Future bestseller from Google, the Pixel 7a will have the heavy task of succeeding the excellent Pixel 6a, one of the best value for money of 2022. Find here everything you need to know about the next mid-range smartphone of the American giant.
Since the Pixel 3a and 3a XL, Google has offered more affordable smartphones than its high-end models, with very little compromise on photo quality. A winning strategy that today allows the Pixel 6a to be one of the best photophones of 2022. Here we present to you everything we know about its successor, the Pixel 7a, but also everything we would like to see there. see.
Will Google release a Pixel 7a?
Let’s start with the beginning. Google is known for launching a number of impressive projects, many of which have ended up in the graveyard of the company’s discontinued products and services. The latest example is that of Stadia shutting down. That being said, the history of Google’s “a” series smartphones as well as their critical and commercial success point to the presentation of a Pixel 7a.
After offering an “XL” version of the Pixel 3a and “5G” of the Pixel 4a and 5a, Google only released a version of the Pixel 6a. The company should follow the same path for the next iteration of its smartphone by offering only one model of the Pixel 7a.
What will the Pixel 7a look like?
Today, it is quite common to know the design of a phone even before it is presented. The Pixel 7a falls into this category. Indeed, the first images of its design have already been unveiled. Do not expect a revolution, the Pixel 7a takes the familiar lines of the Pixel 6a, while having the design codes of the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
Thus, we see at the back a wide metal strip on which is the LED flash and the camera block composed of two modules. At the front, we can expect to find black borders that are a little wider than those of the high-end models. The front camera is centered and integrated in a punch.
Pixel 7a dimensions have also been shared (152.4 x 72.9 x 9.0mm), revealing that the phone will be 0.2mm taller, 1.1mm wider and 0.1mm thicker than his predecessor. Unfortunately for music lovers, no 3.5 jack seems to be in the game. The phone is here presented in white, but it is not excluded that other colors are offered, as is the case for the Pixel 6a.
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Will the Pixel 7a be gifted in photography?
To provide a definitive answer to this question, we will obviously have to wait for our full test. But given the success of the Pixel 6a and its impressive photo results, the Pixel 7a is expected to turn on this point. We know that the quality of the shots offered by Google smartphones is very much due to the software processing enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning.
But the material part is not to be ruled out. The Pixel 6a is equipped with two camera modules, including an aging wide-angle (main) one, the Sony IMX363. The Pixel 7a could take a leap forward on this point with a Sony IMX787 wide-angle module, and an IMX712 ultra-wide-angle module. Since its high-end Pixel 7 is equipped with two camera modules, Google would not go beyond that with its mid-range 7a. Logic.
And the rest of the spec sheet?
Like all brands offering a mid-range smartphone, Google will have to make some concessions compared to its flagships to offer a tighter price. This will result in the use of cheaper materials, “older” photo modules, a less impressive screen or even a lowered charging speed. However, this does not mean that the mobile will be bad, far from it.
It was through Beta 1 of Android 13 QPR1 that a developer named Kuba Wojciechowski found clues to the technical characteristics of a certain “Pixel Lynx (L10)”. A code name that could designate the Pixel 7a. There he discovered a smartphone with a screen benefiting from a 1080p definition, but above all a refresh rate of 90 Hz, which would be a first on a Pixel smartphone from the “a” range.
Despite its mid-range positioning, the Pixel 7a could also benefit from wireless charging. Unfortunately, the latter would be capped at 5 W, which would make charging extremely long for a smartphone in 2023.
Like its big brothers, the Google Pixel 7a should take advantage of the latest chip designed by Google, the Pixel Tensor G2. This high-end SoC is far from the most impressive in benchmarks, but it is very well optimized to perform tasks related to artificial intelligence and machine learning faster. A point that we have already highlighted in our test of the Pixel 7 Pro.
What release date and what price for the Pixel 7a?
Google launched the Pixel 6a in July 2022 at a price of 459 euros. A very competitive price given the excellent performance of the smartphone, especially in photos. Impossible to say if the price of the Pixel 7a will be higher, but there is a good chance that Google will choose a price lower than 500 euros, it would be a good idea psychologically. Anyway, for the most patient, it is not uncommon for the phones of the “a” series to see their price drop by a hundred euros a few months after their launch.
The Google Pixel 7a release date is expected to be between May and August 2023. Historically, this period was when the company launched its Pixel 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a. We’re putting a little coin on an announcement at the Google I/O 2023 conference next May, for release a few weeks later in early summer.
What to expect from the Google Pixel 7a
The first thing we’d like to see on the Google Pixel 7a is faster charging speeds. The Pixel 6a is capped at 18W, which is very slow even for a mid-range smartphone in 2022. Unfortunately, this will only be possible through an improvement in the charging speed of the high-end models, which will not for the moment not exceed 23 W. We will console ourselves with the possible arrival of wireless charging on the Pixel 7a, even if the latter could be limited to 5 W…
A screen with a better refresh rate is also one of our pious wishes. Simply switching from 60Hz to 90Hz would immediately give the display a boost while improving the overall fluidity of the phone.
The return of unlocking by facial recognition would also be welcome. Since the Pixel 4, it had disappeared from radar. Google has decided to reintroduce it with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. We hope that this feature will also be part of the Pixel 7a.
Do not hesitate to share with us in the comments your expectations around the Google Pixel 7a.
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