Anyone got a Pixel 8a yet?

I looked at it but then found that a as new refurbished Samsung S23 could be had for the same price (with £100 trade in). New mid range phone are pointless when last years flagship ones can be had for the same price

If you're in a position to change you'll almost certainly be better off getting one with a new contract.

New mid range phone are pointless when last years flagship ones can be had for the same price

depends how heavily you use the battery - I go from full to close-to-empty most days, and after 18 months my last samsung (s21) had knackered its battery. I wouldn't buy one that's already had a year of hard use at any money

oooh tempting - I've got an old Pixel 6 that I can trade too.  Looks like it's a £54 trade in for the phone and a £150 "bonus" on top.  6 still works fine though and I was planning to use it til it broke or became unusable

My partner got one straight away because of the trade in deal. The price seems like a steal, and the blue colour looks great in the flesh, I'm quite jealous. The size is good, battery and camera are great, everything just works and it doesn't seem to be missing anything. Seems like an easy recommendation and will probably be good for 5 years.

depends how heavily you use the battery – I go from full to close-to-empty most days, and after 18 months my last samsung (s21) had knackered its battery. I wouldn’t buy one that’s already had a year of hard use at any money

The 'pristine' level refurbs are nearly all never used mail order returns so no battery use. My S20 was a 'good' level refurb, 3 years on and a now 4 year old phone still does a day of reasonable use. The USB C port has been replaced twice mind.

I'm tempted by the 8a but a bit unsure about battery life. I'm far from being a power user but typically ride with Garmin Connect Livetrack running plus the Bosch Flow app (and sometime Komoot as well)  and take a few photos on the way. I'm guessing the 8a will be OK.

Pixel 8 is about £20 more if you wait for the occasional sale.

How much is that coming out at after trade-in?

I've not long bought a pixel 7 so i'm not looking to change for another 4 years hopefully. Maybe I bought it at just the wrong time.

Battery seems really good though, I usually run it in batery saver mode as it doesnt really make any difference to 'normal' from what I can tell*, other than limiting background apps usage which is always a good thing. Running in battery saver mode might screw with your GPS a bit if you are using garmin/riding apps etc.

Camera is a lot better than the 4a it replaced, no idea about the camera on the 8x, but I can't see it being worse.

I’ve got an old Pixel 6 that I can trade too.  Looks like it’s a £54 trade in for the phone and a £150 “bonus” on top.  6 still works fine though

This is me, except I was wanting to see what the Pixel 9 offered and how much it would be. I don't mind skipping a couple of generations.

My other option is to trade in the missus's Pixel 4, hand my Pixel 6 to her, and take the 8a for myself 😂

I've got one, I got £280 trade in on an iphone 11 which was playing up but still working so only cost me just £220. First Android phone in years.  Seems to be fine, all the Android equivalent apps that i used on my iphone seem to work okay. Apple Music works okay, I have had to download an app called AirMusic so my phone would connect to my airpod.  Google pay when I used it the other day worked fine as well. Where I use to use Apple notes I now use One note which works seamlessly between the Pixel my Macbook Air and ipad pro.

I've only had it a couple of weeks so still getting to grips with it, whether I stick with it I don't know, waiting to see what the new iphone will be like in September time.  I did like that it wasn't full of bloated software and turned up pretty basic.

If I had a gripe it be the facial id in poor light is poor compared to how Apple's work in near pitch black.

Pixel 8 is about £20 more if you wait for the occasional sale.

But then I wouldn't get the mega trade-in deal.  Pixel 6 support ends in October and the 8a will get OS and security updates for 7 years!!

Reviews seem to say that the 8 is a bit pointless now as it has hardly any advantages over the 'a'.

There's probably zero chance I'd buy a Samsung mostly to to [probable] bloatware and definitely ridiculous repair potential.

I was wanting to see what the Pixel 9 offered and how much it would be

Rumours it's going to be about £1k!

Reviews seem to say that the 8 is a bit pointless now as it has hardly any advantages over the ‘a’.

If it's anything like the 7 to the 7a, the 7 is slightly larger, slightly higher spec, is 50% more expensive and has a worse camera.  I'd honestly have paid more for the 7a over the 7.

When I try to buy one at the Google store and select a trade in, Google/pixel are not in the drop down so I am struggling to see how to trade in my 4a?

edit: ignore me, Google is at the top of the dropdown, but I have to scroll up to see it!

Traded in my 6a and got full £247 trade in price, screen/camera is better and I prefer the curved corners, fingerprint reader is still a bit hit and miss but 7 years of security updates so will keep me going for a bit. Overall pretty pleased with it.

Rumours it’s going to be about £1k!

...and this is the last of the "a"'s.

…and this is the last of the “a”‘s.

That's interesting... although it was a strange business model, I always thought, as the "A's" were always a much better value option unless you really want the flagship model.

That said, I'm really happy with my non-A pixel 7...it felt a bit big at first but now it's just great. I don't care about the camera too much but the camera is still really good and a vast improvement over the pixel 4, in low light especially.

I just kind of made a mental rule, I don't want to change phones more than once every 4 years, and I won't spend more then £400 on one.

Spending £800+ on a phone just seems utterly crazy to me, it's not going to do anything for me that a £400 phone can't.

I just kind of made a mental rule, I don’t want to change phones more than once every 4 years, and I won’t spend more then £400 on one.

My rule these days - and in fact, has been for quite some time now - is that I don't want to change phones until it's dead.  4 years seems about right.

Pixel 8 is supposed to have a better camera than the 8a.

You can get it  via voxi (Vodafone brand) for £430 at the moment and also choose Google buds pro or pixel watch as a free gift.

You could probably sell the gift on for about £100, so seems like a good deal. I'm tempted but will wait for the pixel 9 before I upgrade.

Yeah, to be fair, I only 'upgraded' from the 4a as the battery was getting really tired and security updates were stopping.

Weird, I bought a 7a a few months back to replace my old 3a (8 years old maybe?) - the 7a was no better in any aspect - battery life was worse, fingerprint sensor was useless. Maybe the facial recognition (which only works in daylight) was an upgrade, but meh. Sold it and back to using the 3a. Think carefully before you trade-in! 😀

I also got pixel buds half price with my 8a, nice headphones as long as you keep still and breathe gently otherwise the occlusion effect is horrible.

Battery life on the 8 is huge. I've never had it drop below 50%.  It'll comfortably do 4 days.

Flipside of that is it's a chunky beast compared to my old S9.  It's heavy enough that it annoys me in my pocket, and in wallet-case it's the size of a purse. The size of it is what will probably convince me to go with google pay and leave cards/cash at home, it's not practical to carry the Pixel and other stuff 😂

Where's the offer? My 6a has a cracked screen but is still fully functional. If they're overlooking that I'll take them up on it. EDIT: realistically they'll take one look at it and change the offer to £0.00.

Note: DON'T buy the Google phone case, I did so for my 6a and is the reason the screen is now smashed. As much protection as a chocolate fireguard.

I bought a 7a a few months back... fingerprint sensor was useless.

Odd, mine hasn't missed a beat, it's flawless so long as my thumb / the screen is clean and dry.  Try retraining it?

Have you got a screen protector on it?  There's a setting to change the sensitivity if you have.

The offer is direct from Google, it looks like they'll give you a trade in of £203 on your cracked 6a.

Pixel 6 support ends in October

Without wishing to deny anyone an excuse for new shiney, it's no more new versions of Android guaranteed(1) from October this year. There's two more years of security updates after that.

https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705

(1) Not sure whether this means that there may be updates if there's enough userbase to justify the work to update them.

"Have you got a screen protector on it? There’s a setting to change the sensitivity if you have" 

Thanks, I didn't know about that. I recently put a screen protector on my Pixel 6... 🙃

EDIT: realistically they’ll take one look at it and change the offer to £0.00.

They shouldn't as you just state that the phone has a crack in it but still works (exacly the same as mine)

Try retraining it?

yeah, I did - and set up 4 thumbprints for the same thumb. Have to reapprove on banking apps every bloody time too! Was still shit. I haven't got it anymore, so no matter.

ps. Mate who works for Google told me they were aware of the issues with it and the 8 uses different recognition technology

I've always quite fancied a pixel.
You lot have put me off!

@zippykona - I have a 6 pro and love it, not a single complaint in 2.5 years...

My Pixel 6 is coming up for 3 years old. I haven't found anything wrong with it.

I got a 6a 2 years ago for £106 with a knackered old se trade in when they had the 6a already reduced direct from Google. Very good phone, at that price unbeatable

If it was smaller it would be perfect

Have to reapprove on banking apps every bloody time too! Was still shit. I haven’t got it anymore, so no matter.

I've not had any issue with the fingerprint recognition on my 6, but yeah I think it's a different version now.

So I can buy a Motorola G7 for £50 off eBay, and use it to get £190 off a pixel 8a. The world's gone mad!

Anyone know if there is any way of getting trade in for phones that aren't on  the list? I can't see anything in the T and C's.

I used to just buy phones outright but some of the contract deals are great;

I just ordered one from Carphone Warehouse, £29 upfront £24 for 24 months on iD.

So that's £605 over 2 years not much more than the £499 for the phone, that not only includes unlimited data but a Pixel Watch 2 too which I'd been considering anyway - those are north of £300 alone. Trade in is possible too though I didn't need that.

I upgraded from a pixel 5 to an 8 recently - be warned that the trade in prices require the screen not to be damaged and the battery not to be swollen. There was something else but I don’t remember what that was!

be warned that the trade in prices require the screen not to be damaged

Nope, this is the question.... Just say No if it's cracked.

Is your device in good condition?

Answer yes if your device turns on, has no cracks and the screen works properly

Looks like there's a £40 difference between good condition and not good condition on a Pixel 6.

some of the contract deals are great;

He's right ya know - £9 upfront, then £18.99 a month, thats 5 quid less than I'm paying for SIM only. I'm with o2 cos you could never get a signal in my house with any other provider... but everything's on wi-fi now, so does it matter if I can't get a signal?!

https://www.carphonewarehouse.com/google-pixel-8a?tariffcode=IDM7X146&giftcode=IDMWCON&productcode=IDMPXL8A128BL

I've been dithering for a week or more about whether to buy one!

This morning I realised that if I wanted a new Pixel in the next year or so - which I would -  then it's going to cost a load more than it does now.... plus if I didn't get a move on I'd miss the opportunity to trade in an unused phone [that's worth about £20] for £186!!

So it's ordered and my Pixel 6 will probably be on eBay on Sunday!

I got the email with the actual  amount they will give me for my trade in and it's £5 more than quoted so £285.

I find the finger print sensor works fine.

My pixel 7a has a dirty great crack across the screen and it's fingerprint sensor is not working so well so thinking about about moving to an 8. But may have missed the deadline.

Also doing 2.5% cashback if you go via topcashback.  When I looked earlier in the week there was a 8a specific deal at 5. Something %

But may have missed the deadline.

Don't think so but be quick!

My pixel 7a has a dirty great crack across the screen and it’s fingerprint sensor is not working so well

You mean the screen protector, right?

I don’t want to change phones more than once every 4 years, and I won’t spend more then £400 on one...Spending £800+ on a phone just seems utterly crazy to me, it’s not going to do anything for me that a £400 phone can’t.

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, but the difference between the two is going from 27p per day over 4 years to 55p a day over 4 years. Either way it's incredibly cheap for a supercomputer, Walkman, TV set, global map radio, radio receiver, torch and camera in your pocket!

Also doing 2.5% cashback if you go via topcashback.

Gods damn it, I keep forgetting about TopCashBack.

Either way it’s incredibly cheap for a supercomputer, Walkman, TV set, global map radio, radio receiver, torch and camera in your pocket!

... which can be had for a third of the price.

Honestly, I used to be all over flagship phones but I think their day has passed.  Time was, if you didn't get top-of-the-range then anything else was crap.  But the tech has caught up with software demands, I'm struggling to see how my Pixel 7a could be improved on.  It's a decent size (I've finally made my peace with handsets which aren't the size of the Nokia 8310) and it's perfectly responsive.  An £800 phone may well be better than a £300 phone, but is it +£500 better?  It seems somewhat unlikely.

I’m struggling to see how my Pixel 7a could be improved on.

I'm with you but honestly:

the mediocre battery life and charging speed

The lack of hardware sound mode switch (ring/vibrate/silent without unlocking! 😱)

Slight but noticeable lag even when new.

Is it worth an extra 500? To me, no. But I think I last years one plus or samsung flagship would have been a better buy for me.

You mean the screen protector, right?

Most of the screen protectors are utter crap and cause more issues than they solve.

The most noticeable better things about my wife's 7 pro and my 6a are the screen and the camera. The screen is nicer to read, its clearer and feels more like reading paper than a screen (though I think the rounded edges are pointless). The camera setup is just way better. I'd like an 8 pro for the camera however the 8a looks like it may have the screen improvement (I think the refresh rate may be the key there).

Think it's a difficult call between the 8 and 8a at the moment. There is still a trade in bonus for the 8 (not as large) and for the next 9 days the free watch or ear bud offer is still running. Add those together and the price is very much similar.

The lack of hardware sound mode switch (ring/vibrate/silent without unlocking! 😱)

Doesn't there volume button do that.

It's arrived..... Looks great - way better than my old one.

I quite like the plastic back after the slippery Pixel 6.

Somewhat annoyed that I can get a new phone in less than 24 hours yet a new eSim takes 3 working days 😠

FFS Tesco Mobile, surely there's a way to send a QR code securely? 🤦🏻‍♂️

"You mean the screen protector, right?"
i'll peel it off tomorrow and have a look, but pretty sure it's the screen as i dropped a Shimano M9100 XTR SPD onto it, no idea why.

Doesn’t there volume button do that.

No,  they only adjust media,  afaik (even if nothing is playing).

To bring up the silent/vibrate/ring option,  the phone must be unlocked, then you press volume up or down, then the speaker icon, then vibrate or silent.

Can't say as I've noticed a problem with either battery life or charging speed.  I'll get a couple of days out of a charge, give or take depending on use.  Charging speed depends on the charger, though if you have an alarm set and plug it in overnight it'll assume you're in bed and trickle-charge to complete at that time to preserve battery life.

To bring up the silent/vibrate/ring option,  the phone must be unlocked, then you press volume up or down, then the speaker icon, then vibrate or silent.

Not on mine.  The phone needs to have the screen on (so tap the power button to wake), it doesn't need to be unlocked.

I wouldn't want it to so anything with the screen sleeping, you'd be changing it with your arse every five minutes.

Cougar

Full Member

Can’t say as I’ve noticed a problem with either battery life or charging speed. I’ll get a couple of days out of a charge, give or take depending on use. Charging speed depends on the charger, though if you have an alarm set and plug it in overnight it’ll assume you’re in bed and trickle-charge to complete at that time to preserve battery life

Yeah the trickle charge is a good feature.

But the battery life is not even a day for me, nowhere near. Just wireless android auto on the way to work eats 15% - 20% (40 mins drive). Bit of browsing at lunch then android auto on the way home and it's dying before bed time. 🙁

Fast charging is something I dismissed myself but once you've been able to recharge the phone fully in 20 mins it's hard to go back.

I wouldn’t want it to so anything with the screen sleeping, you’d be changing it with your arse every five minutes.

Not an issue with the OnePlus slider. It's stiff enough that just doesn't happen. Again , I would probably dismiss it as a gimmick if I hadn't had it, but I really miss it. 😔

Maybe just a bit of buyers remorse 🙈

Just wireless android auto on the way to work eats 15% – 20% (40 mins drive).

Plug it in?  You have Android Auto but no USB port?

I've found that AA is a battery muncher, the phone's hot if you've done serious miles on it.

No, they only adjust media, afaik (even if nothing is playing).

Just checked my 6a and it does not need to be unlocked. Press volume button or power and screen comes on showing lock screen. Press volume and a volume slider appears. Above it is a circle. Touch that and the option for silent and vibrate is shown. Select. No unlock required.