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Google Pixel 8a is here to take on the Galaxy S23 FE

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Google has launched the Pixel 8a, a trimmed-down version of the Pixel 8 and the most affordable smartphone in the Pixel 8 series. Compared to the Pixel 8, the Pixel 8a has a smaller display, inferior cameras at the front and rear, a smaller battery, and build quality that’s less rugged. Let’s take a look at what the latest phone from Google offers.

Pixel 8a features

The Pixel 8a has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. In comparison, the Pixel 8 has a 6.2-inch display with the same resolution and refresh rate but features the superior Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. So, not much of a downgrade there.

The phone features the Tensor G3 chipset, the same SoC that Google offers in the other two, phones in the lineup, the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro. The company is offering it in two memory configurations: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage. As you might have guessed, the phone runs on Android 14.

Google Pixel 8a colors

On the imaging front, you get a dual-camera setup at the rear with wide-angle and ultrawide-angle cameras.  The wide-angle sensor has a 64MP resolution and features optical image stabilization (OIS). It misses out on the dual-pixel PDAF and laser AF that Pixel 8’s primary camera offers. As for the ultra-wide angle sensor, it has a 13MP resolution. Unfortunately, it lacks the autofocus that Pixel 8’s ultrawide-angle camera has. For selfies, you get a 13MP sensor.

The Pixel 8a packs a 4,500mAh battery and supports Qi wireless charging (there’s no info on charging speed yet). Connectivity options include 5G, Wi-FI 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and USB 3.2 Type-C port. The phone features stereo speakers and an under-display fingerprint scanner. It has an aluminum frame with a matte finish and features an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. Google is offering the Pixel 8a in four color options: Aloe, Aloe, Obsidian, and Porcelain.

What does Pixel 8a mean for Galaxy S23 FE?

In the United States, the Pixel 8a costs USD 499 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and USD 549 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB model. In the United Kingdom, the 8GB+128GB version costs GBP 499, and the 8GB+256GB variant costs GBP 549.

That means in the UK, the Pixel 8a competes directly with the Galaxy S23 FE, which also costs GBP 499 for the base variant. Considering only specs, the Pixel 8a lacks behind the Galaxy S23 FE, as it has a smaller display and one less camera. So, in the UK, it makes more sense for you to go with the Galaxy S23 FE.

It is a totally different story in the United States though. The Galaxy S23 FE costs USD 649 there, which is much higher than what the Pixel 8a costs in the country. So, if you don’t want a larger display or a telephoto camera, the one from Google is a great choice for you. If not, look no further than the Galaxy S23 FE.

Google has started taking pre-orders for the Pixel 8a in the US and it will start selling and shipping the phone from 14 May 2024 in the country. If you pre-order the phone before 14 May 2024 from Best Buy, you will get a USD 100 gift card on the platform.

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Pre-order the Google Pixel 8a from Amazon or Best Buy and get a free $100 gift card

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Just moments after Google announced its latest smartphone, both Amazon and Best Buy swooped in with deals to convince you to get yours from one of them. Right now, the Pixel 8a is open for pre-orders at Google’s storefront, but if you go through Amazon, you’ll get a physical $100 Amazon gift card once the phone ships. Purchase through Best Buy and you’ll get a$100 gift card for its store, plus a one-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Whichever way you go, your new phone will ship May 14, the same day as Google’s I/O developer conference.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Buy the new Google Pixel 8a smartphone from Amazon and get a free gift card for $100. If you buy from Best Buy, you’ll get a $100 gift card to spend at the retailer, plus a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

$499 at Amazon

On both Amazon and Best Buy, the offer apples to the 128GB model in any of the four colorways, including the new Aloe hue. The model with a larger 256GB capacity, a first for A-series Pixel phones, goes for $559 and also includes the $100 gift card, but only if you order it in Obsidian.

New for this latest generation of Google’s most affordable smartphone is a screen that’s a little brighter and smoother thanks to a higher peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. The battery is slightly larger than it was on the Pixel 7a and software improvements should help it last longer. The camera array stayed the same as with the previous generation, but a few more of Google’s AI tricks, like Best Take and Magic Editor should help you get more out of what the lenses pick up.

Engadget’s Sam Rutherford had a chance to check out the new Pixel 8a ahead of its release and, while a full review is still forthcoming, he said the new handset is “shaping up to once again be the mid-range Android phone to beat.” And if a $100 gift card sweetens the deal for you at all, now might be a good time to pre-order. Amazon says its deal will run through 5/19 or until supplies run out, so if you want to wait to see what we think, you may have some time.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.



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Computers

Google Pixel 8A: News, Specs, Features, Price, Release Date

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The Pixel 8A is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset with 8 GB of RAM, just like the Pixel 8 series. That means it’ll be capable of much of the same software wizardry Google showed off last year with the debut of its flagship, including Audio Magic Eraser, which lets you erase unwanted sounds in video clips (like sirens); Magic Editor, where you can move subjects around and have the software generate a background to fill in the space; and Best Take, which can replace a person’s face in a photo by clipping it from a similar photo, which is useful in case someone blinked and ruined an otherwise perfect shot.

This phone will also be able to tap into Google’s Gemini Nano large language model. To enable Gemini Nano, you’ll have to go into the Pixel’s developer settings and check a box that says you agree to run experimental features that may or may not work perfectly yet. When enabled, Gemini Nano lets you access specific on-device AI features, like summarize in Google’s Recorder app and Smart Reply in Gboard. Gemini Nano will be available in a future software update, but Google confirmed that while the default assistant in this handset remains Google Assistant, you can replace it with its Gemini assistant easily out of the box, just like you can on most other Android phones today.

Speaking of, just like the Pixel 8 series, Google is promising seven years of software updates on this phone. That makes the Pixel 8A one of the only sub-$500 devices to get such a long software support window. Google’s also offering the same built-in VPN function too. The device comes with 128 GB of storage, and there’s now a 256-GB option, though that’s restricted to the Obsidian color. The Pixel 8A’s other colors include Bay, Porcelain, and a lovely new Aloe.

Overhead view of 4 mobile phones all face down on a wooden surface with a variety of case colors

The Pixel 8A comes in Bay, Obsidian, Porcelain, and Aloe.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

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Google Messages rolling out new audio recorder and Voice Moods more widely

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In October 2023, Google started rolling out a redesigned audio recording user interface in the beta version of Google Messages, and in November 2023, the company announced Voice Moods for the messaging platform. Well, Google has now started rolling out the new voice recording panel to the stable version of the app and is making Voice Moods available in the beta version of the messaging platform (via 9To5Google).

Redesigned audio recording interface

Up until now, to record audio in Google Messages to send it in a chat, you had to press and hold down the button with the microphone icon at the bottom-right corner of the conversation screen. Well, Google has now replaced the button with the microphone icon with a button that has a waveform icon. Just like the button with the microphone icon, you can hold down the button with the waveform icon to start recording audio and leave it to stop recording audio. But there’s a lot more the new button brings.

You can now single-press the button. Doing so will bring up an interface that says “Tap to record your voice” and has three buttons: Cancel, a button with a microphone icon, and Attach. Clicking the second button will make the app start recording audio. Once you do that, the button with the microphone icon gets replaced with a button to stop recording audio and the Cancel button gets replaced by the Restart button. After you record the audio, you can click on the Attach button to attach the clip to the message.

The new interface makes it easier to record audio for a long period as you don’t have to hold down any button during the entire time you are recording audio like before. It is also worth mentioning that the new audio recorder has a noise cancellation feature. It is turned on by default. You can tap on the feature in the new panel to turn it off. With the redesigned audio recording panel, Google says that it has also improved the “overall audio quality of voice messages by increasing the bitrate and sampling rate.“

Voice Moods

Once you are done recording audio using the new interface, Google Messages will provide you with nine themes that you can apply to the clip’s waveform: Smiling Face with Hearts, Rolling on the Floor Laughing, Partying Face, Loudly Crying Face, Slightly Smiling Face, Enraged Face, Face with Open Mouth, Face with Rolling Eyes, and Crying Face. These themes allow you to express to the other people in the conversation how you are feeling while recording the audio (or about the content in the clip).

We can confirm that the new audio recording panel is live in version 20240422_05_RC01 of the Google Messages app on our Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24+. So, to get the new feature, make sure that you are running that or a newer version of the messaging platform. As for Voice Moods, Google is currently making it available in the beta version of Google Messages to select users. So, depending on your luck, you could or could not get this feature even if you get the latest beta version of the app.

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Entertainment

What to expect at Google I/O 2024

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Google’s big developer showcase, encompassing software, hardware and all its consumer AI projects, is fast approaching. Google I/O’s opening keynote is on May 14, and we’ve got a good guess on what you can expect.

To begin, Android 15’s first beta is already out. We know there will be enhanced privacy features, partial screen sharing and system-level app archiving. But they’re not the most thrilling updates — hopefully, Google has some spicy features in its back pocket. Redesign something!

AI-wise, lots of stuff. Gemini AI is now firmly established, but what about an AI assistant? Reportedly, Pixie, as it’s currently called, could debut on the Pixel 9. We’re also expecting the company to ramp up its generative AI — but where will it start? More editing features in Google Photos? More text help in Google Docs? Something AI with Google Maps?

What about a new Pixel phone? Traditionally, those appear in the fall, but what about a Pixel 8a? Maybe.

Before all that, we’ve got an iPad event in just a few hours today. Make sure to here on Engadget.

— Mat Smith

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Supergiant

Hades II is in Early Access for PC players. The roguelike is out now for $30. Hades II builds on the themes and gameplay of the 2020 timesink original. We’re getting a new protagonist, and apparently, there’s no need to have played through Hades. (Confession: I never quite beat Hades…) The game will eventually land on PlayStation and Xbox too.

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Schuurman

Sonos’s long-awaited debut headphones are dropping in June. That’s according to Dutch company Schuurman, which has published information and images of the headphones ahead of time. Schuurman listed the device for €403.58 ($435) with cushion replacements, which is pretty near the $449 pricing Bloomberg reported previously.

Continue reading.

NASA’s Boeing Starliner crew flight test was meant to blast off to the International Space Station yesterday. Sadly, Boeing scrubbed the first Starliner crew fight test two hours after it was scheduled to launch. The launch control teams detected “anomalous behavior.” Astronauts were already onboard and had to exit the vehicle. The company has yet to announce a new launch schedule. It’s the latest delay of many previous delays.

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Google Pixel 9 case leak shows we may get three models

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The Google Pixel 8 launched on October 4, 2023, and so we’d expect the Google Pixel 9 to appear on or around that date this year – but some five months ahead of time, we’ve already got a look at our first Pixel 9 case.

This comes from accessory maker Thinborne and the team at Android Central, and the suggestion is that the design and dimensions of the Google Pixel 9 have been confirmed as far as the supply chain and industry partners are concerned.

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Microsoft and Google vie for top spot in productivity and business app leadership in latest report — Google has a upper hand due to its platform dominance but Microsoft’s LinkedIn emerges as the ultimate Pro social network

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A new study analyzing Google Play downloads of productivity tools has shown an overwhelming majority of mobile users turning to their smartphones to navigate their professional lives and schedule day-to-day tasks.

The report by SplitMetrics found the top apps in the business and productivity categories have amassed a staggering 4.7 billion and 55 billion downloads respectively. Microsoft’s LinkedIn leads the business category with a whopping 1.5 billion lifetime downloads, followed by video conferencing giants Zoom (1.1bn) and Microsoft Teams (426m), then OfficeSuite (195m) and Indeed (188m).

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A big Google Maps redesign is now being tested on Android

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The significant Google Maps redesign we saw a glimpse of back in February has started reappearing on some Android phones, with new refinements added – and it could well be getting a full roll out in the near future.

This has been spotted by 9to5Google, and a lot of the design tweaks are the same. Several of the full screen panels have been changed to show part of the map in the background, giving users some context while they look up different details.

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Huge Google Pixel 8a leak includes all the predicted specs – and a price

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The Google Pixel 8a could be with us as early as May 14, when Google I/O 2024 gets underway, and a fresh leak potentially gives us all the specs of the device – as well as pricing for the mid-range phone in Europe.

This comes from @MysteryLupin (via Android Police), and while some of this information has been leaked before, we haven’t previously seen such a comprehensive list of every spec the Pixel 8a is going to bring along with it.



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5 Great Note-Taking Apps: Google Keep, Apple Notes, Notion, Bear, Microsoft OneNote

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Notes are nested inside custom category tabs; think color-coded tags in a three-ring binder. You can attach specific notes to meetings via Outlook and prioritize them using urgency tags of various levels. If you’re looking for a “professional” notes app, OneNote is a great option.

Plus, if you have a subscription to Microsoft 365 on the desktop, you can then take advantage of Microsoft’s Copilot AI integration in OneNote. The AI helper can create summaries and to-do lists, collate information from various sources, or just rewrite your notes to make them more clear and coherent.

Apple Notes

phone with apple notes on the screen

Photograph: Apple

If you use an iPhone, then Apple Notes is an obvious choice. It comes installed on your phone, and, like Google Keep, it excels in its simplicity. While there are more advanced features, like the ability to add attachments and to clip text and images from the web, they don’t clutter things up.

Organization is also superb if you take the time to set up category folders and nest subfolders inside them. If you’ve already gotten used to Apple Notes, there’s nothing wrong with sticking with it. Oh yes, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can dictate notes to Siri—it’s not as knowledgeable as the other AI-powered assistants out there, but it transcribes speech pretty well.

Bear

screen with bear notes app on it

Photograph: Bear

Meet Apple Notes’ more refined cousin. Bear notes offer a bevy of styling options that allow you to change themes, adjust formatting, and play with the typography of your notes. (It is available on iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers only.) Functionally, Bear works the same as any of the other apps on this list, albeit with a lot more flair. It packages all its features in a warm, cozy style that won Apple’s design award in 2017.

One of Bear’s most helpful features is the ability to link notes together via tags. Just tag your thoughts with the appropriate category (work, wedding, books to read) as you jot them down, and Bear will sort them into their proper folders. If it feels like your thoughts come from all over the place, or if you’re bad at keeping things organized in folders, this can be a great way to keep your digital life in order.

Bear got a big version 2 update last year, which was a labor of love that gave it a bunch of new features. The updated app is better at organizing tables, has the ability to add footnotes, and offers better in-note search. It’s all wrapped in a more pleasant design too.

Bear is a free app, but a Pro version costs $30 per year and offers additional features like custom themes, the ability to sync with iCloud, and the option to export notes in more formats like PDF and HTML.

Evernote

Sorry to say, but we can’t recommend Evernote anymore. Once the most innovative of the cloud-based notes apps, Evernote has since evolved into a sad shadow of itself. The app now is a cluttered mess that has jammed together just about every feature imaginable: group chat, photo transcription, web clipping, and integration with other online services. As a result, it’s much more cumbersome to use than the others on this list when you just want to jot down a simple idea. We were also turned off by the sheer volume of pop-up ads that appear over and over to prompt you to subscribe to Evernote’s $130 per year premium tier. (Evernote’s current new parent company, Bending Spoons, laid off its entire US workforce last year.)

Unfortunately, lots of people still use Evernote, and probably feel locked into its now-degraded ecosystem. It may be hard to make that switch to a new app, but if you’d like to, it’s possible to remove your notes from Evernote. Sadly, exporting your stuff off the app has become almost as cumbersome as using the app itself. Still, if you plan to make the switch, here’s how to do it:

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