Google Pixel 7a Buyers Guide: Everything you need to know in 2023

Google announced the Pixel 7a on May 10 at Google I/O in Mountain View. This is the fifth generation of its Pixel a-series, and it’s the biggest upgrade yet. It consists of display upgrades, camera upgrades, and so much more. So, in this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the Pixel 7a and help you decide on whether or not this should be your next phone.

Google Pixel 7a Specs

In the table below, you will see the specs of the Google Pixel 7a, the Pixel 7, and the Pixel 7 Pro. So you can see how it stacks up with the rest of the Pixel 7 series.

	Google Pixel 7a	Google Pixel 7	Google Pixel 7 Pro
Display	6.1-inch FHD+ gOLED 60/90Hz	6.3-inch FHD+ AMOLED 60/90Hz	6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO AMOLED Adaptive 120Hz
Processor	Google Tensor G2	Google Tensor G2	Google Tensor G2
RAM	8GB	8GB	12GB
Storage	128GB	128GB/256GB	128GB/256GB/512GB
Battery Capacity	4385mAh	4355mAh	5000mAh
Charging Speeds	18W wired 7.5W wireless	20W wired 20W wireless	23W wired 23W wireless
Software	Android 13 3 years of OS upgrades 5 years of security upgrades	Android 13 3 years of OS upgrades 5 years of security upgrades	Android 13 3 years of OS upgrades 5 years of security upgrades
Rear Cameras	64MP wide 13MP ultrawide	50MP wide 12MP ultrawide	50MP wide 48MP telephoto 12MP ultrawide
Front Camera	13MP	10.8MP	10.8MP
Dimensions	72.9 x 152.4 x 9.0mm	73.2 x 155.6 x 8.7	76.6 x 162.9 x 8.9
Weight	193g	197g	212g
Price	$499	$599	$899
Colors	Charcoal Coral Sea Snow	Obsidian Lemongrass Snow	Obsidian Hazel Snow
Available	May 10, 2023	October 13, 2022	October 13, 2022

How much does the Pixel 7a cost?

The Pixel 7a is getting a price increase this year, jumping from $449 to $499. That brings the total price increase to $100 since the original a-series launched in 2019 – the Pixel 3a. It’s not a bad price, especially with how much inflation has hit us over the past year.

It’s $499 for the Sub-6 5G model, and then the mmWave model is going to cost another $50, making it $549. The mmWave model is going to be available from Verizon and the Google Store.

Where can I buy the Pixel 7a?

You’ll be able to buy the Pixel 7a at all of the usual places. That includes the following retailers and carriers:

Google Store (both physical locations in NYC and online)
Amazon
Best Buy
Target
Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile

It may be available at other retailers in the future, but as for now, that’s the complete list.

What carriers does it work on?

The Pixel 7a will work on all three US carriers. That includes AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. As well as any MVNO that runs on those networks. That would include names like Visible, US Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Cricket, Straight Talk and so much more.

What countries will the Pixel 7a be available in?

The Pixel 7a will be available in countries around the world; here’s the complete list:

US
Canada
UK
Ireland
Germany
France
Spain
Italy
Norway
Netherlands
Denmark
Sweden
Japan
Australia
Singapore
Taiwan
India

Other countries will be able to buy it, but only by importing it from another country, which means that the Pixel 7a could become fairly pricey.

What colors does the Google Pixel 7a come in?

The Google Pixel 7a comes in four colors this year. That includes Charcoal, Coral, Sea, and Snow. The Charcoal and Snow colors are the “boring” ones, as they are black and white. The fun ones are Coral and Sea.

The Coral color is going to be exclusive to the Google Store (both online and at physical Google Stores in NYC). It’s an orange-redish color that looks really striking in this design.

Then there’s the Sea color, which is a lighter blue, and the frame and camera bar are also light blue, but it looks slightly different due to the different materials used on the back versus the sides.

What new upgrades does the Pixel 7a have over the Pixel 6a?

So, what’s new on the Pixel 7a? Well, this is the biggest upgrade ever for an A-series this year with plenty of firsts. Let’s go over some of them.

New 90Hz display

After a lot of backlash last year on the Pixel 6a sticking with a 60Hz display, Google decided to upgrade the display to 90Hz this year. It’s not quite an adaptive display, but it will switch between 60Hz and 90Hz. However, out of the box, the Pixel 7a does default to 60Hz. And that’s likely due to battery life. But it is a 90Hz display, and you can turn that on in the Settings.

All-new camera system

Perhaps the bigger deal here this year is all of the new cameras. Every camera on the Pixel 7a has been upgraded this year.

64-megapixel wide-angle camera
13-megapixel ultrawide camera
13-megapixel front-facing camera

Now, on paper, it looks like this is a better camera setup than the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, but that’s not quite the case. While the Pixel 7a does have more megapixels than the others, these are smaller sensors. This is why the camera bump is a lot smaller than the Pixel 7’s.

What this means is that it won’t get as much detail as something like the Pixel 7’s 50-megapixel camera. Which does have a much larger sensor. However, with Google’s computational photography,

Wireless charging

Another feature that Pixel users have been asking for on the A-series is wireless charging. It’s finally here, but you probably won’t use it. Google added it, but it has really capped the speed. It’s just 7.5W, which for wireless charging, is quite slow.

For reference, the iPhone 14 series wirelessly charges at 15W, the Pixel 7 at 20W, and the Pixel 7 Pro at 23W. Almost makes you wonder why they even added it in. It’s really just to check a checkbox on the spec sheet.

Now, if you are just wirelessly charging overnight, that speed likely won’t be an issue. It’ll definitely fully charge your phone overnight. It does make you wonder why Google went with such a slow charging speed.

What cases are available for the Pixel 7a?

So far, only Google’s official case is available, but we’ll be adding more, as they come out, to this list and our buyers guides.

Google offers its own TPU-like case for the Pixel 7a. It’s a bit thicker than most other TPU cases and does come in matching colors. It is available in Charcoal, Coral, Sea, and Snow colors. It also has metal buttons, making it easier to use the phone while in the case.

Should I buy the Pixel 7a?

If you’re wondering if you should buy the Pixel 7a, you should check out our review of the device. It’s a good phone and at a pretty good price. But for more of the specifics, you’ll want to check there.