Last Updated on August 19, 2022 by Filip Poutintsev
In August 2020, Google released the Google Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4a (5G). The tech company announced the release in a press release. Later in September 2020, Google launched the 5G version during a Launch Night In event.
In 2020, the Google Pixel 4a was one of the newest releases for those looking for a smartphone on a budget. This range might still be one of the best budget smartphones you can find. You should read our list of pros and cons below.
Quick pros and cons about Google Pixel 4a
Pros
- Value for money
- Excellent camera
- Sturdy internal components
- Few bezels
- Upgraded display
- The device has a 3.5mm Headphone Jack
- Longer battery life
- Built-in Stereo Speakers
Cons
- The plastic body is a smudge magnet
- Few trimmings
Pros of the Google pixel 4a
Value for money
Purchasing the Google Pixel 4a device won’t break your budget. According to the New York Times, the Google Pixel 4a has a price tag of $350. If $350 is still a bit much, smartphone users can use a payment plan through Google Fi and pay $14.54 per month for 24 months.
Or users could finance their smartphone through Verizon for $15.83, which leads to a total of $379.99. This total also includes the cost of Verizon’s SIM.
According to the article, Google took the best features (such as the bright screen and the camera system) from the fancy Pixel 4 and fitted them for the Google Pixel 4a device worth $350. This price is $50 less than Google’s initial budget smartphone, the Pixel 3A.
Compared to other ritzy smartphones, the Pixel 4a is more affordable. The low price tag is because it doesn’t include the expensive features of these phones, such as a face scanner and wireless charging.
Despite not having these fancy features, the google pixel 4a is excellent value for money. The deal comes from the fantastic camera that can match other smartphones on the market.
Excellent camera
With the Google pixel 4a, there is a single 12.2-megapixel camera at the back, and the device uses a rounded rectangle lens. The back camera has an aperture of f/1.7 and a 77-degree field view.
The Google Pixel 4 has the same software used by the Google Pixel 4 device to process the photos, which is excellent value for the $350 price tag.
The front camera is an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The front camera has an f/2.0 aperture and an 84-degree field view.
The camera also supports the Night Sight and Google’s Portrait features. The camera also has an optical image stabilization feature. This feature means that you can take beautiful photos even in poor lighting.
For video recording, the back camera is capable of the following:
- 4K @ 30 fps
- 720 @ 30fps/60fps/240fps
- 1080p @ 30 fps/60 fps/120fps
For video recording with the front camera, it can do the following:
- 480p @ 30 fps.
- 20p @ 30 fps;
- 1080p @ 30fps;
Sturdy internal components
The Google Pixel 4a has a storage capacity of 128 GB. Google upgraded the RAM to 6 GB and a Snapdragon 730G processor. The Google Pixel 4a also protects your sensitive information and OS with Google Titan M security chip.
Few bezels
Google has decreased the number of bezels in the Pixel 4a. The company did this to create an edge-to-edge display. The selfie camera will also have a “punch hole” design.
Upgraded display
The Google Pixel 4a has a 5.8-inch 1080p OLED display and has HDR support. These displays might not be as excellent as the Galaxy S20 or the Pixel 4 XL, but it’s still a significant improvement.
The device has a 3.5mm Headphone Jack
This device has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Users who have a 3.5mm jack will be able to plug in their headphones at the top of their device.
Longer Battery Life
The Google Pixel 4a device has a 3140 mAh battery and has an Adaptive Battery feature. This feature means that your device will learn which apps are the ones that you use most often and decreases the power for the ones that you barely use.
Your battery life will depend on how often you use your device. If you use your device often, you could get at least five to six hours before you need to recharge your device.
Built-in Stereo Speakers
The Google Pixel 4a device has built-in stereo speakers. These speakers are an excellent feature for a budget smartphone.
More Pixel Smartphones:
Cons of the Google pixel 4a
The plastic body is a smudge magnet
One of the reasons the Google Pixel 4a is suitable for your budget is because the device has a plastic body. Sadly, the plastic on your device will be prone to attracting smudges and fingerprints. So we recommend that you immediately use a phone case for your Pixel 4a device.
Few trimmings
Another disadvantage to using the Google Pixel 4a device is that there are very few trimmings compared to other modern smartphones. For example, the device is also only available in two colors.
With Google pixel 4a, there is no protection against water. There is also support for quick charging or wireless charging. You also won’t be able to expand your device’s storage capacity.
Google pixel 4a specs
When the Google pixel 4a was first released, users received positive reviews. They praised its affordability and the device’s high camera quality.
Design and hardware
The Google Pixel 4a was designed to look similar to the Google Pixel 4. However, the differences include having a polycarbonate unibody construction, and the screen has Gorilla Glass 3.
The Google Pixel 4a (5G) is available in “Clear White” and “Just Black,” while the Google Pixel 4a is only available in “Just Black.” Later, the Google Store released a limited edition of the “Barely Blue” color for the Pixel 4a.
A fingerprint sensor is located below the camera lens and in the center. One of the stereo loudspeakers are located at the bottom edge of the device—the other doubles as a 3.5 mm headphone jack and an earpiece. The device also has a USB-C port that users can use for charging their devices.
The Google Pixel 4a uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G system-on-chip / Adreno 618 GPU. This is while the 5G version uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G system-on-chip / Adreno 620 GPU.
Both versions of these devices both have 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage capacity that users can’t expand. These devices don’t have wireless charging, protection against water, Pixel Neural Core (PNC), and Active Edge.
In these devices, there is a battery capacity of 3885 mAh for the 5G version and a 3140 mAh battery for the Google Pixel 4a. Users can quickly charge these devices because of the 18 W USB Power Deliver and the in-box adapter.
Software
When the Google Pixel 4a was initially launched, it had the 7.4 version of the Google Camera app, and it was shipped with Android 10 OS. Later the Pixel 4a (5G) was shipped with the Android 11 OS. The 5G version also had the 8.0 version of the Google Camera app when it was launched.
Both versions of the Google Pixel 4a will get significant OS upgrades in the next three years. The device will receive support until 2023 and include features such as the Personal Safety App and Call Screen.
