The Pixel 4a is Google’s first 5G-enabled Pixel phone, announced in early August this year. It carries all the interesting and admired features of the Pixel 3a – sleek hardware, a premium camera, and more. The new Pixel 4a is everything we expect from a 2020 smartphone, but it doesn’t dig a hole in your pocket.
Things we admire about Pixel phones
Google has been designing Pixel phones for years. They are compact, have good features and superior hardware but it’s the camera that impresses. The devices truly deserve the title, “Premium. For less”. Millions of people have captured great photos with their award-winning cameras and Google’s HDR+ technology. The phones also shoot great 4K and full HD videos.
Pixel phones also offer enterprise-grade security. The latest security and OS updates protect our sensitive data against threats. The newly launched Pixel 4a has all of this going for it.
How powerful is the Pixel 4a camera?
Google’s focus on the smartphone’s camera continues with the Pixel 4a. You won’t find multiple cameras on the Pixel 4a’s back, but a single 12.2 MP camera with a LED flash is the star of the show. It’s as if Google is trying to prove that a single camera phone is just as powerful as all the multi-camera competition. The Camera app gets improvements include the Portrait mode’s way of giving attention to faces and not the background. The Pixel 4a supports HDR+ with dual exposure controls so you can easily control brightness in the photos. You can also switch to the Night Sight mode with astrophotography benefits for clicking photos of the dark starry night sky. The primary camera also has super zoom functionality, which lets you digitally zoom. The phone uses built-in AI algorithms to sharpen images so you still get good results like phones with telephoto lenses that cost more. The 77 degree field-of view helps capture wide areas with great details.
There is also a single 8-megapixel camera built into the display. It offers an impressive 84 degrees of field-of-view for capturing wide shots so you can fit everyone into a group selfie. Both cameras on the Pixel 4a shoot full HD and 4K videos at 30, 60 and 120 fps. They also include video stabilization that help reduce blurring caused by hand movements.
How good is the Pixel 4a’s design?
The Pixel 4a is only slightly different from the Pixel 3a. It uses uniform polycarbonate instead of a two-tone design. The Pixel 4a comes in a matte texture, which not only looks nicer but makes it less slippery. The Pixel 4a comes in a ‘Just Black’ colour with a contrasting mint-coloured power button. This makes the phone stand out. The location of the rear-mounted fingerprint reader remains unchanged. It has the same matte texture and it now blends in better with the back design.
The newly launched Pixel 4a has a large 5.8-inch OLED display, running a full HD+ resolution. This high-resolution display should sport good contrast, sharp details, and vibrant colours. The phone weighs 143 grams and measures 144 x 69.4 x 8.2 mm in dimensions. It is so lightweight and compact, you can wrap your palm around it. The Google Pixel 4a also features an always-on display, which displays the time, date, weather, battery life, and other information.
How fast is the Pixel 4a?
The Pixel 4a comes with an incremental performance and memory update. The phone comes equipped with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, which has better processing and slightly improved graphics performance. RAM and storage have been multiplied to 6GB and 128GB. The Pixel 4a includes a Titan M security module for on-device security. It ensures the OS and sensitive data on the phone is protected from external attacks. The phone comes with a 3,140 mAh non-removable battery, which Google claims should easily last a day or more, under average use. The 18W fast-charging feature can instantly top-up the Pixel 4a.
The Pixel 4a ships with Android 10, that should run smooth, and ensure regular updates. The phone comes pre-loaded with all the Google apps that you like.
How is the connectivity?
The Pixel 4a can connect to 5G networks, when the infrastructure arrives. The improved speeds should help you share photos instantly, stream and download content in seconds and play games online. The phone comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac for b wireless connectivity. With NFC onboard, the Pixel 4a helps make quick payments and pair with other NFC-enabled devices.
Google kept the 3.5mm audio jack on the Pixel 4a, which means you can listen to music using your favourite pair of headphones or earphones. There are stereo speakers as well. There are two microphones that use noise suppression techniques to eliminate background disturbances so your voice is clear during phone calls. These are things missing in other phones at the price they are offered.
What extras does the Pixel 4a offer?
The Recorder app is an interesting Google feature that lets you record and save audio calls, turn your audio recordings into transcriptions and even export them to Google Docs. It also works with Google Assistant so it is easy to search, start or stop audio recordings using your voice too. There is a Personal Safety app that comes pre-installed that helps you stay safe, offering features such as real-time emergency notifications, crisis alerts, phone’s safety check and car crash detection.
How good is Google Assistant on the Pixel 4a?
Google Assistant is much better now, supporting multiple languages such as English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. You can ask it to find photos from your last birthday or to send text messages to your friends and family. Google Assistant is now integrated with Google Lens. You can point your phone at say, a flower or a tree, and then ask Google Assistant about it. That’s not all. Google Assistant can multitask between apps and get things done quicker than you ever thought of. For instance, you can say “Hey Google, turn on the bedroom and living room lights”.
The Google Pixel 4a has a large screen, super-effective cameras and a long-lasting battery. Security onboard has been better too. It has everything that you might need and use regularly, and so the Pixel 4a is among the best, well-designed Android phones around.
