Not long ago, there were plenty of compelling reasons to spend $900 or more on a smartphone. Now I have to come up with an excuse to pay that much.
I no longer have a reason to splurge and have stopped buying luxury phones with the “Pro” name on them for the past two years. It’s not just because I’m thrifty. Cheap phones are increasingly indistinguishable from high-end phones, and the few features that set them apart rarely justify the extra expense.
Google’s new budget phone, the Pixel 7A, hitting stores this week is the latest proof of smartphone market maturity and offers an opportunity to save money. Priced at $500, this entry-level device is in many ways on par with the $900 premium Pixel 7 Pro. Based on 1 week of testing, we recommend the lower price model for most Android users.
Please note that we are breaking from the tradition of reviewing mobile phone features. To put the Pixel 7A’s value into perspective, we need to study the history of smartphones.
For most of the last decade, the biggest drawback to buying an Android phone over Apple’s iPhone was its short lifespan. Most Android smartphones received software updates for about two years, at which point they lacked security protections against the latest vulnerabilities, making them unsafe to use. In contrast, the iPhone has been receiving updates for about six years.
Many Android smartphone makers had a hard time keeping up with software updates because they relied on chips and components from different manufacturers. Also, it was difficult to keep the new operating system working with all these parts.
So for a long time it made sense to spend more money on an Android smartphone. Samsung’s high-end Galaxy phones, which cost around $700 to $1,000, have been able to receive software updates several years longer than other Android phones due to the Korean manufacturer’s tight control over hardware production.
But Google recently gained the upper hand. In 2018, the search giant acquired mobile phone maker HTC, allowing it to manufacture its own mobile computing chip called Tensor. Google now controls Pixel hardware and Android software, so we can guarantee software updates for Tensor-powered Pixel phones for at least five years.
This long support life, combined with Google’s Tensor, will make Pixel phones faster and more efficient in power usage, a boon for consumers.
“They want the latest features and they want to keep them secure, so that’s what we’re most focused on,” said Brian Rakowski, the Google executive overseeing the Pixel phones. says.
With all that in mind, with the same Tensor chip as the high-end Pixel, the Pixel 7A offers the best value for money among Android smartphones. Method is as follows.
Pixel 7A vs “Pro”
The most obvious difference between the Pixel 7A and the more expensive Pixel is the screen. The display has a 6.1-inch diagonal, which is slightly smaller than the Pixel 7 Pro’s 6.7-inch screen. Whether that’s good or bad depends on you and your body type. For me, who is slender, the Pixel 7A is easy to handle with one hand and fits comfortably in my pocket.
Google also notes that the Pixel 7 Pro’s screen glass is of higher quality than the Pixel 7A’s display. However, in my experience, all phone screens are prone to shattering when dropped on a hard surface, so using a protective case is always recommended.
Another major difference between high-end and cheap models is the camera. The Pixel 7A has a dual-lens camera, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a triple-lens system that lets you zoom in at high resolution. Otherwise, both phones include the same camera software, including a night mode that lets you take photos in low light, and tools to sharpen blurry photos. It excels at all these features.
The most important thing for a camera is how the photos look in daylight. Because that’s how we take most of our photos. I took pictures of my dog, Max, with both phones, and the images from both devices looked crisp and detailed. Pictures taken with the Pixel 7 Pro’s camera are slightly better overall, but not $400 better. (You are the judge.)
Finally, the Pixel 7A’s battery, like the Pixel 7 Pro, lasted long enough to get me through a normal day of browsing the web and checking email.
Conclusion
As the line between affordable and luxury phones blurs, questions are being raised about the marketing strategies tech companies use to market their high-end products. Companies like Apple, Google and Samsung believe that their expensive phones are intended for “professional” users — high-income loads who spend hours chatting, messaging, and juggling apps on the phone. It is often said that it is dedicated to the Warrior.
But the image of the professional user has become a marketing myth in the context of smartphones. Whether it’s college students, truck drivers, white-collar professionals, or just about any other profession, people rely heavily on their phones. And most phones at the moment excel at all these tasks.
So choose your phone based on your needs, body type, preferred operating system, and the apps you use. A budget phone like the Pixel 7A may be the best fit, regardless of what marketers are trying to think.
