GOOGLE PIXEL 4A REVIEW: STOCK ANDROID, COMPACTNESS AND LOTS OF FLUIDITY
Google Pixel. The name of the range is enough to make the minds of smartphone enthusiasts travel in a parallel universe, between "stock" experience and innovative features in pure BigG style. Each new launch by the Californian company is followed with particular interest by the most "geek" users, who remember the golden years of the Nexus series. However, that period has long since ended and Sundar Pichai's company has gone further.
Among the most interesting devices of Google's "new
cycle", we certainly find Pixel 3a, a smartphone that in 2019 has been
repeatedly defined as a best buy. In August 2020, the announcement of a
successor to that device arrived: we refer to Google Pixel 4a,. We know: Pixel
5 and Pixel 4a 5G have already arrived abroad , but the latter are not
officially available in our country. We can therefore consider Pixel 4a as the
latest addition to Google and, despite the months passed since its launch, it
is interesting to review the smartphone in this early 2021, obviously
contextualizing it to the renewed market. For the less informed, we remind you
that, despite the reveal took place in August, the availability in Italy
started at the beginning of October 2020.
Design and unboxing
The sales package is in pure BigG style: the white box, which
shows a render of the smartphone on the front and information on it on the
back, contains an 18W charger inside., a USB Type-C / USB Type-C cable, the pin
for removing the SIM compartment, various manuals and a USB Type-C to USB
Type-A adapter. In short, we are faced with a no-frills package, which includes
what the user needs but lacks covers and headphones. It also makes the charger
turn up a little, quick but not like other solutions. In any case, Google has
focused on the classic also for what concerns the design of the smartphone: on
the back we find a common fingerprint sensor, positioned at the bottom in the
center with respect to the only rear camera and the LED flash, while at the top
the 3.5mm audio jack peeps out, flanked by a microphone.
The "tour of the body" ends with the volume rocker
and white power button on the right, as well as with speakers and USB Type-C
3.1 port at the bottom. The SIM tray is on the left. OTG present, but no video
output. The discussion in this sense has been open since the times of Pixel 4
and Pixel 4 XL, since apparently the "block" would be on the software
side, according to what was discovered by enthusiasts.
In daily use, the smartphone unlocks quickly, both via the
fingerprint sensor and the PIN, even if the lack of a face unlock is felt. The
main material used is polycarbonate: Google has managed to "mask" it
well, providing a good tactile feel. However, it might make some people turn up
their noses. In any case, we can assure you that the fingerprints are not retained
too much. Too bad for the lack of impermeability.
On the other hand, the protrusion of the cameras, which is
all in all contained, will not "bother" practically anyone. Speaking
of dimensions, those of Pixel 4a are equal to 144 x 69.4 x 8.2 mm, for a weight
of just 143 grams. Yes, you got it right: we can almost define it as a compact,
a smartphone that winks particularly at those who aim for manageability and
"pocket".
To be clear, although the diagonal of the screen has
increased, the dimensions are smaller than the predecessor . It might seems
like a small thing, but coming from smartphones of other dimensions, the
difference is felt. For the rest, the only color available is the Just Black
one, a classic. In short, the design focuses on comfort and the choice of
placing a hole for the camera at the front, located at the top left, is to be
seen in this light, since it allows you to enjoy multimedia content without too
many problems.
Sure, the hole is a little too big for our taste, but that's
not really a big deal. In any case, Google's choice to make a compact device,
but not too much, convinces.
Google Pixel 4a data sheet
The next question the reader will ask at this point is
" compact smartphone, perfect, but at what cost in terms of daily use
"? In reality, although it cannot be considered at the top of its
category, Google Pixel 4 defends itself well with its octa-core Qualcomm
Snapdragon 730G processor , whose "G" stands for gaming. Two cores
operate at 2.2 GHz, while the other six arrive at a frequency of 1.8 GHz. To
flank the SoC we find an Adreno 618 GPU, 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of
internal memory. Too bad for the impossibility of expanding the latter and for
the fact that the trolley supports a single nanoSIM.
In this case the Dual SIM is in fact managed through the
possibility of adding an eSIM, which is also present in Italy but for obvious
reasons it does not have the same diffusion as classic SIMs. Also remember that
in our country the device is sold only in its 4G version, which is in any case
complete on the connectivity side, including Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac,
Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC.
Despite its compact size, a 5.8-inch OLED screen with Full
HD + resolution (2340 x 1080 pixels), 19.5: 9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla
Glass 3 protection and camera hole at the top left , peeps out from the front.
. The maximum brightness is good for the price range and does not involve too
many problems outside, as well as the colors are well calibrated and there is
no lack of HDR support. Consequently, the Widevine L1 DRMs are inevitable,
which allow playback in Full HD of the contents of the main streaming
platforms.
The OLED panel also guarantees the presence of a complete
always on display functionality, which can be activated through the option
"Always show time and information", present in the settings related
to the lock screen (in the "Display" section). The AOD also shows
notifications, but the classic LED linked to the latter is absent. On the other
hands, there is the possibility to set the screen colors according to three
presets: "Natural", "Enhanced" and "Adaptive".
Interesting is the feature that allows you to increase the
sensitivity of the touch screen, so as not to have too many problems in terms
of reactivity when using the protections for the display. In short, we are
faced with a great panel, which is not positioned at the top of the market, but
which in this price range is able to provide excellent satisfaction to lovers
of multimedia content.
In this regard, the compact dimensions should not be
underestimated, but not too much, and the stereo audio sector, convincing both
for maximum volume and for general quality when compared to other solutions
under 400 euros. Too bad only for the standard 60 Hz refresh rate.
We are quick to provide you with the specifics on the
photographic side: on the back there is a single 12.2MP camera , which has an
aperture of f / 1.7, optical and electronic image stabilization and Dual Pixel
technology. The front hole houses an 8MP sensor with f / 2.0 aperture. So you
can imagine the obvious limitations of the department: no dedicated sensors for
wide-angle and macro photos. However, Google has always shown that it knows how
to make the most of cameras, through the skilful use of software.
As happened in the past, also in this case the
"magic" has been done. Pixel 4a manages to shoot better than many
other devices in this range, bringing home good results both day and night. The
color balance is indeed splendid in many contexts. Both users with a bit of
familiarity and beginners will find something for their teeth, from "Night
photo" to astrophotography mode (which is activated automatically) .
The latter is certainly an interesting possibility, which
can give life to results that are difficult to obtain with other smartphones in
this price range. In general, the quality is in line with that of the other
Pixels we have tried in the most recent past, so we can be satisfied. Selfies
are also not bad, which will not create any problems for those who prefer social
use. If we really want to find a limitation, in addition to the already
explicit absence of additional sensors, the fact that with the rear camera you
can only zoom digitally up to 7x could make someone turn up their noses. For
the rest, no problems on the video side, which reach up to 4K / 30 fps on the
back and 1080p / 30 fps on the front and are essentially always well
stabilized. To learn more about the photo side, you can take a look at the
uncompressed images in our Drive folder dedicated to Google Pixel 4a .
We conclude the data sheet with the "Achilles
heel" that the Pixel range has been carrying with it for quite some time
now: autonomy. In fact, under the body we find a 3140 mAh battery , which,
despite all the software efforts made by Google, cannot work miracles. This
translates, in the most intense days, to having to resort to a recharge before
arriving in the evening.
As always difficult to make estimates in this field, but
probably the average user, who certainly "stresses" the smartphone
less than us, will be able to get to the end of the classic working day, even
if in some cases a bit 'with difficulty. If we also consider the absence of
wireless charging and the fact that the 18W charger takes about an hour and a
half for a full charge, you understand that this sector is the main negative
point for Google's proposal.
Software
Google Pixels are usually bought for their software. The
"stock" experience offered by BigG is always a guarantee and a clean,
fluid and updated operating system allows you to rest assured during the day.
In this specific case we have found some small lag in particular situations,
but in everyday use everything is a pleasure.
No bloatware, Android 11 with patches updated in January
2021 and software support guaranteed until a minimum of August 2023:
essentially a paradise for lovers of the green robot world. The updates for
this range are constant, between "Feature Drop" and more. Just to
give you some examples of the most recent additions to Google Pixel 4a, the pre-installed
wallpapers related to "The Mandalorian" have arrived, which allow you
to put Baby Yoda in plain sight.
Moving on to more useful features, "Extreme Energy
Saving" has arrived , a mode that deactivates secondary processes and is
potentially able to make the smartphone last for a long time longer when needed
in critical moments.
In short, Google has certainly not been stopped in the
months following the launch and the fact that several features available on
Pixel 4a have also arrived on its predecessor Pixel 3a should make you
understand how much the Californian company is keen to keep its devices
updated. For the rest, there are also some interesting features currently
available exclusively in English, such as voice transcription and real-time
subtitles.
It should also be noted that by purchasing the smartphone
and activating it by 08:59 on May 1, 2021, it is possible to receive 3 months
of YouTube Premium included in the price (there is also the possibility to open
videos in PiP and play them in the background), Google Play Pass and Google
One. We refer you to the official portal for terms and conditions of the
promotion.
Performance, benchmarks and user experience during the review
The technical specifications speak for themselves: Google
Pixel 4a is not a smartphone that focuses entirely on brute force, since there
are other more performing solutions on the market. However, it is not even a
device that "eats the dust", since its hardware compartment is able
to run everything as it should on a daily basis. If we then consider the
optimized processor for gaming, able to provide good satisfactions as we will
see in more detail below, here, smartphone in hand, BigG's proposal begins to
get more interesting than it seems from mere specifications.
280463 points on AnTuTu, 533 points in single-core and 1534
points in multi-core on GeekBench. These are the benchmark results, which place
the device in mid-range limbo. To give you concrete examples, OnePlus Nord
recorded 330743 points on AnTutu during our test, while Realme X50 Pro reached
593415 points. However, devices like the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
"stop" at 273469 points. In any case, the average user will not have
particular problems during daily use, even if an increased refresh rate would
certainly have guaranteed an extra flicker of fluidity.
Gaming
As for gaming, Google Pixel 4a manages to give good
satisfactions, even if you notice that you are not in front of a device
designed for this purpose. In fact, there is no mode dedicated to video games,
but the Snapdragon 730G processor still manages to have its say. We tested the
device mainly with three titles: Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite and ARK:
Survival Evolved.
Call of Duty Mobile runs as it should with details and FPS
on "Very High" (you can also go up to "Max" with the FPS,
but going down to "High" with the details), while Fortnite is
enjoyable with the "Medium" preset. at 30 FPS (even if some lag is
present in the most agitated situations). ARK: Survival Evolved you can only
play "Medium",
Considering that these are three productions potentially
capable of "whipping" a mid-range device, we can say that the
smartphone is able to guarantee good satisfaction on the gaming side . It
should be take into consideration that the device tends to heat up a bit during
the most demanding gaming sessions, but in any case it never reaches excessive
temperatures. For the rest, don't forget that Pixel 4a is compatible with
Google Stadia .
