Google Pixel 4a

The Google Pixel 4a is the most affordable Pixel phone you can get but one that doesn't cut down on display and camera. You get the same high-performance camera with HDR performance as the more expensive Pixel phones. We even dare to claim that for this amount of money he has the best camera performance from any phone.

OLED screen for less

The Pixel 4a is the successor of the Pixel 3a and thus already the 2nd model in the A-series. This is the inexpensive Pixel series but with the same camera performance as all other Pixel phones. This year, there will be no separate XL version of the camera, altho there is a larger model available in the form of the Pixel 4a 5G. In contrast to this 4a, it does have 5G support and therefore a slightly larger screen with a larger battery. Disadvantage of that 4a 5G; it is not (yet) available everywhere. Back to this Pixel 4a 4G. It has a 5.8 inch OLED screen with bright colours and a sharp Full HD+ resolution. The screen has an Always-On function so it always displays the time and notifications. For the first time, a Pixel phone has a punch-hole for the selfie camera, so the days of remarkably large screen edges are gone.

HDR+ camera for less

A Pixel phone wouldn't be a Pixel phone without a good camera. On the back of the Pixel 4a is a single 12.2 megapixel camera with large 1.4 ?m pixels and bright f/1.7 lens. There is optical and electronic image stabilisation and the camera can focus thanks to Dual Pixel phase detection. Together, these features provide the distinctive camera quality we've come to expect from Pixel phones. The award-winning HDR+ function, Nite Sight and Portrait Mode; they're all just there. What is missing is the Neural and Visual Core; Google's own chip that speeds up the processing of photos. The Snapdragon 730G processor is now manually responsible for handling all tasks, but that in turn is a tad faster than the Snapdragon 670 in the Pixel 3a. So no man overboard.

Main Google Pixel 4a specifications

• Reasonably compact 5.8-inch Full HD+ OLED screen
• Professional photo quality with the familiar Pixel techniques HDR+, Nite Sight and Portrait Mode
• 8MP selfie camera in punch-hole with f/2.0 lens
• Snapdragon 730G processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of non-extendible storage
• 3140 mAh battery with 18 Watt fast charge
• Dual SIM support thanks to built-in eSIM
• Stereo speakers

A lot more for less

So there is no saving on the monitor and camera, but the costs have to be cut somewhere. This has been done on the choice of material. The back is made of plastic. Not a problem at all because it has a nice finish which makes the Pixel 4a not necessarily feel cheap. Google continues the tradition of applying a headphone port to its Pixel A model. The battery looks a bit tight with a capacity of 3140 mAh. Google says that with the self-learning Adaptive Battery it achieves a long battery life, but tests show that you have to put it on the charger every day. Fortunately, there is support for fast charging. Furthermore, the Pixel 4a offers all the benefits you're used to from a Pixel phone such as the Google Assistant and the fast and long-lasting updates. For this amount, this is a combination where the competition can still bite their teeth to the bone. You only have a little choice of colour; at the moment of hatching only black.