Google Pixel 8a battery life and charging speeds tested: is it enough?

Google’s mid-range smartphones have been exceptionally well-rounded over the past couple of years, and the Pixel 8a improves on this already excellent value proposition. It even comes close to the main Pixel 8 in many areas. However, Google has historically maintained a few degrees of separation between its flagship and affordable lines. So, does the Pixel 8a’s budget heritage shine through in aspects like charging speed and battery life? We did extensive real-world testing to find out.

With its 4,492 mAh battery capacity, the Pixel 8a is closer to the more expensive Pixel 8 and its 4,575 mAh cell. Since both Google phones are equipped with the same SoC, we can expect the battery life to be comparable as well. Fortunately, this appears to be the case.

In 4K playback, the Pixel 8a lasts 170 minutes longer than the main Pixel 8. The mid-range Pixel also lasts longer in camera use and video recording. However, the Pixel 8 falls short of 30 minutes in our controlled gaming benchmark. The same goes for our web browsing test, where the Pixel 8 has a slight advantage.

Compared to its predecessor, the Pixel 8a delivers even more impressive results. The newest phone sports an extra 100mAh capacity as well as a more efficient chipset in the form of Google’s Tensor G3.

Except in our gaming and web browsing benchmarks, the Pixel 8a largely outlasted the 7a. In 4K playback and camera use, for example, the difference was three hours of extra battery life. However, it’s worth pointing out that you won’t notice that much of a difference during a regular day of mixed smartphone use.

Overall, the Pixel 8a should last you comfortably most of the time, even with relatively demanding workloads. Google’s previous chips consumed battery faster, so we’re quite happy with the Pixel 8a’s results. However, it’s worth noting that you won’t have enough juice left for a second day of use.

Google’s mid-range phone for 2024 can only consume 18W of power when plugged into the wall, meaning the Pixel 8a’s charging speed is the same as previous generations. We’re disappointed to see this spec remain unchanged given that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro got incremental power increases to 27W and 30W respectively.

We tested the Pixel 8a’s charging performance and found that it takes around 100 minutes for the phone’s battery to go from zero to full. Fortunately, even though the 18W spec hasn’t changed from the Pixel 7a, the new phone doesn’t run as hot. This, in turn, allows it to maintain higher power levels for longer. Compared to its predecessor, the Pixel 8a hits key milestones like 25%, 50%, and full charge around five minutes earlier.

But compared to the more expensive Pixel 8, the Pixel 8a takes an extra 23 minutes to fully charge. Fortunately, the difference won’t be as obvious for short bursts of charging: the Pixel 8 is only quicker to reach 50% in about five minutes. However, the gap widens a bit once the battery reaches maximum capacity.

Still, the Pixel 8’s charging speed is outpaced by much of the competition, so it’s not a big win for either Google phone. As we’ll see in the next section, it’s best to look to competing smartphones if you need faster charging speeds.

It’s rare for $500 smartphones to include wireless charging, so we’re happy to see it on the Pixel 8a. However, the charging power gap between Google’s flagship and the affordable range persists here too. The Pixel 8a only consumes 7.5W via the Qi wireless protocol. The Pixel 8, on the other hand, can consume up to 18W of Google’s Pixel Stand. Even if you stick to Qi-certified chargers, the Pixel 8 has a higher limit of 12W.

In practice, you will have to wait several hours for the Pixel 8a battery to fill up using wireless charging alone. The wait won’t be painful if you charge overnight, but you might as well plug in then and reduce potential battery degradation from wireless charging.

The Pixel 8a is in line with other smartphones in its class when it comes to battery life. The Tensor G3 may not be the most efficient processor, but it’s still a big improvement over its predecessors. The 4,500mAh capacity is also a perfect balance for a phone of this size, as a larger battery would require a thicker and heavier design.

You can get smartphones with much bigger batteries for $500, but you’ll have to make sacrifices elsewhere. For example, the OnePlus 12R offers a 5,500 mAh battery but at the cost of a much larger footprint. A larger screen will accelerate battery drain, so we won’t be able to directly compare capabilities between smartphones of different sizes. Still, the 12R will limp along at least to reach two days of use.

That said, one area where the Pixel 8a unequivocally lags behind the competition is in charging times. Nowadays, even significantly cheaper smartphones offer faster recharges. The Nothing Phone 2a is perhaps the best example: it can draw 45W via USB PD PPS and fully charge in about an hour. The aforementioned OnePlus 12R performs even better, thanks to its 80W SuperVOOC charging (100W outside North America) which replenishes a completely exhausted phone in half an hour.

More established brands have also started offering competitive charging speeds. Samsung’s 25W super fast charging has become standard across most of the company’s smartphone portfolios. Therefore, mid-range phones like the Galaxy A55 reach various charging intervals several minutes faster than the Pixel 8a.

Is the Pixel 8a’s slow loading speed a deal breaker? Not quite – it’s still a very well-rounded phone with enough battery life to last between overnight charges. However, those with a more active or travel-oriented lifestyle will likely find themselves frustrated with the Pixel 8a’s charging at times. If you fall into this category, the Pixel 8 may offer a better value proposition, even if it costs a bit more.