Google Pixel 4a Review, Analysis, and Opinion

After a week of use as the primary mobile, we bring you our analysis of the Google Pixel 4a. We have done everything on the new Google pixel 4a mobile. And, of course, many photographs with mobile show that more is not always better.

Rumored for months, the Google pixel 4a is here. Finally, we have it since we will have to wait a month and a half for it to arrive.

It is not strange that a company announces its new mobile in a few weeks or two months. Before putting it on sale, it gives them for analysis two months in advance.

And it is that the Google Pixel 4a will arrive on October 1 for 389 euros in Europe.

Of course, it will come cheaper to other markets such as French without going further. But as we say, we have been with it for a few days and have already tested it.

On the day of its presentation, we leave you our first impressions. And now, we expand on those sensations in this review of the Google Pixel 4a.

Before, as always, we leave you the table of characteristics in which we put the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4. It is the older brother, face to face.

And that said … we are going with the analysis of a Pixel 4a that we already advanced you that is not for everyone.

Also: Google Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Which Flagship Phone Should You Buy?

Table of Contents

Google Pixel 4a Specifications

Display – 5.81 “| OLED panel | 2,340 x 1,080 pixel resolution | 443 pixels per inch | 19.5: 9 ratio | Always-on Display mode
Processor – Snapdragon 730
RAM – 6 GB LPDDR4X
Storage – 128 GB UFS 2.1
Battery – 3,150 mAh | 18W charger included in the box
Main Camera – 12,2 Mpx | Dual Pixel | Pixel 1,4 μm | Apertura f/1.7 | OIS
Front Camera – 8 Mpx | Fixed focus | 1.12 μm pixel | F / 2.0 aperture
Weight –144 x 69.4×8.2 mm | 143 grams
Price – 389 euros

Pixel 4a, One of the smallest and lightest mobiles of the year

Recently we have had a batch of mobiles. It was easy to say which section was the strong point of the terminal and others. Such as the Mi 10 Lite or the Oppo Find X2 Lite.

It is demanding that we do not recommend to those looking for a mobile to do everything for less than 450 euros. In Pixel 4a, we move in grayscale in almost any terminal element.

I like big mobiles. The more screen, but without going overboard, as in the Black Shark 3 Pro case we analyzed a few days ago.

I use my mobile to take notes at events, and social networks, watch a lot of YouTube content and edit some text if I am caught away from home. And something must correct and edit photographs taken with the terminal and the camera.

The bigger, the more screen, but the truth is that the Pixel 4a has opened my eyes a bit. I have done the same thing (saving the distances in some aspects).

But with a mobile that fits in the pocket and weighs almost nothing. It’s very comfortable to carry, as it is … well, a compact mobile.

Apple, with the iPhone SE 2020, or Samsung, with the Galaxy S20. It has shown that manufacturers still think of more compact mobiles. It is very comfortable to carry a terminal that measures 144 mm high and only 69.4 wide.

With your thumb, you cover the entire screen. It doesn’t take up anything in your pocket, and with 143 grams, I often forget it’s there.

In more detail, we find a mobile (pixel 4a) in which glass and polycarbonate are the protagonists.

The front is monopolized by the glass that protects the screen and extends to the edges. It is not a curved screen, but the glass has a slight curvature that makes the Android control gestures pleasant.

The frames have 4 mm for the top, more than 3 for the sides, and 5 for the chin. So again, we have a mobile whose structures are not symmetrical.

However, we only discussed this above since it does not matter much. What does matter is the size of the hole for the front camera.

It has a diameter of 5 millimeters and is exaggerated. Not if we compare it with other holes as small as those of the recently presented Note 20 or any Galaxy S20.

But on a 5.8 “screen, it is too prominent and makes the notification bar more extensive than it should be.

Let’s go to the edges and the rear. The body is a unibody made of polycarbonate, which is not usual, and on the edges. We have one of the two speakers and one of the two microphones. And the USB Type-C at the bottom.

On the left side, we have the nanoSIM slot that is not DualSIM, nor does it accept microSD cards. And on the right side, the lock buttons (in turquoise to give a distinctive touch) and the volume up / down buttons.

5.8 “OLED with good calibration and a diagonal that is not for everyone

The screen is one of the keys to telephones because we spend many hours throughout the week interacting with it. Let’s use mobile for what we use; a good screen is essential to consume and create content.

In this case, we have an OLED panel, not AMOLED, so Samsung does not build it, and it has a diagonal of only 5.81 “.

We say ‘only’ because it is small by current standards. And the truth is that if they made phones with averages of 6.5 “is because people demand them.

Excellent performance of Pixel 4a, Thanks to the Snapdragon 730, in tasks of almost any type

And we enter one of the hot spots of the Pixel 4a review. Google has opted for a processor that has a few months behind it.

The Snapdragon 730 is an SoC built-in 8 nanometers with two 2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold cores. And six other lower-consumption Kryo 470 Silver 1.8 GHz.

Pure Android 10 is highly stable but not the best Android experience anymore.

It is often said that the purest Android is that of the Pixel … and is not like that of the thrush. They do not use the newest possible layer (stock Android) but a version not far from raw Android. But has certain software additions, such as intelligent battery control.

In addition, thee tremendous native GCam and other sections have perfect wizard integration.

Of course, things like facial unlocking are also missing. In this terminal, the unlocking of the Pixel 4 was lost. But we also do not find the unlocking by the 2D photo that all Android phones have.

Google has not explained why, but they will hide behind security. During the final presentation, they emphasized the security chip Titan M that encrypts Android. And that verifies with the start of the phone that we run the latest version.

And they also said that the physical unlocks button was for speed and security reasons.

The point-and-shoot concept of old cameras on a mobile phone

Since the second Pixel, we have been in awe of how Google achieved spectacular results with a single camera. Google has been proving for years that cameras are not necessary.

Such as macro or ‘depth’ cameras, with many quotes, that we see in many mid-range phones down.

The sensor, an excellent primary lens (the set of glasses and their design), the pixel size, the megapixels, and the millimeters of focus. All are fundamental elements in photography.

But Google has also added the software to the equation. They are proving that with its software, you can achieve impressive background blurring and super-fast focusing. And spectacular color rendering and image noise.

Yes, with Pixel 4, they switched to the two cameras. But one of them was a telephoto to replace something that the main one does not do well in the digital zoom. But here, we return to a configuration of a single camera.

We have the ‘Camera’ mode and the ‘More’ tab in which you can find panoramic, spherical, and slow motion. And Google Lens photos, video, portrait, and night vision.

We do not have a pro mode since the mobile produces a JPEG and a RAW that we can edit from the PC or the mobile without shooting.

Battery for a day of use, but without going over

We noticed it in our first impressions after testing the Pixel 4a for more days. We have confirmed that the battery, although it grows in milliamps while the screen decreases in millimeters. Unfortunately, it does not give us the freedom that we would like.

When the standard seems to be 4,000 mAh, the Pixel 4a arrives with 3,140 mAh. It grows compared to the insufficient 2,800 mAh of the regular Pixel 4, but it still has spare capacity.

Yes, it is what plays in this terminal because the body’s size is what it is. And this time, the complaint is not as angry as it was with Pixel 4. This had plenty of room for a larger battery.