference, too. The default 60Hz refresh rate, which is common on budget phones, is often choppy when scrolling through news feeds and switching between apps. But after going into the display settings and turning on Smooth Display, everything from swiping through menus to playing demanding games like Genshin Impact feels much more fluid. The higher refresh rate does eat up more battery power, so you might want to turn it off when you’re going to be away from an outlet for a long time.

I’m happy to report I had no problems with the fingerprint unlock feature. Last year the Pixel 6a could be unlocked with an unregistered fingerprint. It did take a few tries to register my fingerprint, though. Getting into the phone was nearly instantaneous for me, especially with Face Unlock turned on.

And that leads me to the Pixel 7a camera updates. All of the cameras have beefed up specs compared with the Pixel 6a: a 64-megapixel main wide shooter (up from 12.2MP), a 13MP ultrawide camera (up from 12MP), and a 13MP front selfie camera (up from 8MP).

The Pixel 7a cameras have more megapixels than even the Pixel 7, but keep in mind that having more pixels doesn't always mean better picture quality. The Pixel 7 has larger sensors, which could capture more light for better detail in dim lighting situations.

Our technicians will have more to say about the photo and video quality of the Pixel 7a's cameras, but I’ll just note that I was satisfied with all of the shots I took, from close-up stills of a flower to a wider photo of my garden. All of the Pixel 7a cameras have a larger field of view than the Pixel 6a, so they can fit more people and objects in the frame.

As with the other Pixel phones, I enjoyed playing with Google's editing tools, such as quickly erasing objects and people, and desaturating the background for artsy effects.

Photo Unblur is a new camera feature for the Pixel a-series, and I find it works well. It makes taking quick shots less stressful because you know you can improve somewhat unfocused photos afterward. Long Exposure, which makes moving objects blurry while keeping everything else sharp, is a creative tool that creates a sense of movement and action. (Google's example is a train rushing by in a blur, surrounded by crisp fall foliage.)

The battery in the Pixel 7a is slightly smaller than the one in the Pixel 6a: 4,385 mAh vs. 4,410 mAH. That might not mean less battery life, because Google claims the Tensor G2 processor is more energy-efficient than the previous generation. For reference, the Pixel 6a lasts 30.5 hours on one charge in our tests.

I used the Pixel 7a on its default battery settings, and after about two workdays’ worth of watching videos, checking email, and taking and editing photos, the phone still had an estimated 12 hours of battery life left. Again, we’ll report back with the lab's official battery test results.

The Pixel 7a offers wireless charging, a convenient feature that's still lacking in most midpriced phones.

It depends on what you’re looking for, but the Pixel 7a offers a lot for its relatively low price: a speedy refresh rate, wireless charging, a clean Android interface, and Pixel exclusives such as administrative-assistant-like Pixel Call Assist and VPN.

That said, the Pixel 7 has slightly better specs and features, including a higher brightness rating, a higher dust- and water-resistance rating, and more scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. We’ve seen it on sale recently for about the same price as the Pixel 7a, making the Pixel 7 the better deal.

I’m more of a "take my money and give me a pricey foldable phone" type of gal, but once the test results are in, the Pixel 7a (or the Pixel 7 on sale) could be my go-to recommendation for people who would rather spend their money elsewhere.

Melanie Pinola

Melanie Pinola covers smartphones, home office products, and a wide range of other technology topics for Consumer Reports. A seasoned service journalist, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Popular Mechanics, Laptop Magazine, PCWorld, and other publications. A former IT administrator and the author of two books about remote work and software, she was a longtime CR reader before joining the company as a tech writer and editor. Follow Melanie on Twitter @melaniepinola.