Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 3a

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 8a Manufactured in May, 2024, with display 6.1 with chipsetGoogle Tensor G3, vs Google Pixel 3a, Manufactured in May, 2019 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 670. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 8a
  • Larger display: 6.1in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 4492mAh vs 3000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 3a
  • Higher pixel density: 441ppi
  • Lighter design: 147g vs 188g
  • Includes charger

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
4/64 GB

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 8a and Google Pixel 3a
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 in 5.6 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 1080x2220 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 430 ppi 441 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 2000 nits n/a
HDR support Yes HDR10 No
Screen-to-body ratio 81.3 % 75 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 8a
1498 nits
Google Pixel 3a
n/a
sRGB gamut99.1 %n/a
PWM (Flicker)120 Hzn/a
Response time2 msn/a
Contrast∞ Infiniten/a

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 152.1 mm (5.99 in) 151.3 mm (5.96 in)
Width 72.7 mm (2.86 in) 70.1 mm (2.76 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.2 mm (0.32 in)
Weight 188 g (6.63 oz) 147 g (5.19 oz)
Water resistance IP67 No
Back panel Plastic Plastic
Frame Metal Plastic
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- White
- Black
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 8a
81.3 %
Google Pixel 3a
75 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 8a and Google Pixel 3a In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor G3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 670
Max Frequency 3000 MHz 2000 MHz
CPU Cores 9 (1 + 4 + 4) 8 (2 + 6)
Architecture - 4/1.7 (Cortex-A510)
- 4/2.37 (Cortex-A715)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X3)
- 6/1.7 (Kryo 360 Silver (Cortex-A55))
- 2/2 (Kryo 360 Gold (Cortex-A75))
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Yes Hexagon 685
Graphics Mali-G715 MP7 Adreno 615
GPU Cores 896 256
GPU Frequency 890 MHz 700 MHz
FLOPS 1594.8 GFLOPS 358.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 8a
1683
Google Pixel 3a
519
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 8a
4330
Google Pixel 3a
1564
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1683519
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)43301564
Geekbench Compute (GPU)6350n/a
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 8a
1179223
Google Pixel 3a
250172
CPU36326083481
GPU39642837768
Memory18955861127
UX22997767796
NanoReview Score1179223250172
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Google Pixel 8a
n/a
Google Pixel 3a
665
Stabilityn/a99 %
Graphics Testn/a3 fps
Graphics Scoren/a665
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Google Pixel 8a
n/a
Google Pixel 3a
7363
Writing scoren/a8149
Web scoren/a6044
Video editingn/a5761
Data manipulationn/a5686
NanoReview Scoren/a7363

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
64 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1eMMC 5.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 14 (Upgradeable to Android 15) Android 9.0 (Upgradeable to Android 12)
OS Size 18.4 GB n/a
UI Skin Stock Android n/a

Battery

Volume 4492 mAh 3000 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 18 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (33% in 30 min) Yes Quick Charge 4.0 (50% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 2:09 h 1:20 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 8a
19:43
Google Pixel 3a
n/a
Web Browsing08:15 hn/a
Video Playback13:00 hn/a
Games04:54 hn/a
Standby Mode86 hn/a

Main camera

Matrix 64 MP 122 MP
Photo resolution 9000x7000 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 120 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 13 MP
Standard: 12.2 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix64 MP122 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.8
Focal length26 mm28 mm
SensorSony IMX787Sony IMX363
Sensor size1/1.731/2.55
Pixel size0.8 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix13 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.2n/a
SensorSony IMX712n/a
Sensor size1/3.06n/a
Pixel size1.12 μmn/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 8a
141
Google Pixel 3a
n/a
Video quality
Google Pixel 8a
128
Google Pixel 3a
n/a
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 8a
136
Google Pixel 3a
n/a
Bokeh60n/a
Preview71n/a
Zoom126n/a

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture n/a f/2.0
Focal length n/a 24 mm
Sensor n/a Sony IMX355
Sensor size n/a 1/2.8
Pixel size n/a 1.12 μm
Autofocus n/a No
Stabilization n/a Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B41/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B(22/B)/B3/B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category2011
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos No No
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Google Pixel 8a
89.3 dB
Google Pixel 3a
n/a

Other

Class Mid-range Mid-range
Announced May, 2024 yr May, 2019 yr
Release Date May, 2024 yr May, 2019 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 400
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No Yes 18 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Google Pixel 8a the clear winner in this comparison.

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