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Phones · Google Pixel

Google Pixel 7a

39owners with an opinion
50%of verdicts positive
15/16positive/negative since 2024
3 yrslongest happy owner
1happy after 3+ years

Praised for performance and ease of use; criticized for reliability and battery.

What owners wrote

Likes itOwned 3 yearsStill going
I've been running for 3 years with a pixel 7a, even doing sprints once a week. It triggered once. But I keep the phone in a running belt, not in my hands. Now that I think about, it the time it triggered I was pacing my GF and holding the phone in my hand. So it might be a much more common occurrence if you run with your phone in your hands. Anyway, since I'm often in places where this kind of theft is common. I love the feature and I'd rather it triggers every now and then wrongly than not.
Doesn’t like itOwned 1 year
I've bought new a Google Pixel 7a two years ago, paid for it 400 euros. After 1 year I've dropped it, landed on a corner, screen completely broken, replacement costed screen costed me nearly 120 euros (and was not an original screen, otherwise I would have spent more). Just costs much money because of the fucking fingerprint reader under the screen that why couldn't put it in the back of the phone as they did for many years. Broken it again, fuck it I will not repair it again, with the cost of the repair I may as well buy a new phone. Then I've decided that is worth either spending money on phones whose replacement parts doesn't cost half of the phone itself, or just buying the cheapest Xiaomi or similar chineese brand phone and when it breaks buy a new one or repair it (funny enough cheap phones are more repairable than expensive ones, so I usually repair them).
Likes itOwned 1 year
I've been using Graphene on my Pixel 7a for about a year and I'm happy I made the switch. For sure it is a bit rougher than using Google's OS, but not enough to make me regret it. The main things I miss are (1) when I'm entering text I can't swipe left and right on the space bar to scroll the cursor left and right, and (2) the texting app doesn't just attach reaction emojis to a message -- it quotes the whole message and prefixes it with something like "Marty like blahblahblah". When there is a whole family text chain it isn't uncommon to see the same message 7 times as various people react to the original message. Anyway, I looked at Google's Android 17 blog and yikes: "With deep integration between hardware, software and AI, we’re transforming Android from an operating system to an intelligence system. It's about delivering new helpful experiences that anticipate user needs, and it brings more opportunities for engagement with your apps." https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/06/Android-17...
Doesn’t like it
eInk does seem like an awesome choice for this to me too. I've gone without a bike computer for the same reasons as not wanting a second device. I used my phone for years in a water proof front frame bag with a transparent cover. Usually for not more than 3 hours at a time. Only on my Pixel 7a did I end up with burn in from the Wahoo Android app's status screen, where "n/a" for not having a power meter ultimately burnt in after about 2 years, at least that's when I noticed it. Now I just go without being able to glance down and see ride stats or directions. More planning or stopping if I reroute is required, but I didn't want to damage the phone... :( Presumably an app could cycle displayed screens, if that's what you meant by switching modes, to avoid burn in? But I really thought AMOLED was past that when I never saw it on previous phones.
Doesn’t like it
I think whatever Javascript you made your AI write to do that is causing scrolling to be incredibly laggy on a phone and warm my entire device; Pixel 7a in Firefox. edit: it's something you (Claude) are doing with text rendering. Zooming in on any text makes it exponentially worse. It's obvious when you don't give a shit about design. It's extremely obvious when you lie about making something that a machine output when you don't give a shit about design yourself. Everybody sees this.
Likes it
> I remember when Google disabled call recording in Android, so you no longer could record scammers. Citation needed. My Pixel 7a with the latest updates has settings for call recording in the phone app. Since I never screwed around with it, I'd assume these are the defaults: Call recording is turned on, with "asks to record calls" set Automatically delete recordings is "never" Automatically record calls with non-contacts is off No specific numbers to automatically record calls are set There is also a note that you have to agree to their ToS to use it, and I'd also suggest being careful if you live in a jurisdiction that requires two-party consent for recording. In any case, I'm of the opinion that if F-Droid goes, I'm basically going to treat this as a feature phone and stay away from third-party apps in general aside from "musts" like banking.
Likes it
Got to say, I like the current Android versions. In the early days I flashed my Motorola Defy every second month with some cool new ROM. Always rooted and Xposed, always enabling something new. Now I run a S23 Ultra and after two years it still does everything I need. OneUI 8.0 and Android 16. For work (app de) I also have a Pixel 7a, always with the newest Android Beta. Also works well. Even the entry level phones work OK to pretty good now. My Samsung A16 5G (also for work) functions surprisingly well for 150€.
Likes it
I feel you. Phones move so fast, they require a lot of compromises from the user. I am currently using a Pixel 7a, 8mm longer and 3mm wider than the 4a, and I'm reasonably happy with it. Although to be honest, I also have my pet peeve with it - the build is not as nice as my previous Samsung Galaxy S9, and I miss that. You could also consider 8a, same size as 7a, and support will last even longer, so if you get accustomed to that, there will be no need to change for a while.
Likes it
Why not used? I'm kinda the opposite, I don't want to buy new any more. Currently rocking a 2nd hand Pixel 7a running GrapheneOS and loving it. If battery life is the issue, that's fair enough. I've bought a couple of wireless charging docks that I spread around the places I frequently spend my time, so if it needs a boost I can charge her up just by plonking it on the dock. Most of the time, though, she makes it through the day from (maximum charge for battery longevity reasons) 80% down to 30%, maybe 25% or 20% if there's lots of interesting news in a day. But I'm not a particularly heavy user and I don't game on it.
Doesn’t like it
My last two Pixel phones - 6a and 7a - were both "recalled" with battery issues. I got almost a complete refund for both, and got keep the phone (my 7a died a few months after the recall, 6a is still going strong). I got a 9a to replace them just because I didn't want to have to deal with learning iPhone, but I'm fully expecting the 9a to fail with a similar issue so looking at buying an iPhone soon as a backup so I can get up to speed.
Neutral
If it's just for trying out, then go for the cheapest second hand Pixel that's still supported by GrapheneOS and still has a battery that can hold charge for as long as you need it to for testing. I bought a second hand Pixel 7a for my recent migration. Battery isn't great, but it's good enough to get me through a day.
Neutral
Number one factor for me when buying a phone is how long is it going to last . I mean durability, camera quality, os updates. Will I still want to use/be using it in 5 years? I cannot justify $700 as much as I _really want a smaller phone_. But _maybe if it was built to last_ I would be the customer and I would tell all my friends. Currently use a Pixel 7a because it was cheap and OK. I was debating the iPhone 12 mini but it was already a little old, and I prefer Android. I suspect, if others are like me, that those who want small phones also just want something that works and is a little minimal - not necessarily all the power best camera etc. To be clear, I _don't_ want one of those minimalist dumbphones, I want _a smartphone_ that's small Do y'all feel the same? Propose a $500 small phone that's OK on specs but LASTS.
Doesn’t like it
Pixel 7a phone. Purchased for work, intended for infrequent use. I created a new Google account since I didn't want the phone associated with my personal account. After a couple of months of inactivity, I needed access again. The finger print didn't work (not accepted after a time of inactivity), and I cannot remember the PIN or Google account. I'm essentially locked out. I can easily prove I'm the rightful owner with an invoice or bank statement, however neither the retailer nor Pixel will do anything, despite multiple conversations. It raises the question of who owns the device: The person who purchased it, or the person who initially set it up? The Pixel is designed for the latter. I would argue it should be the former since transactions can be verified through intermediaries, whereas anyone could have set up the device, however I understand the complexities of Google verifying retailer receipts. So I'm left with an unusable device, and I've run out of possible PINs to try. Hopes for the future: - On initial setup, a big ugly warning about being permanently locked out, and that I should ideally add recovery options to the new account, and be careful in choosing the PIN - Requirement for retailers that stock Pixels to accept refunds in these situations, either through the kindness of Google's non-evil heart, or consumer law ("fit for purpose"?). Any suggestions for what to do with a "bricked" phone would be welcome!
Doesn’t like it
I've been using a Pixel 2 since it came up, and was surprised by the debilitating headache I got when I upgraded to a Pixel 7a. It looks like the Pixel 2 was the last to definitely not use the technology talked about in this article. I hate searching for news about why computers cause headaches. I've had a similar experience with a few laptops (in particular the Surface Pro). A lot of the articles talking about screens causing headaches are quackery about EMF, and even the ones that don't mention EMF get shut down as quackery. Meanwhile, companies keep producing screens that have terrible glare and call that a selling point.
Doesn’t like it
I was really hoping they would go back to having a headphone jack on the 'a' series of pixels. I picked up a 7a pixel and fooled myself into thinking it "can't be that bad". But bluetooth is the worst technology to ever grace our airways, dongles fucking suck, and it's been a constant source of annoyance since I got it. I guess I'll be picking up something other than a pixel when it comes time to upgrade. But there is an ever shrinking number of options that have both a headphone jack and allow bootloader unlocking/locking...