Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: price in India, specifications, camera, performance, design compared

Google today launched the Pixel 7a smartphone at its I/O developer conference. This is Google’s affordable offering from the flagship Pixel 7 series. The new Pixel smartphone comes with an OLED display, a 64MP dual camera, tons of camera features, a 24-hour battery and more. It’s the latest mid-ranger in town that boasts really good cameras, and decent specifications as well. 

The Google Pixel 7a may be the affordable variant from the Pixel 7 lineup but a closer look at its specifications will show not much difference between the two phones. If you’ve been eyeing the Pixel 7a as an upgrade or confused between this one and the Pixel 7, we’ve made a detailed comparison between the two phones to help with your buying decision.

Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: Price in India

Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: Specs at a glance

Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: Design, size and display

The Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 are almost indifferentiable in terms of design. Both phones feature the same punch-hole display, and pill-shaped rear camera module. Even when it comes to colour options, you get almost the same options.

• The Pixel 7a comes in Charcoal (dark grey), Sea (light blue) and Snow (white).
• As for the Pixel 7, there’s Obsidian (black), Snow and Lemongrass (lime). 

Not just in appearance but you’ll also hardly feel any difference with two phones, quite literally.

• The Pixel 7a measures 6.0 height x 2.8 width x 0.4 depth (inches), while the Pixel 7 measures 6.1 height x 2.9 width x 0.3 depth (inches).
• Both phones also weigh almost the same with the Pixel 7a slightly lighter at 193.5g than the 197g weighing Pixel 7.

There’s hardly any difference in the display front either. The Pixel 7a features a 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3TM protection on top. You get the same but a slightly bigger 6.3-inch display and Gorilla Glass Victus screen on the Pixel 7. The other features such as Always On display and Now Playing are available on both the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7.

One key compromise that we can point out in the Pixel 7a is the plastic body instead of the glass body on the Pixel 7. Google says that the back is 3D thermoformed composite back with a tactile alloy frame. On the Pixel 7, you get a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus back with a matte aluminium frame.

• The Pixel 7a also has an IP67 rating which makes it water resistant up to a depth of 1 meter and for 30 minutes.
• The Pixel 7’s IP68 rating gives it a higher edge with water resistance of at least 1 meter and up to 30 minutes. 

Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: Cameras

Google’s Pixel lineup is known for its brilliant cameras and the Pixel 7a is expected to offer no less.

• On the Pixel 7a, there’s a 64MP wide camera and a 13MP ultrawide camera at the rear.
• This is an upgrade over the Pixel 7 which has a 50MP and 12MP dual rear camera setup.

The camera features are also the same and some of these include Super Res Zoom up to 8x, Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Night Sight, and Face Unblur. For selfies too you get a better 13MP ultra-wide front camera on the Pixel 7a as opposed to the 10.8MP snapper on the Pixel 7. 

Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: Performance

Both the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 are powered by the same in-house Tensor G2 chipset so you can expect a similar performance. This chipset is also used in the flagship Pixel 7 Pro. The Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 also house the same Titan M2 security chip that is designed to add another layer of protection on Pixel phones.

There is one difference here though and it’s in the storage options for the Pixel 7a which offers only 128GB but the Pixel comes with a 256GB option as well. But both phones are equipped with 8GB of RAM. 

Pixel 7a vs Pixel 7: Battery

There’s no big difference on the battery performance of the two Pixels.

• With the Pixel 7a you get a 4,385mAh battery that promises up to 24 hours of power, and 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver turned on. It also comes with fast wired charging, and Qi-enabled wireless charging support. The same is available on the Pixel 7 albeit a slightly smaller 4,355mAh battery. The fast charging speed is not officially specified for the Pixel 7a.

Key takeaways

The differences between the Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 are pretty clear, and going for the former is a no-brainer. You get better or almost the same specifications as the Pixel 7, and that too at a cheaper price tag of Rs 43,999. The Pixel 7 on the other hand, is priced at Rs 49,999 for the base model with 128GB storage. Yes, the Pixel 7a has a plastic body which may seem less premium than the glass finish but that honestly doesn’t seem like a very big bargain.