Phenomenal camera for the price; Excellent Google software; Strong performance; Water-resistant;

Slow charging; Wireless charging is unreliable; Not as fast as the Pixel 7; Only 90Hz display;

Fantastic still images for a mid-range phone; Performance punches above its price bracket; Slick design and strong build;

Price bump over last year’s effort; Charging speeds remain behind rivals;

After some battery wobbles that had me temporarily concerned, I've quickly come to regard the Google Pixel 7a as the best affordable phone you can buy right now. It's got the power, the cameras and the looks to impress.

Performance capability well beyond its price point, Great camera improvements for this generation, Android software just runs best on Google

Battery life isn't great – and charging rather slow, Pricier and chunkier than its predecessor, Screen is fairly heavy on bezel

The Google Pixel 7a is like a gas-guzzling roadster. It's faster than it should be, looks great in photos, and needs to be refueled often along the way.

Almost as fast as the Pixel 7 Pro, Great photo capabilities and editing tools, Slick Android interface is a pleasure

Battery won't last all day, Only three years of OS update support, Too expensive given the compromises

The Pixel 7a is a big improvement over the more expensive Pixel 7, making it very easy to recommend. Excellent contrast Punchy colours Dynamic sound Poor dark details Tough competition from Sony

The Google Pixel 7a offers flagship power and the Pixel camera in an affordable package, closing the gap with the Pixel 7. The price is creeping up, however, so if you want that great camera, you might want to wait for the inevitable discounts.

Flagship power, Pixel camera (with a caveat), Quality build, Good clean software and timely updates

Ultrawide camera switching bug, Display not the brightest

The Pixel 7a is the best mid-range Android phone available. It squeezes even more of the premium smartphone experience into a smaller, cheaper model. Google’s top chip, plenty of RAM and a decent amount of storage, make it faster than most competitors.

Pros: brilliant camera, excellent smaller screen, top performance, decent battery life, wireless charging, face and fingerprint unlock, water resistance, recycled aluminium and plastic, five years of security updates, Android 13, smart software features, competitively priced.

Cons: no optical zoom or macro photo mode, face unlock option not as secure as some rivals, battery life short of best-in-class, fairly slow charging.

“The Google Pixel 7a is a big upgrade from its predecessor, but it's increased price puts it in a tough spot, considering the Pixel 6a got a deep price cut and the Pixel 7 is just a little bit more.”

Most compact Pixel 7 device, Water-resistant, 64MP main camera, 90Hz refresh rate, Wireless charging, Four fun colors

Not great with low light photos, Battery life is disappointing, No reverse wireless charging, Price puts it in an odd place

Great big small phone. With the release of the Pixel 7a, Google have updated and improved on their mid-range series - not only in terms of processor choice, but also with brand-new features.

bright 90-Hz OLED screen, IP67 certification, 6-GHz WLAN and USB 3.2, wireless charging, good main camera, long update supply

neither DC nor PWM dimming, slow fast-charging, limited USB port, severe throttling under load

Google’s Pixel “a” series has been around for a few iterations now (since the Pixel 3a) and typically offers great value for the price, considering the internals are mostly identical to their flagship lineup.

Solid design, Same Tensor processor as Pixel 7/7 Pro, Decent camera with great photo features like Face Unblur and Magic Eraser, Great battery life, IP67 rating, Wireless charging, Very reasonably priced

Different camera than in Pixel 7/7 Pro, Photo quality a bit odd once using the Super Res Zoom feature, Camera bump begs for case to be used, Only one RAM/storage configuration available