Google Pixel 4a - Unlocked Android Smartphone - 128 GB of Storage - Up to 24 Hour Battery - Just Black

I had the Pixel 4a for a month in late 2020, and I generally liked the phone. The most important part that makes this phone great is the price, $350. It's not going to get you any top-tier iPhone 12 Pro Max or Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but it gives you everything the general user would possibly need - a decently fast Snapdragon 730G SOC, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage. That's something that not even the $830 base configuration of iPhone 12 gets you. Of course, being $350 there are a few things that it misses out on compared to higher-tier phones. One of those things would be the plastic unibody build over something like a metal and glass sandwich. On a phone of this price point it's fine, though I did have a bit of plastic creaking near the SIM slot. It was just an annoyance at worst, because the rest of the plastic build felt fine. Wireless charging is also not present, this may disappoint some that used it but it didn't bother me cause I never used wireless charging on my iPhone 8. There's no water resistance either, which did raise my eyebrows a bit before I bought the phone but I don't submerge my phone in water or take it to very dusty places. One thing this does have that the $700 Pixel 5 doesn't have is a headphone jack. So if you still use anything with a 3.5mm plug, this phone has you covered with no need for adapters! The speakers are also quite good, with one speaker on the bottom next to the USB-C port and one built into the earpiece. As for the software, it's got three years of updates which is better than many Android manufactures, but it still won't top Apple's software support. I did notice a few software bugs when I used it, mainly with YouTube Vanced's PIP mode after a certain amount of time. Restarting fixed the issue but it was an annoyance. Hopefully that was just Android 11 and that gets fixed with a future update. Battery life is also pretty decent, better than the aging battery on my iPhone 8 since I could comfortably leave it off the charger for one night. Given that it's a small phone by today's standards it's not going to be a battery life king, but it's better than the $400 iPhone SE. The size is something I loved about this phone, my hands are relatively small and I like my phone to be pocketable, which is something that I'm not a fan of with most new phones being over 6 inches in size. The 5.81-inch edge-to-edge screen Is of a similar size to my iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, thus I could easily use it with one hand and it fit well in my pockets. This is something I'm sure is greatly appreciated by those who also like smaller phones. The camera has been the definition of the Pixel phones since the first ones launched in 2016. This phone has an amazing single 12MP lens, mostly made great by Google's computational photography software. Night mode was very nice to use, as in the scenarios I used it in it helped out take better photos at night. I'm no expert with cameras so I don't know much about white balance, dynamic range, etc. I do like how this phone gives you one great camera as opposed to other manufacturers which give you like seven different pretty-much-useless camera sensors. Overall, this is the phone to buy if you're on a budget of less than $500 and you want something that will fulfill all the general needs. I would suggest going for the Pixel 4a 5G version if you can afford a $500 phone as that has a second ultrawide camera lens, a faster Snapdragon 765G SOC, and as the name says, 5G connectivity. That phone will overall will give you a very very close experience to the Pixel 5, but if you don't have that much to put down for a phone, and if you like the standard 4a's smaller size, this phone is the way to go. I highly recommend it and I would personally pick this any day of the week over a similarly priced phone from a China brand like Oppo, Xiaomi, ZTE, Vivo, etc.

[May 7, 2021 thoughts on Pixel 4a, ordered November 8, 2020 and used daily ever since] PROS: Form factor and weight- This is the best marriage I have found. Fantastic screen real estate, sensible (ideal?) resolution, and just terrific dimensions for me. This thing is light weight for its size, and I love that more than I can possibly express. Hand fatigue has been all but completely eliminated. Give me plastics, baby! I have no desire for metals that don't add to functionality (and apparently, from something I saw on YouTube, this phone is insanely rugged, even with a plastic shell). Glass is always heavier and less durable than other materials choices, and it's just altogether not well suited for the backside of a mobile handset, IMO. I think Apple charges $550 to replace the back glass on most modern iPhones. This Pixel 4a is the total package and stickers for $200 less than the price of Apple's back glass repair. Price:Performance- While I can't compare this phone to another of its kind with a higher performing Qualcomm, I am never wanting for speed. This phone has been wonderfully fluid and performant for my day-to-day needs. The lean Android experience on the Pixel line really lets its mid-range Qualcomm shine. I most recently carried both an iPhone 7 Plus and 2020 SE, and both proved plenty fast for anything I do; this 4a is no exception. Background app refreshes seem to be on par with what I had using 3GB iPhones. No real surprises. My day-to-day habits seem mostly unaffected by any background app refreshes I've noticed. I think the 6GB of memory strikes a good balance for the 4a. I don't game. Well, I play some chess now and again, including occasional analysis using very demanding engines (Stockfish, etc), but in general I can't comment on gaming performance. Battery- Battery life and charging time have been lovely. I seldom charge to 100-percent, instead I prefer to just give little 5- to 15-minute charges periodically during the day, while keeping the battery in the 30- to 70-percent range where possible. This thing charges way, way faster than my older 7 Plus and 2020 SE iPhones and overall battery life is likely comparable or better from what I can gather (very unscientifically). I leave it to the readers to determine how important battery life is and do some research of their own. Camera- It's so good it doesn't even make sense. Shooting stills, the 4a smashes my old iPhone 7 Plus my a wide margin and the 2020 SE couldn't hold a candle either. I think that's being objective. I've had quite a bit of low-level, professional photography training at University level and time behind the lens of DSLRs, and I'm quite astonishing that I can get such quality images from the 4a. The software image processing is pure magic. I have kids, and they're the important subjects for me. I'd guessed the 4a might struggle with motion, particularly in lower light, which would have been a deal-breaker for me, but this thing takes "keepers" practically every single time. Glorious. Most already know how well Pixel phones shoot non-moving subjects, so I won't carry on about that. It's an exciting camera experience. Concerning video, the 1080p 30- and 60-frame shooting has not disappointed either, and the image stabilization is truly excellent. I don't mess with 4k on phones (yet), so no comment there. I don't take selfies, so I won't comment on the front-facing camera either. Android- The gesture navigation is fantastic, particularly the ability to go back by swiping in from either the left- or right-hand side of the display. Massively convenient and easy on the hands. Updates/security patches are crucial for me, and with a Pixel, scorching fast updates are what you get, and support duration bests most Android-based OEMs. Fingerprint recognition- Works as well and as fast as any I've experienced. Thought the rear placement would bug me. It absolutely does not. Rear placement is probably my preference now. Well executed. I like. CONS: Audio volume/intensity- The 4a just doesn't get as loud as some other modern handsets. It's tricky to listen to a podcast or whatever when I'm doing dishes, for example. That said, the audio quality is perfectly satisfactory, to me. Google Search- There's a Google search bar installed by default on the home screen. I leave mine there and find it useful. When tapped, you're presented with the ability to "search apps, web, and more..." (much like the search on iOS when you pull down from the top). Google/Android learns over time, so that eventually it can quickly present you with what you're most likely to want. Works great, more often than not. But the problem for me is that it's inconsistent with regards to displaying apps. It must be that about 20-percent of the time it doesn't display apps, so I'm forced to swipe up from the bottom of the display to close the interface, then tap the Google search bar again before it populates apps in the query. I can't figure out what causes this for the life of me, and I've owned an IT MSP for years, so this ain't my first rodeo with tech devices! Frustrating, but muscle memory makes this only a half-second affair to correct. Dependability- I've long used the same MVNO for cell service, which I mention only because there exists a small possibility that it's of importance here: I've found a few occasions where I can't place phone calls. To fix, for some reason, a reboot was required. I haven't had any issues in the past few months, but it's probably because I've changed habits; now, whenever there's an update to something low-level from Android (not just a basic app update), I reboot the phone. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?? Anyway, I'd have a "need" to reboot an iPhone maybe once every six months, outside of forced reboots from doing an iOS update. To have had to monthly (or maybe even more frequently) reboot this 4a in order to connect phone calls (with no warning as to any trouble, unless I attempted to place a call and "connect the dots") is unfortunate. I don't like to have to think about mitigating critically buggy behavior by rebooting my phone from time to time. OLED- I'm sensitive to flicker, so I basically hate OLED. My daily driver laptop is a ThinkPad T480s LARGELY because its 1080p IPS is flicker-free (no PWM). This 4a gives me viewing fatigue after a relatively short while. On the 4a, unless you're at max brightness (exactly 100-percent), you can expect flicker in the ~122 to 255Hz range. That's too low for me. I would prefer an LCD, like the ones I had in my iPhone 7 Plus or 2020 SE. I could view those endlessly without fatigue- read books on them, you name it. But the industry does trend, and trend it does for the contrast ratio specs and inky blacks the kids rave about these days {rolls eyes}. Overall: This is probably the finest overall set of compromises I've ever found in a cell phone, and I've owned many of them since 1994. I'm highly satisfied with this handset, and I think very little could realistically be done today to improve upon the formula that is the Pixel 4a. Google has made a proper phone for adults. 9/10 DO recommend!

I had the Pixel 3a XL prior to ordering this phone, but my wife needed a better phone, so I ordered this one and gave her my 3a XL as she wanted the larger size. My biggest concern was the screen size difference, but with the slim bezels on the 4a, the overall screen size is really not much different when compared to the 3a XL. You can see a slight difference when you hold them side to side, but in practical terms of use, its very neglible. As for the phone itself... I love it! It has the awesome camera I have come to love with the Pixel lineup, the fingerprint reader is still in place, it has more memory and RAM than the prior model and the size is much more manageable than the 3a XL was. While I do have very large hands, the smaller physical size of the phone is just much easier to handle, and much easier to operate one handed. Prior to my Pixel 3a XL, I had the Huawei Mate 10 Pro - which I absolutely loved. I have also had Nexus and Galaxy phones, as well as a few other more budget friendly phones. For the MONEY - this phone is an absolute slam dunk! Everything you need, nothing you don't. Full Transparency - I am not a gamer, so I can not attest to how it holds up in heavy gaming. But beyond that, it works wonderfully. If there is any downside, it is the battery. Not that it's small... I have gotten through all day on more than one occasion. However, with my slightly more than average use, I do find myself needing to top off late in the evening. The good news is that in as little as 15 mins, this thing will charge up 50% or more, so it's not a huge deal. If you are going to go out for the evening, just plug it up while you are getting ready, and you'll be more than good to go! They claim that the adaptive battery software will continue to optimize the phone's battery life over time, so we'll see how that goes. But despite that, it is still a phone I would recommend ALL DAY LONG, especially when comparing to other phones in this price point. Oh, and having just one color choice?? What does that really matter, especially when virtually all of us put some sort of case on the phone. There's a good variety of cases to add color, so don't let that stop you.

Edit: I traded this phone in at about the 18th month due to the lack of 5G. I camp and T-Mobile's 5G has incredible range and speed--something I discovered with the wife's 4a 5G phone. But for that I would have kept the phone the full 18 months. At this point though the phone is worth less new due to only less than 18 months of remaining security updates. The last year or so has been a concern for me because I was afraid the mid-range phone I bought three years ago would break. The new offerings have not been compelling, mainly offering better cameras but not significantly stronger processing and smaller manufacturing processes (e.g. 7nm). That has changed just in the past few months and even days as there are now at least three compelling mid-range phones. I bought the Pixel 4a because it was: (1) One of the least expensive; (2) Offers one of the best OS upgrade/update policies; and (3) Is not made in China or by a Chinese firm--pick your reason not to like China right now--there are at least four. There are things I wish it had, primarily microSD and a SD 765G processor, but the 730 is plenty fast. IMHO, we're well past the stage where most people have any real need for flagship processors (gamers excluded) I'll upgrade my wife's phone to 5G later, we would mainly need that for tethering, and we don't both need it. It will probably be the 5G version of the Pixel 4a or the Samsung 51. The packaging is fairly basic, containing the phone, a 120 volt charging block, USB-C cable and a sim tool. Also, it has a very useful adaptor from the large plug USB to USB-C. That is given to help connect to your old phone, but is also useful for Yubi security keys. The phone came roughly 60% charged and didn't require any security updates that I noticed, having Android 10 installed with security updates current to within 15 days (which makes me think I missed a security update being installed). As to the phone, it's roughly the same size as what I'm used to coming from a Moto 5G Plus, but it is slightly narrower. Overall I like the change. I have not noticed any lag, and overall the phone seems very responsive, as it should coming from a phone that is over three years old in design. I wasn't sure I'd like the fingerprint scanner on the back, but that has been fine. Setting up was a bit more difficult in that the automatic transfer process the phone tries to start apparently did not work at all, or maybe I'm just not patient enough. My old phone said "preparing" for over 20 minutes without any indication of progress on either phone. Setting up the old fashioned way was very quick, with my roughly 150 apps installing quickly. The only problem I've had is related to my Google Suite Account, which in the newer version of Android becomes a work account. That keeps me from signing into Google maps with that account, which I'm still trying to work around. If you don't have a paid Google Suite Account this shouldn't be an issue. I also had to change a few of the default settings, but surprisingly few. I turned off a few things to save battery life, such as monitoring for songs in the background, and turned on the virtual navigation keys at the bottom of the screen, which I prefer to their gestures system. Too early to say anything about battery life because my use of the phone has been far from normal. I'll report back if it can't get through a normal day with at least 25% of battery left.

So I was slightly skeptical about this phone. Some of the reviews worried me a bit. I did a month worth of research on finding the perfect budget phone for myself. Everything was pointing to the pixel 4a. I unfortunately didn't do enough research with my last phone which was the moto g7. I absolutely loved the g5 and just assumed I would love that one as well, and no I didn't. So this was like a really nice upgrade for me. I usually use a phone for at least 2 years and couldn't get past a year with that one. So I'm a heavy phone user from streaming, games here and there, camera and social media. I'm not some tech genius but I do my research. Let me tell you some things I love about this phone. Standout Pros- - The price! -The camera, it's absolutely fantastic. I can't get over how much I love it. My photos on my old phone were terrible. Now I can't stop taking pics. - Minimal bloatware. Not a whole lot is preloaded onto this phone which is great. - How light it is. Old phone was so heavy my hand would fall asleep. This is a great weight. -The features, I love some of the great things this phone can do. Such as the picking up of music around you. There are a bunch of things I really enjoy but just go watch a good review on youtube if you want to see them all. Cons- -Extremely crappy case selection lol. Literally that's the only con I have so far and it's a small one. Although I do have to say that everyone was raving about the pixel 4a's battery life. And I have to say it's pretty good. It's about the same as my old phone. It's not insane as I thought it was going to be. It's not a con because it's not bad in any way. Just thought I would mention it's not as mind blowing as it was made out to be. Also I thought I'd mention that my old phone had a 6.2 inch screen and this is obviously smaller. I don't even miss or notice the smaller screen. I was a little hesitant on the smaller screen of the pixel. But almost immediately I didn't even notice the difference. I actually enjoy having a slightly smaller phone. The shipping was great from this seller as well. These were just a few Standout things from an average person like me. I use my phone for absolutely everything and a quality phone is extremely important. I look forward to using this phone for 2+ years at least. I hope some of this helps anyone on the fence!

I love this phone. Please keep in mind, I've never owned a flagship phone, usually sticking to phones I could buy outright for less than $200. That said, I was ready for a new phone and did a lot of research. I also had a chance to spend some time with a Pixel 4 to compare it. So the following are my impressions: First off, what's different from the Pixel 4: You are missing the aluminum frame, the facial recognition, the edge squeeze, the water resistance, a specific camera lens and some camera features, wireless charging, and an 800 series processor. I think that's about it. The thing is, other than the water resistance, I personally don't miss any of that. What you get in return is a slightly bigger screen, a better battery, and a brighter screen (you have to use adaptive brightness for it to work). This is also a fair bit lighter. Also a personal preference is that I prefer the fingerprint reader over facial recognition. For me it's the perfect little phone. Full disclosure, I paid about $260 since I bought it from Amazon Warehouse. Nonetheless, this phone hits all the right spots for me. It is light, it has a clear and bright screen, it is fast, takes amazing pictures, it isn't bloated with preinstalled apps, and is future proof in that you can update for 3 years, the sound is pretty great, and honestly I can't find much to complain about. The only thing I wish this had was the water resistance. Accidents happen. Also keep in mind that this is plastic with an outdated Guerilla 3 screen. Buy a case. Buy a screen protector. If you do, I can't see why this phone won't be a great phone for you unless you only buy the $1000 flagships with all the bells and whistles, in which case, why are you even reading this review? One last thought. The battery is fine by me. I can make it through the day and longer with moderate use. No wireless charging, but it charges from zero to full in pretty much less than an hour, so I always find time within the day to plug it in and then I'm good to go. Usually at dinner time or whatever when I don't want to be disturbed anyway. Had a chance to to go with the Pixel 4, chose to go with this instead (mostly because the Pixel 4 screen is waaaaay to dim). Thanks Google for this amazing cheap phone!

I have the original Pixel XL and almost upgraded to the 3a XL last year, but the reviews didn't convince me it was worth it. I just kept using my phone until I found what I thought would be a nice upgrade. The 4a is the right phone for me at the right time. The cost was so tempting given the specs, I didn't blink. I got it from Amazon only 3 days after official release. I love it. Nothing about it feels inferior to the Pixel XL. I was able to connect a USB-C cable and transfer my files and settings in about 20 minutes. I also connected to my main Win 10 machine and updated my music on the new phone and everything went without a hitch. I found this upgrade process so much easier and smoother than when I upgraded the two family I-phones (6+ and 7+ to 11) Christmas 2019. Once I set everything up I checked performance and found the new 4a very snappy. My use is mostly web browsing, email. news, a bit of shopping and Facebook. Nothing challenging, so I loaded up YouTube TV and watched it in small and full screen while I transferred some of the music files. I saw no slow downs in playback or the transfer. From my limited testing around the home office, the camera is pretty nice. The speakers are about on par with the original Pixel and about what I expected. The speakers sound fine. With a headphone jack and Bluetooth 5.0, better sound is simple enough to remedy. I know this isn't in depth or a long term review, but in the 24 hours I have had this phone its been great. I have gotten good battery life too. Thanks Google for a great phone and Amazon for getting it to me.

--UPDATE AFTER TALKING WITH GOOGLE SUPPORT--- NEVER buy a Google Pixel phone if you plan to travel, work or live outside the US. It's way too common with mobile phones that there can be problems with the screen or a battery, either from manufacturer error or user error or because mobile phone batteries have a limited lifespan. Google Pixels are way too rarely used worldwide, so outside the US they are difficult or impossible to be repaired. Talking with Google Support, the only option is to pay myself to mail it back to the US, with mail time and repair time that would take at least 4-6 weeks. During which point I'd need to buy another phone to use in the meantime; or, at all times you have to purchase TWO Google Pixel phones in the event that you have a problem with one because they're too difficult to have repaired most anywhere outside the US, so that's a problem if you work, live or travel outside the US. If you plan to live or travel outside the US. Buy a Samsung or Apple instead. ---UPDATE 6 MONTHS LATER --- The phone was a nice phone, but the battery stopped charging after 6 months. I didn't drop in water, it's not damaged, but it stopped charging so then it's worthless. I followed all of the troubleshooting steps but it still won't work. Another problem is I live and work overseas, so it's not feasible to send this to a Google official repair place (none nearby), that would require 4-6 weeks at least. I went to a local phone repair tech near me, they said the USB port looks fine but it won't charge. Now to even get a replacement battery, that will take 3-4 weeks. Tip for those who travel: Don't use the Google Pixel. It's a decent phone, but if there's a problem, it's so hard to repair. Google Pixel's aren't used widely enough worldwide to be able to repair them anywhere. For that, a Samsung or Apple phone would be better. If your battery goes bad (which happens in phones) or you crack your screen (also a common occurrence) and you live or travel a lot, these are very troublesome and even impossible to get serviced or repaired. --- ORIGINAL REVIEW --- Good quality build and functions for a mid-range phone. The Pixel 4a is a little smaller overall than the 3a. The screen is about the same, but it extends to the full edge of the phone to achieve a similar screen size. But to do this, the corners of the screen are completely rounded, which I don't prefer as much, and the front camera lens is inside the screen, which hasn't been that big of a deal. The only problem so far is the phone froze during an incoming call and couldn't be answered, phone had to be restarted. Battery life seems ok, but have to purposefully limit what the phone automatically accesses to limit use and extend battery.

Good phone with low price and very light on the hands.

هاتف جميل جدا و ما عمرة علق معي و البطارية كويسة و صارلي ٢٠ يوم تقريبا استخدمه شكرا للبائع و شكرا لامازون

Phone failed to charge when USB-C cables have been used (including the one provided in the box). All these wires are tested to be working on other electronic devices.

Espantoso.A los 10 meses de haberlo comprado la batería está completamente muerta.

I like this phone, very good value for money, easy transfer of previous phone settings (Pixel 3)