Google Pixel 4A

Google Pixel 4a Verdict

Brand: Google Product: Pixel 4aKey specs: 5.81-inch Full HD+ OLED screen, 12.2MP primary shooter, 8MP selfie camera, Snapdragon 730G, 128GB ROM/6GB RAM, 3140 mAh battery, Price: ₹31,999 (on Flipkart right now)Rating: 4/5There was always a lot riding on the Google Pixel 4a, given that the Pixel 4 never made it to India. Google had to get many things right for the Pixel 4a to work, particularly the pricing.There was a time when I picked the OnePlus 3T over the Pixel because I could not afford to pay ₹50,000 plus for a phone. At that point, I had rallied behind a Pixel over an iPhone because of Google’s incredible photo capabilities .Come 2020, that still stands, albeit a whole ₹20,000 cheaper.For everything Google needed to get right with the Pixel 4a, it did. It’s like Google walked in with the class topper. The Pixel 4a is the student who has been ranking first since middle school. It’s not the most interesting student around nor the most adventurous, the Pixel 4a will not jump out of the yearbook or be voted the “most likely to succeed”. It just quietly gets the work done, like it is supposed to.Without mincing words, the Pixels have been known for the images they can click. We are at that point in smartphone-tech evolution where most brands are racing each other to pile on more and more sensors on the camera module on the back. The Pixel 4a has just one, one 12.2MP sensor (for selfies there is a 8MP in a very neat punchhole) - and that’s really all that it needs.I moved to the Pixel 4a from the Pixel 3a, a device that I was using as my main driver for the longest time and then made it my main driver for photos when I shifted to the Apple side of things earlier this year.On paper, this 12.2MP sensor is nothing to write home about. Think about the 108MP sensors on some of the flagships these days! But Google does what it does with incredible software capabilities. Mind you though, all the flex is for images and not videos. On the video front, Google still has quite a path to traverse.Whether you are out travelling or at a party at night, the camera on the Pixel 4a has you covered. The images are bright, they are colourful without being terribly oversaturated, more true to life, and it is as point-and-shoot as it can get. Click and post, you really don’t have to do much more.However, the camera on the Pixel 4a feels slow when compared to other flagship devices. There are two reasons for this. One, other flagships do not have the image processor that Google does on the Pixel 4a and two, it is using the Snapdragon 730G SoC. There are faster mobile chipsets being used on devices right now.However, it’s nothing that is going to keep you up at night. With the kind of images it produces, even ones in low light, you cannot have possibly anything to complain about.If you do, I’d remind you, you just paid ₹29,999 for this solid, no-nonsense smartphone.Like I’ve said earlier, the Pixel 4a is that consistent, boring class topper in many ways. The “boring” parts are things like a 60Hz refresh rate, the Snapdragon 730G etc. But like a good student who is supposed to do what is expected, the bezel-less OLED screen is bright with the right colour pop, the phone is compact at 5.8 inches, it’s handy and very light. It’s honestly a relief to not feel like you are carrying a tome around.

Google Pixel 4a review: Our favourite Android phone of 2020

The Pixel 4a is the student who has been ranking first since middle school. It’s not the most interesting student around nor the most adventurous. It just quietly gets the work done, like it is supposed to.