Would you bother upgrading to a 9a?
I have a 7 and I'll keep it until it stops getting security updates. Unless it's super cheap to upgrade to the 9a with a trade-in or something I wouldn't bother.
On a 6a here
really see no benefit in upgrading
👍🏼 battery on mine isn't in the replacement trenche and it's not great that's all
No, waste of money, unless your battery or screen is shagged, or you want a better camera or something.
I'm on a 7 currently, not a 7a but whatever...its pointless unless there is a complelling reason.
An upgrade is not going to give me any more utility, broadly speaking. Unless I crack the screen or the battery goes to shite then that's different.
I suspect my next phone will be a pixel 15.
No. Incremental benefits are minimal. Unless there's a feature on the upgraded phone that you need, don't bother.
I'm using a Samsung 22. I asked an independent phone person if it was worth upgrading to the latest Samsung 25. His answer was, "There's very little difference, just a bit more clever AI" that I won't be using.
I did. Cost me £49 to upgrade via the Google Store. My 7a was working fine and I loved it, but apparently it was affected by the battery issue when I entered the IMEI onto Googles checker. I could have had the battery replaced for free, but opted for a £200 voucher for a new pixel. There was also an offer on on the 9a just after Christmas hence the £49 upgrade. And I got to keep the 7a which is fine.
9a has a better camera and battery life, otherwise is very similar.
I've just passed my 3 year old 7a onto my son. It's working just fine, slight battery degradation I think.
I've traded up to Pixel 9Pro. It was on daft talk mobile deal at £16.99 /mth +£25 upfront for 100gb and unlimited. It's noticeably nicer screen, better camera with a decent physical zoom, and bigger battery.
No.
I've got a 7a and I despise it so wouldn't buy another pixel. The camera is utter shit and if ever I want to take a decent photo I still use my Pixel 3a instead.
^ interesting. I've never been that taken by the 7a camera. Always feels artificial and fuzzier than my old S10e.
No.
I've got a 7a and I despise it so wouldn't buy another pixel. The camera is utter shit and if ever I want to take a decent photo I still use my Pixel 3a instead.
You must be a fairly demanding and serious photographer? I'm not and must be easily pleased as I thought my Pixel 7a took great photos! The 9a possibly more so. Horses for courses .
No.
I've got a 7a and I despise it so wouldn't buy another pixel. The camera is utter shit and if ever I want to take a decent photo I still use my Pixel 3a instead.
The camera on the 7a is fantastic - do you need to clean your lense 🤣
Got a 7a and I'll keep it until it either breaks or it's bricked from further security updates. Camera is decent and it lasts all day with heavy use.
I went from a 4a to the 8. Unless something breaks, I have no intention of changing for the sake of it in spite of the constant emails I get saying I can have the 10 for only £ instead of £££.
If you have a 7a, unless the battery life has dropped off a cliff, I wouldn't bother with an upgrade.
I've got a 7a, coming up for two years now, I'll be using it until it or the battery dies.
I don't get the 'upgrade' things with phones. I genuinely can't think of something that this phone does that another phone would do better, or that this phone doesn't do that another phone would. It's a phone.
I'm literally typing this on a 7a now. It's rad. Can't see any reason to so called, upgrade.
I don't get the 'upgrade' things with phones.
I do, historically, because for years they were shit.
Today though, technology is good enough. There is nothing about my 7a which makes me wish for anything else, aside from the fact that the screen is cracked from acute deceleration trauma. I'll keep using it until it actually dies completely.
Playing devils advocate, the camera on the pixel 7 isn't fantastic, and there's no macro mode, which is my biggest anoyance but it's good 'enough'. I think the 7a is a bit better in that respect. Most people probably wouldn't notice though.
But that said, If one is really serious about photography, one should probably buy a proper camera?
I'd still be using my 7a if I hadn't dropped it. The camera on the 9-whatever-it-is-I-have is better though.
(I still have a standalone camera that I use for some things but having a decent-enough phone camera is great and everyone's bar for where decent enough is, is different. I never carry a camera on the bike any more frinstance)
I wasn't planning on upgrading TO my 7a but there was a ridiculous cashback deal where it was cheaper to upgrade than stick with my previous phone.
2 years down the line and it's basically fine. I'll keep an eye out for similar deals in future, but I'm in no hurry to upgrade.
7a here and happy with it, Only reason I'd swap to the 9a is for the bigger storage.
Still on a 6 here, and feeling no desire to upgrade.
I'm not a heavy phone user (tablet and laptop see more use), and the camera is more than good enough for when I don't have a 'real' camera with me (which is not often outside of work or home).
Can't see me upgrading until the 6 dies, stops getting updates, or I break it (I generally take a burner and forward calls to that when out riding though).
I recently upgraded from an 8 to a 10, and frankly they are almost indistinguishable. If i hadn't needed an extra phone SIM contract I wouldn't have bothered.
So unless you've got a problem with the 7a I'd just stay as you are.
The 10a is due to be released in a couple of weeks so I'd imagine all older models will get an other reduction anyway.
I went from 6a to 10, the differences are largely meh, unless you want improved camera and finger print sensor that actually works.
Not just yet; but I'd keep an eye on Pixel news (Google may decide at a later date that more batteries are affected) and deals. If you see a deal that's too good to pass up, perhaps shortly after the 10a is released, you may think it worth it
According to this testing the 7a along side no an iPhone 14 camera wise. It ranks 75th in every phone they have tested. The weaknesses seem to be in video. That’s a pretty good phone camera
https://www.dxomark.com/google-pixel-7a-camera-test/
I upgraded from a 7 to a 9pro. worth it for the speed of operation and screen responsiveness alone.
Ill be swapping the 7 for a 9a in the coming months for the wife.
I have a 7a. It's fine, I don't feel a need to upgrade.
Fingerprint sensor is the biggest annoyance.
Next phone I might see if I can escape from the Android/Apple duopoly.
I'm still on a Pixel 4a, which I've had since Sept 2020.
Battery is definitely getting on a bit, but not disastrous & I am never normally that far from a charger.
I keep looking at the cheap deals for the 9a, but tried one in a shop & was a bit meh about the whole thing. Main thing for me would be improved camera & battery life which I am sure would be a step-up but the camera on the 4a is still very good & so I don't see the point of upgrading. The thing that will push me to it will probably be the battery life falling off a cliff.
I've got a 6a which had its battery replaced last year by Google. Whenever Google has an offer - like now, when the 9a is £150 off, they sent me an additional 5% code, and they'll give me a (small) trade-in for the 6a - I look at it, and then think "No, why bother, the 6a does all I need, I'll keep the money and avoid the environmental impact".
Fingerprint sensor is the biggest annoyance.
Good shout - I miss the rear fingerprint sensor - the "through the screen" one has at best a 50/50 hit rate.
I'm still on a Pixel 4a, which I've had since Sept 2020.
Battery is definitely getting on a bit, but not disastrous
That's pretty impressive. My 4a wasn't affected by the battery thing (or not enough for them to give me any money), but still got blitzed by the firmware update - I reckon it'd probably have about 6 hours' battery life at a push now.
8a for now, it's fine. The biggest thing for me is that it's one of the smaller mainstream Android phones you can get - Samsung phones now seem to require an A4 folder to carry them in. What happened to being actually pocket-sized?!
The biggest thing for me is that it's one of the smaller mainstream Android phones you can get - Samsung phones now seem to require an A4 folder to carry them in. What happened to being actually pocket-sized?!
Not sure about that. MrsDoris' Samsung S25 is noticeably smaller and lighter than my Pixel7a. As someone with an arthritic hand, I'm a bit envious!
I'm changing contracts in a few weeks and am getting a 9a. It's to replace an 8a, which has been pretty disappointing. But then I was spoilt by having the old 3a, which was (and still is) a great phone. I still use the 3a (10 years old??) for music streaming and the battery life is still as good as it ever was! The 9a is listed as the best battery life on the Google Store, so I've gone for that.
MrsDoris' Samsung S25 is noticeably smaller and lighter than my Pixel7a.
Oooh! Noted for my next phone!
Good shout - I miss the rear fingerprint sensor - the "through the screen" one has at best a 50/50 hit rate.
My experience is the opposite. The rear sensor on my Nokia was hit and miss, both in reading and me actually finding the thing. The front one on my 7a is close to 100% so long as there's nothing interfering like rain.
the fingerprint sensor alone is worth upgrading to an ultrasonic one imo (pixel 9)
apparently it was affected by the battery issue when I entered the IMEI onto Googles checker.
Thanks for highlighting this. The battery on my wife's 7a has recently fallen off a cliff to the point where it now lasts about 30 seconds when not plugged in. I've submitted the form, surprised they want 3 weeks to review to it though!
the fingerprint sensor alone is worth upgrading to an ultrasonic one imo (pixel 9)
I have noticed this weekend that the fingerprint and face recognition on my new 9Pro is superb compared to the really iffy 7a fingerprint with no face recognition.
My 4a wasn't affected by the battery thing (or not enough for them to give me any money), but still got blitzed by the firmware update - I reckon it'd probably have about 6 hours' battery life at a push now.
Yeah, I fully expected it to die when I heard about an update that would basically kill the battery. But don't seem to have that problem.
It gets plugged in to my car on the way to work and gets used for Spotify for a decent amount of the day connected to BT headphones. Probably end up going home on 60-70% battery.
Zwift using the companion app, screen on permanently & connected to my BT speaker does fry it a bit, but again not enough of a problem to get rid.
Issues with swapping the 4a (reading some of the posts above) would be losing the rear fingerprint sensor which I really like & the headphone socket. Doesn't get used a great deal, but I do use wired headphones every now & again & have a set in my bag in case the batteries die in my BT ones. I suppose I could keep an adaptor in the pouch that the headphones are kept in.
Oh yeah, replacing my 4a I spent a while hunting for phones with a headphone socket. They are out there, but they're definitely more obscure now; so I gave in and just bought a cheapy USB-C to 3.5mm cable. Actually, 2 of them so I always have one to hand!
If you're buying USB-C > 3.5 headphone adapters you need to check if they have a DAC built in. I have a couple that work with my old Huawei Mate 10 Pro but not with my Pixel 7, 'cos the Huawei has a built in DAC. It also supports higher quality audio codecs with posh headphones, so I still have it just for listening to music occasionally.
Generally though I like my 7.
Three pixels in this house. Two 6s and an 8pro. They will all be staying until they don't get updates (looks like the 6 is end of life later this year). There is nothing really to choose between them in day to day terms except the pro's camera is a bit better.
And an hour after posting I have a dead Pixel 6 sat beside me and a surprisingly calm teenager who needs a new phone picking up tomorrow 🙄
I really do not miss headphones with wires on them, at all.
I do - they're simple, they don't have batteries that die, you never lose just one headphone, and wires > Bluetooth for sound quality.
But as Bertie Bassett (rest in peace) said, it takes all sorts
If anyone wondering about size difference between a 8a and a 9a. 8a on the right.
Seems the 9a is a whole 3g lighter. Though maybe that's nearer 2.5g as the 8a has a screen guard thing on it.
Thanks for highlighting this. The battery on my wife's 7a has recently fallen off a cliff to the point where it now lasts about 30 seconds when not plugged in. I've submitted the form, surprised they want 3 weeks to review to it though!
Damn. Took them less than 48 hours to decide it wasn't eligible. So new 9a arriving tomorrow and then I'll decide if it's worth sticking a new battery in the 7a to keep as a backup phone for future issues.
Not sure if it's been said above but the 10a is due to be released.
I've just traded my 8 in for a 10 with Google for just over 300 quid.
The 7 is a good phone TBH but if the trade in price is right then why not.
Damn. Took them less than 48 hours to decide it wasn't eligible. So new 9a arriving tomorrow and then I'll decide if it's worth sticking a new battery in the 7a to keep as a backup phone for future issues.
I had no idea about the battery thing until this thread. I have a 7a that I bought as a work phone but ended up not needing. So I just use it for TrainerRoad.
I plonked the details into the Google site, and a couple of days later they emailed to say "Soz, not eligible for compensation". So I replied to ask whether that means 'my battery is not the bad sort' or 'battery is dodgy but for some reason I'm not eligible for compensation'. They then asked for proof of purchase, and we went round in circles a bit because the email account that I was emailing them from is not the one with which I'm signed in to the phone. After that was cleared up they just paid me £329. Since I only paid £299 for the phone, that's more than fine.
It did leave me thinking that their process is terrible though - if their initial assessment was "different email therefore probably fraudster" then they should have specified on the web form that that was required, and / or asked for that to be resolved rather than initially just saying "computer says no". I'm pretty sure that if the battery does go bad then it'll start swelling etc. rather than just burst into flames, but still...
Coincidentally, someone I know has just... wait, let me C&P:
Influenced by this thread, I thought I'd take a look at the Google store to see what they offer for trade ins.
I have two Pixel phones available - a 3a with cracked screen (not being used), but fully working, and a 6a in VGC, no damage.
Against the 9a, I get offered £50 for both phones, end up paying £349
Against the 10a, I get offered £106 (3a) and £150 (6a). Which would bring my final prices down to £393 and £349
I think I'll just see out the next 12/18 months of what the 6a has left in updates, and price them both again against the 11/11a
Impressed with the 9a so far. I chose it for battery life after checking the specs against the 10 models - powered up Monday, did all the transferring from my old phone tues. The usual amount of browsing, whatsapping etc over a couple of days... Last night it had 5% left. I didn't charge it and it still had 4% this morning, so I plugged it in. Pleased with that.
I've been send £100 code on the 10a, plus £228 trade in on my 8a, so £171. Tempting, but nothing wrong with the 8a, so, like Andy, I'll wait for the 11a.
If nothing else this thread has made me think twice about buying another Pixel because the battery issue is far more widespread than they first realised. A bit over a year ago they pushed out a software update to seriously reduce the battery capability of the 4a because some batteries might be dangerous, and started pushing these token rebates. Then 6 months ago there were reports of batteries on 6a's swelling, and obviously they expanded up to that. Now they're saying 7a's have the same problem? Will 8a's and 9a's be next??
The Pixel 10a is arriving very soon which means deals to be had on the 9a
OnePlus, Xiaomi, Nothing and others are all releasing mid-range phones in the next 6-8 weeks which means the existing models will be reduced. One thing to bear in mind is with the shortage of certain components the newer phone models may not be any better, so the older phone with slightly less support/updates and lower price could be a much better package