The Google Pixel 7a should be arriving at Google I/O 2023 next week, but in typical Google style it seems the phone is already out in the world. Worse still for Google is the fact that hands-on videos have already made their way online, spilling everything the company had (presumably) hoped to keep secret.
But since this happens so often, we shouldn’t be that surprised. At the very least it means we can get a glimpse of the mid-range Pixel ahead of time. There are two prominent videos out there at the moment: a full hands-on video from YouTuber munchy, and a full-teardown of the phone from PBKreviews.
Both videos reveal various details about the phone, should you decide to watch them all the way through. Otherwise we’ll summarize the important stuff below.
Google Pixel 7a: Design and impressions
munchy’s hands-on video notes that the Pixel 7a is slightly more refined than the Pixel 6a, with the display sitting flush with the frame this year. That display is 6.1 inches and has a fairly chunky bezel around it but the phone does seem to feature a 90Hz refresh rate.
The screen doesn’t support an adaptive refresh rate, so it won’t change automatically and potentially save some battery when the full 90Hz isn’t required. But you can toggle it yourself.
Unsurprisingly, the phone in the video is powered by the Tensor G2 chipset, and packs in 8GB of RAM — an upgrade from the Pixel 6a’s 6GB. Like last year the fingerprint scanner is in the display, and the camera module takes its cues from the Pixel 7. munchy notes that the camera bar doesn’t stick out that much.
The battery seems to be a bit contentious, since the phone on munchy’s video claims there’s 4,300 MAh of capacity, while a teardown from PBKreviews notes that the battery pack itself lists the capacity as 4,385 mAh and 4,344 mAh. The fact there are three separate figures noted is pretty strange, and we may need to wait for Google to clarify this.
Charging speeds were estimated to be between 18W and 20W on a wired connection, and just 5W on a wireless charger. Which is rather disappointing, though I hope using a specialized wireless charger like the Pixel Stand 2 could offer slightly faster speeds. Naturally that low wireless charging speed means there’s no reverse wireless charging here.
Google Pixel 7a: Camera specs and more
Very little of the camera could be revealed at this early stage, with munchy noting that a launch day software update could unlock a bunch of features that appear to be missing — like action and cinematic modes.
He also spotted that the phone registered photos from the main and ultrawide lenses as 16.1MP, which runs contrary to the current rumors that we’re getting a 64MP main and 12MP ultrawide.
In particular the phone seemed to believe that it had three rear cameras, comprising two 16.1MP lenses and a third at 13MP. Which obviously isn't the case, since the phone only had two rear lenses. However, the camera app seems to confirm that the rear camera will record in 4K 60fps, while the front camera offers 4K 30fps and 1080p 60fps. PBKreviews notes that the main camera lens has image stabilization as well.
Other points to note are that the 7A seems to have a plastic back, though designed to look more premium than the materials would suggest. The screen brightness doesn’t appear to fair well in bright sunlight, and munchy calls the speakers “good enough” but noted they lost some quality when the volume is turned up to 100%.
munchy notes that the Pixel 7a will just about fit into a Pixel 6a case, but goes into a dedicated Pixel 7a case more comfortably. That suggests the phone is larger than last year, but not by a lot. The phone also weighs 6.8 ounces, making it slightly heavier than the Pixel 6a, which weighed 6.3 ounces.
With Google I/O being so close, it won’t be long before Google has the opportunity to verify (or refute) this information. In the meantime be sure to check out our Google Pixel 7a and Google I/O hubs for all the latest news and rumors relating to the phone and everything else that should make an appearance during the keynote presentation.
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