AI is set to be a prominent feature in 2024’s new phone models, and the recently unveiled Google Pixel 8A is no exception. Priced at $499 and hitting the market on May 14, the Pixel 8A brings some of the most crucial AI features from Google’s high-end handsets to its more affordable line.
These include the innovative Audio Magic Eraser, Best Take, and the ability to run Google’s Gemini Nano model, and this marks the first time these advanced tools are available on Google’s low-cost phone line, making the Google Pixel 8A a standout in the market.
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AI-powered features in the Google Pixel 8A
Building on the popularity of services like ChatGPT, Android phone manufacturers include more AI-powered features in their models, as evidenced by the Google Pixel 8A. Although AI has long played a significant role in phones’ backend operations, tech companies are now bringing the technology to the public’s attention to differentiate their products from the competition.
While none of the AI functions in the Google Pixel 8A are brand-new, they are available on a less expensive Pixel, implying that Google wants to become the market leader for consumer AI devices.
With Audio Magic Eraser, you can reduce distracting video background noise. Best Take lets you edit face expressions by combining image data from multiple recorded shots. The Google Pixel 8 series introduced both features in the previous year.
Magic Editor—a feature that allows users to move, edit, or enlarge items in photos—will work with the Google Pixel 8A. Google previously revealed that Magic Editor would be available on all Pixel phones.
The action was taken after Samsung unveiled Galaxy AI, a collection of AI-focused features, in the Galaxy S24 series earlier this year. Since then, it has added those functionalities to other Samsung products, such as foldable phones and phones from the prior Galaxy S series. At its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple is anticipated to reveal details about its generative AI plans for the iPhone for the first time.
Other than that, the Google Pixel 8A shares some noteworthy characteristics with the other Pixel 8 models, including the ability to purchase the phone in black or obsidian colour with 256GB of storage, a brighter screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz, and Google’s Tensor G3 processor.
Google Pixel 8A’s battery life and efficiency enhancements.
Google claims the Pixel 7A’s battery life should also benefit from more power-efficient software and a slightly bigger battery capacity.
With a 64-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 13-megapixel front camera, the Google Pixel 8A’s camera quality appears nearly identical to the Pixel 7A from the previous year.
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Nevertheless, image processing might benefit from an upgrade to Google’s more recent Tensor G3 processor.
With features like Hold for Me, which waits on hold for you during a phone conversation, and Circle to Search, a visual search tool that allows you to draw a circle around an object on screen to search for it, you can also anticipate a software experience comparable to that of Google’s other Pixel phones. The Google Pixel 8A has safety-focused features like Safety Check and auto crash detection.
The Google Pixel 8A carries the A-series legacy of being a reliable substitute for Google’s more expensive flagship phone. It’s another indication that Google is narrowing the difference between its high-end and low-end phones, which may eventually make it more difficult for its regular Pixel handsets to stand out.