Pixel 10a vs Pixel 8a: Main differences to expect
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There's a new Pixel coming along, and its name is the Pixel 10a.
Reportedly coming in mid-February, the Pixel 10a is shaping up to be a carbon-copy of the Pixel 9a, just in a few extra colors. Everything else appears to be identical to the Pixel 9a.
What does this mean for the older Pixel 8a? Has the time come to finally upgrade to the newer device?
Let's compare what we know about either one of these phones and come up with a preliminary answer.
Pixel 10a vs Pixel 8a differences:
| Pixel 10a | Pixel 8a |
|---|---|
| A bit larger, but uses the same flat design language as the Pixel 9/10 | Also compact, but with a rear-curved design language |
| Flush camera bump | Protruding 3D Camera Visor bump |
| Google's older Tensor G4 chip | The previous-gen Google Tensor G3 chip |
| Slightly larger 6.3-inch 60/120Hz OLED screen | More compact 6.1-inch 60/120Hz OLED panel |
| Brighter display (2,700 nits of peak brightness) | Lower peak brightness (2,000 nits) |
| 48MP F1.7 main camera with a 1/2" sensor | 64MP F1.9 main camera with a 1/1.73" sensor |
| Larger 5,100mAh battery | A smaller 4,492mAh battery |
| 23W wired charging, 7.5W wireless charging | 18W wired, 7.5W wireless charging |
| IP68 water/dust resistance | IP67 water/dust resistance |
| Obsidian, Berry, Fog, and Lavender colors | Came in Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Aloe colors |
Design and Size
Two years' worth of differences
No two ways around that—the Pixel 10a and Pixel 9a are shaping up to be the same exact phone rolling out under a new name!
This means we'll get the same 8.9 mm thick Pixel 10 that will tower above the Pixel 8a. The new device will be taller and wider than the Pixel 8a. The Pixel 10a utilizes a flat aluminum frame with a plastic back and Gorilla Glass 3 at the front, which is normal for a mid-range device.
The Pixel 8a is different. Not only is it more compact, but it also has some slight curves that evoke memories of a bygone design era. This makes the phone a bit more ergonomic to hold and use, which is a nice addition.
| Pixel 10a | Pixel 8a |
|---|---|
| Thickness 8.9 mm | Thickness 8.9 mm |
| Dimensions 154.7 x 73.2 mm | Dimensions 152.1 x 72.2 mm |
| Weight 186 g | Weight 188 g |
One major difference between the Pixel 10a and the Pixel 8a is the water and dust resistance. The Pixel 10a is an IP68-rated device, while the Pixel 8a is just IP67-compliant. One thing is certain: the newer phone is slightly more durable against the elements.
The major difference between the Pixel 10a and the Pixel 9a is the colors, with the new phone coming in Obsidian, Berry, Fog, and Lavender colors. At the same time, the Pixel 8a came in Aloe (green), Bay (blue), Porcelain (white), and Obsidian (black) colors.
Display Differences
The Pixel 10a will come with a 6.30-inch FHD+ OLED screen with a fairly high peak brightness of nearly 2,700 nits. Definitely great, with the only downside being in the design department—the Pixel 10a will undoubtedly have bezels that are on the larger side, and the protection above the screen will be the older Gorilla Glass 3.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 8a came with a slightly smaller 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display that's only capable of hitting around 2,000 nits. Otherwise, it's also HDR-compliant and has Gorilla Glass 3 on top.
| Pixel 10a | Pixel 8a |
|---|---|
| Size 6.3" | Size 6.1" |
| Brightness 2,700 nits (peak) | Brightness 2,000 nits (peak) |
Both will use optical fingerprint scanners embedded in the screen, and these are a tad slower than the superior ultrasonic ones on pricier phones.
New here is the fact that Google has found a way to make sure the face unlock on its newer devices can be considered as secure as hardware-based facial unlock. Therefore, you can use the newer Pixels' facial unlock to authenticate banking and sensitive apps. The older Pixel 8a doesn't support this feature.
Performance and Software
Tensor-o-rama
The Pixel 10a will arrive with the older generation of Google's own Tensor chip, the Tensor G4. Built on a 4nm node, this one is just a tad slower than the newer Tensor G5 that ticks inside the Pixel 10 series, for example. Still, we doubt anyone would find a very big difference in the real-life performance between the Tensor G5 and the G4-equipped Pixels.
The Pixel 8a relies on an even older Tensor chip, the Tensor G3, but... we once again doubt there would be a palpable difference between that and the Tensor G4 inside the Pixel 10a.
It's important to remember that Tensors usually disappoint in raw performance and synthetic benchmarks; these are tailored for machine learning and AI.
| Pixel 10a | Pixel 8a |
|---|---|
| Chip Google Tensor G4 | Chip Google Tensor G3 |
| Process 4nm | Process 4nm |
| RAM, Storage 8/128 GB 8/256 GB | RAM, Storage 8/128 GB 8/256 GB |
Both the Pixel 10a and Pixel 8a will come with the same 8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB storage options.
Both phones enjoy Google's seven-year software update policy.
Camera
Some changes inbound
The Pixel 10a will come with a 48 MP main and a 13 MP ultrawide camera, along with a 13 MP selfie snapper at the front. An okay setup, albeit not very versatile, but mostly comparable to what you get on a Pixel 10, for example.
The Pixel 8a comes with a 64 MP camera with a slightly larger sensor. However, due to Google's reliance on software optimization and image processing, hardware doesn't play such a major role, especially in the camera department. Also, a higher megapixel count doesn't necessarily mean a better camera.
| Pixel 10a | Pixel 8a |
|---|---|
| Main 48 MP, f/1.7 | Main 64 MP, f/1.9 |
| Ultrawide 13 MP, f/2.2 | Ultrawide 13 MP, f/2.2 |
Battery Life and Charging
Proper upgrade if we've ever seen one
The Pixel 10a will ship with a massive 5,100 mAh battery, which marks a massive upgrade over the Pixel 8a's 4,492 mAh battery.
No two ways about it: the larger battery paired with the slightly more efficient Tensor G4 essentially means that the Pixel 10a will certainly have better battery life than its predecessor. That's mostly natural to expect with every generation, but our experience with the Pixel 9a is that it has a vastly better battery life than the Pixel 8a.
Now, if only Google shipped higher quality batteries in its phones, ones that don't need to be artificially capped after just 200 recharge cycles and don't randomly catch on fire, that'd be great.
Charging-wise, the Pixel 10a will deliver a slightly faster 23 W wired charging in comparison with the 18 W wired one on the Pixel 8a. The difference is small, so don't expect a major charging speed difference. Both the Pixel 10a and Pixel 8a come with 7.5 W wireless charging, but no support for Google's new Pixelsnap answer to MagSafe.
Specs Comparison
|
|
| Google Pixel 10a | Google Pixel 8a |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 152.1 x 72.2 x 8.9 mm | |
| Weight | |
| 188.0 g | |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.3-inch | 6.1-inch |
| Type | |
| P-OLED, 120Hz | OLED, 120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) | Google Tensor G3 (4 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 8GB (LPDDR5X)/128GB (UFS 3.1) 8GB/256GB | 8GB (LPDDR5X)/128GB (UFS 3.1) 8GB/256GB |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5100 mAh | 4492 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 23.0W Wireless: 7.5W | Wired: 18.0W Wireless: 7.5W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 25 mm Sensor size: 1/2" Pixel size: 0.8 μm | 64 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.9 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/1.73" Pixel size: 0.8 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 13 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Sensor size: 1/3.1" Pixel size: 1.12 μm | 13 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Front | |
| 13 MP | 13 MP |
See the full
Google Pixel 10a vs Google Pixel 8a specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
While the Pixel 10a is essentially a Pixel 9a in new colors, this doesn't mean it won't be a better phone than the Pixel 8a.
If anything, the latter is already a bit aged in terms of design, performance, battery life, and likely camera quality, so even though the Pixel 10a won't offer much new in terms of hardware, it might still be a very decent upgrade for Pixel 8a users.
Should these consider the Pixel 10a, though?
This question remains hanging, and we will wait for the Pixel 10a to become official before we cast our verdict. From our preliminary expectations, it seems that you might want to wait a bit more if the level of Pixel 10a upgrades doesn't exactly float your boat.
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