When the Pixel 8a is this cheap, you don’t need another phone

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck on your next phone upgrade, the Pixel 8a should be your only consideration at this price.

Unless you’re dead-set on getting the latest iPhone or making use of something like the Galaxy S24 Ultra as a productivity device, the Pixel 8a has all the phone that most people could ever ask for.

At its full price of £499, the handset was already an easy recommendation for how much Google had managed to cram into the device in spite of its mid-range status, but now you can buy the Pixel 8a for just £419.

At that price, it’s less than the iPhone SE and significantly cheaper than competing Android devices like the Nothing Phone (2) and the Samsung Galaxy A55. The only thing that holds the Pixel 8a back from being a flagship phone are fairly standard charging times and a screen that, while good, can be bested elsewhere. Beyond that however, this phone is a dream to use.

For starters, the 8a uses the same Google Tensor G3 chipset found in the pricier Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which provides it with impressive speed in everyday use as well as a ton of AI powered features.

Google’s AI prowess can be most felt in apps like the voice recorder, which can transcribe audio in real time and even separate quotes between different speakers, as well as the photo app which uses Magic Eraser to get rid of any unwanted objects and subjects from a picture.

Speaking of pictures, the Pixel 8a can go toe to toe with even flagship devices in the realm of photography. In his 4.5-star review for the phone, Editor Max Parker wrote: “When the light gets lower, the Pixel 8a is still very capable – pumping up the colours a bit and retaining plenty of detail. Google has also done a good job of reducing lens flare this time around, an issue I find even on the iPhone 15 Pro Max which is one of the best camera phones around.”

This is all before mentioning the slick version of Android that the Pixel 8a brings to the table, but what it amounts to is a great phone that gives you pretty much everything you could ask for at a price that’s actually reasonable. You can’t ask for fairer than that.