A personal gadget It needs to feel, well, personal. I have what I call table test. If I’m in a restaurant or cafe, do I leave my phone with the screen facing up? Or turn it over and admire the design?
Well, it may be functional—placing a Pixel face down activates Do Not Disturb mode and keeps me away from attention-grabbing notifications—but the Google Pixel 8A is also too pretty to hide its appearance, especially in the new Aloe color.
This is usually a rarity for a smartphone that costs less than $500. Flagships get the star treatment and cheaper phones look bland. This year, I’ve noticed a shift, with smartphones like the Motorola Moto G Power 5G and Nothing Phone (2a) making things more aesthetically interesting on the low end. Google’s Pixel 8A continues that trend with its sleek, matte, and colorful design.
say aloe
Google’s A-series phones take elements from the flagship Pixels while cutting costs elsewhere to make the package more affordable. The Pixel 8A uses 76 percent recycled plastic in the back cover instead of glass, uses the older, less protective Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for the screen, and has an OLED panel that doesn’t get as bright, not to mention the minor ones camera specifications. There are other small changes, but this helps bring this phone down to $499, which is $200 less than the Pixel 8.
And yet, this phone doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary compared to its more expensive siblings. The metal frame and camera bar give it that luxurious look; The lovely curved edges and its 6.1-inch screen size make it a comfortable phone to hold and use with just one hand. This is the most refined A-series Pixel yet, and the Aloe color steals the show.
My mom noticed it on my hand immediately and asked about it, admiring the translucent green tones. (Google’s official case also matches the color of the phone perfectly and makes the camera bar flush with the back, so it’s still slim.)
The 6.1-inch screen doesn’t feel too small (it’s quite refreshing considering most phones I test these days have screen sizes of 6.5 inches or larger) and the OLED screen is sharp. I looked at this screen on a near-perfect sunny day in New York City last weekend, and the Pixel 8A increased its brightness accordingly so I didn’t have to squint. This used to be a common defect on older Pixels, but screen brightness is no longer an issue. Google has also brought a 120Hz screen refresh rate here, so everything is wonderfully smooth (be sure to turn it on in your phone’s settings).