Google has expanded its latest Pixel 8 lineup and launched the new premium mid-range Pixel 8A smartphone in India earlier this week. Following the launch of the Pixel 7a in May 2023, the latest addition to the company’s most affordable A-series has been launched at a starting price of Rs 52,999.
The smartphone will be available exclusively on e-commerce site Flipkart from May 14 and is currently up for pre-order. The Pixel 8a will be available in four colors: Aloe and Bay (Limited Edition), and Obsidian and Porcelain. The smartphone features an OLED display and is powered by Google’s latest Tensor G3 chipset.
For photography, the Pixel 8a has a 64MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 13MP selfie shooter. The smartphone also supports several AI-powered camera and audio functions.
In this price segment, the Pixel 8a competes with OnePlus’ latest premium mid-range smartphone, the OnePlus 12R, which was launched in early January this year. The smartphone is available at a starting price of Rs 39,999 and is available in Cool Blue and Iron Grey.
The OnePlus 12R features a 120Hz AMOLED display and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The smartphone comes with a triple rear camera and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The OnePlus 12R has a vapor cooling chamber for better performance and supports 100W fast charging. This is how the two premium mid-range smartphones can be compared:
Google Pixel 8a vs OnePlus 12R : A comparison
| Feature | Google Pixel 8a | OnePlus 12R |
| Colours | Aloe, Bay, Porcelain, Obsidian | Cool Blue, Iron Grey |
| Display | – 6.1-inch OLED display at 1080 x 2400 resolution – 20:9 aspect ratio – Up to 120 Hz refresh rate – Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass – HDR support – Always-on display – >1,000,000:1 contrast ratio – Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colours – Up to 1,400 nits (HDR) and up to 2,000 nits (peak brightness) | – 6.78-inch AMOLED ProXDR Display with LTPO4.0 – 2780 x 1264 resolution, 450 PPI – 1-120 Hz dynamic refresh rate – Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – HDR10+ support – Screen-to-body ratio: 94.2% – Nature Tone Display – Bright HDR video mode – Dark Mode – Screen colour pro mode – Auto brightness – Manual brightness |
| Dimensions | 152.1 mm (height) x 72.7 mm (width) x 8.9 mm (depth); 188 g | Height: 163.3 mm, Width: 75.3 mm, Thickness: 8.8 mm, Weight: 207 g |
| Battery | – 4,492 mAh battery – Up to 72-hour battery life with Extreme Battery Saver – Fast charging – Wireless charging | – 5,500 mAh battery (Dual-cell 2,750, non-removable) – 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging |
| Memory and storage | – 8 GB LPDDR5x RAM – 128 GB/256 GB UFS 3.1 storage | – 8GB/16GB LPDDR5X RAM – 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3, Titan M2 security co-processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, Adreno 740 GPU |
| Rear camera | – 64 MP Quad PD wide camera – 13 MP ultra-wide camera – Super Res Zoom up to 8x | – 50 MP main camera with Sony IMX890 sensor – 8 MP ultra-wide camera – 2 MP macro lens – Multi Autofocus (All pixel omnidirectional PDAF+LAF+CAF) – OIS support – EIS support – Flash: LED Flash – Zoom: 0.6-20x |
| Front camera | 13 MP | 16 MP |
| Operating system | Launched with Android 14 | OxygenOS 14.0 based on Android 14 |
| Connectivity | – Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) – Bluetooth v5.3 – NFC – USB Type-C 3.2 | – Wi-Fi 7 – Bluetooth 5.3, support aptX & aptX HD & LDAC & AAC & SBC & LHDC – NFC enabled – USB 2.0, Type-C |
| Security | – Fingerprint Unlock with under-display fingerprint sensor – Face Unlock | – In-display Fingerprint Sensor – Accelerometer – Electronic compass – Gyroscope – Ambient light sensor – Proximity sensor – Sensor core – Colour temperature sensor – Infrared blaster – Barometer |
Pixel 8a also supports AI-powered camera features including:
Best Shot: Make sure you get the perfect group photo by choosing the best facial expressions for everyone.
Magic Eraser: Easily remove unwanted objects and distractions from your photos with just a few taps.
Magic Audio Eraser: Removes background noise such as wind and noise and gives your videos clear and crisp sound.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
