Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsHorrific battery life, be cautious before you buy
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2023
I'm an android developer; I do a lot of research before buying a phone. I made a mistake buying this one and I don't think anyone should buy this phone. I swapped it for the Samsung S23, so I'll compare it with that in this review. It's $250 more, which I did NOT want to pay. I'm not a spender, but I guarantee you, save up some more and treat yourself better. You use your phone every day, trust me you want a better one than the 7a.
(1) Battery life and charging. awful. This is the main reason you don't want this phone. This phone has 18W wired charging (roughly 2 hours to charge) and 7.5W wireless charging (roughly 4 hours to charge). The battery lasts about 4-5 hours. If you are like most people and use your phone for 2-4 hours a day, this phone WILL die before nighttime. Do you always want to carry a charger? Do you want the anxiety of worrying when you don't have a charger? Even if you think you'll be fine, what might start as a decent battery will be unusable after 18-24 months of use. That'll be an $100 new battery or entirely new phone.
Pixel 7a: 18W wired charging and 7.5 wireless. Battery endurance test: 76hr
Samsung S23: 25W wired charging and 15W wireless. Battery endurance test: 101hr
Comically, the Samsung S23 has a 12.5% SMALLER battery, yet lasts 32% longer.
(2) Speed of the device. Google makes its own processors, with the Tensor 2 chip in this one. I expected very good performance given that it's the same processor they use in their Google Pixel 7 Pro phone. The processor is FINE for most things, but gaming is subpar. As a normal user you could get by with this, but just know it's SLOW and KILLS THE BATTERY. I used Geekbench, an app that determines phone performance, to compare this with the S23.
Pixel 7a (Google Tensor 2 chip): 3191
S23 (Snapdragon Gen 2 chip): 4950 (155% difference)
Here's the GFXBench score, a frames-per-second stress test that shows game performance:
Pixel 7a: 62fps
S23: 110fps (177% difference)
(3) Cameras: excellent, of course. Pixels have some of the best cameras in the industry. You might think this phone is worth it for the cameras and it is, so long as you have a charger with you everywhere.
Pixel 7a: Ultrawide and regular camera. Takes pictures that look less premium, but are more true to life and have the best detail. The camera also comes with some crazy AI editing features that Google loves to advertise.
S23: Ultrawide, regular, and telephoto (3x zoom) camera. Takes pictures you might expect from a professional camera. Very contrasty, lots of colors, better camera performance. As an amateur photographer, I prefer the S23 because I like color and contrasty.
(4) Software. Both these phones will have 3-5 years of upgrades, thanks to new Google and Samsung policies. Google Pixels have the best of the best Android features, simply because Google owns Android. Samsung uses a modified version of Android called One UI (5.1). This one is up for personal preference. One UI has WAY more features, controls, settings, etc, but it can be a little intimidating. Most people either love or hate Samsung's One UI.
In summary
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I spent the $250 more for the Samsung S23. The 7a was one of the worst phones I've ever owned and the S23 is hands-down the best phone I've ever owned. The price really hurts your wallet, but if you use your phone every day, the little things add up. You might think you can live with the awful battery of the 7a, but after a year or two I guarantee you, you'll want it replaced. Would you rather buy a new phone/battery in two years or buy a better phone today that might last you 3-5 years? You'll save money AND have a better phone.
Please, please do not buy the 7a. The S23 might not be the right price for everyone, but look at these alternatives before you make the mistake of buying the 7a:
- Samsung S23, a flagship, best of the best, but much more expensive.
- Google Pixel 6a, last year's model. Better battery, slightly worse cameras, much cheaper.
- Google Pixel 7, almost a year old and can probably get it for a similar price. Larger, better cameras, better battery.
- Samsung A54, the mid-range Samsung. Comparable performance to the Pixel 7a with better battery but worse cameras and trade-offs in other areas.