Pixel 8a: “A” for Affordable or Astronomical?
Let’s put aside the allegations for a bit and lay out the specifications. The Pixel 8a features a 6.1-inch 120Hz display, Tensor G3, a 4,400 mAh battery, and dual rear cameras. It also comes with 7 years of updates to Google’s latest AI features also found in the Pixel 8 series. All in all, it’s basically a slightly smaller Pixel 8.
The graphs above reflect the price drops of Pixel 6a and 7a. The 6a (left) and 7a (right) prices dropped by almost 22% in just a few months. It’s exactly the reason why Pixels do not retain even half of their value a year after its launch, since Google almost always drops the price in just a few months.
In the current state, buyers wouldn’t wait for the Pixel 8a price drop because it’s been a while since the Pixel 8 launched. And the day is not far when Pixel 8 starts selling for less than the Pixel 8a. Or, it’s also possible that Google discontinues the vanilla Pixel 8 altogether.
Why Is Pricing an Issue? Will Google Counter It?
That would’ve been the case with the earlier models too, and yet the Pixel 7a and 6a didn’t see a price increase. There might be something that we’re missing out here. But as you see it, the pricing shouldn’t have increased considering the US price remained the same.
The issue remains that Google is pricing its devices way above competitors who offer better specifications at lower prices. You could argue that the Pixels have cameras and software like none other. While that’s true right now, there’s only so much software and cameras can do to fix persistent issues like overheating and bad cellular connectivity.
Google needs to address these issues because we’ve reached a point where it’s hard to justify the higher price for better cameras and AI features. There’s also the likelihood that we may not see more “budget” devices from Google in the future, as it may kill the A series after launching three Pixel 9 this year.
What are your thoughts on the Pixel 8a pricing? Will you still be buying one? Let us know in the comments below.