DailyMail.com tests Google’s new bargain $499 Pixel 7a handset

Bargain hunters may know by now that Google’s Pixel phones follow a unique annual lifecycle.

First, the full-price phones come out in the fall, and six months later, Google releases virtually the same phone for much less money.

But this year’s 7a is the ultimate example of that. It is so similar to its more expensive ancestors that it is actually quite difficult to tell them apart.

The Pixel 7a is also effortlessly the best phone in its price range… bar none.

The 6.1-inch screen is pleasantly bright, the camera is fantastic and it packs Google’s best chip plus 8GB of RAM, so it’s very handy.

Unlike some of the cheaper phones on the market, it’s quite waterproof, with IP67 certification, meaning it can be submerged in a meter deep water for half an hour.

The camera here is excellent – with hardly any difference compared to the more expensive version

It comes in three colorways – I tested the sleek, white model

Like all Pixel phones, it’s also devoid of the useless ‘extra’ apps often found on Android rivals (especially the cheap ones), with an ease of use that rivals iPhone.

There are also Pixel-exclusive apps, including the excellent Recorder that instantly transcribes audio recordings and saves them to the cloud.

Google has quietly fixed some of the quibbles over previous ‘a’ devices (it’s upgraded the screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, and it’s got Face Unlock, too).

The 90Hz refresh rate is off by default, so you’ll need to go into Settings and select Smoothing to unlock that extra touch of smoothness (although it’s still a touch short of the 120Hz display in the Pixel 7).

Pleasingly, there’s fingerprint unlock too, so you can use your banking apps here.

The only blot on the landscape is that it’s slightly up in price from last year’s model (it’s now $499 instead of $449), but it also outperforms last year’s 6a handset in relative terms .

If you’ve never experienced a Pixel camera before, you’re in for a treat here: Google’s “magic juice” in upgrading fairly mundane photos is perfect for casual photographers.

The Tensor G2 chip here helps to ‘fix’ issues such as exposure and focus in real time, thanks to AI magic.

It packs a new 64MB Sony sensor and performs superbly (as always) in both bright and low-light conditions (the only thing missing here is a telephoto lens, so you’re stuck with digital zoom).

The only thing that hasn’t made the leap from its bigger siblings is the excellent macro mode that kicks in when you bring a Pixel 7 anywhere close.

The 90Hz screen is bright and beautiful (but you have to enable 90Hz manually)

The photos produced on Pixel remotely destroy anything near this price range, competing with photos from flagship devices that cost twice as much.

Again, there are some excellent Pixel-only extras, such as Magic Eraser, which lets you quietly remove unwanted extra people in the background, Stalin-style.

It’s an excellent feature (even if it has the occasional quirks, like removing a person but leaving the bike they were riding on).

There is also guaranteed five years of security updates.

The battery is only OK, rather than excellent, but there’s wireless charging (again, no guarantee on cheaper handsets.

In fact, there’s so much here that I’d struggle to force myself to pay more for the Pixel 7 handset, with the standout feature of Pixel phones (the excellent camera) all present and correct for under $500.

For that money, there’s really nothing that touches this on the market right now.