Google Pixel 8a ( odd ) and OnePlus 12RGoogle and OnePlus

TheGoogle Pixel 8ais in incredible and challenging headphone for its cost . It melt down much of the same hardware as the slightly more expensive Pixel 8 and offers a similar experience with onboard AI feature . It is also the only $ 500 headphone to get seven class of software updates .

But for the same Mary Leontyne Price , you could also corrupt theOnePlus 12Rfor a more hopeful processor , significantly faster charging speed , and a more likable intention . That all combines to make it one of the best phones you could grease one’s palms for the same $ 500 asking price .

Both part trait with more expensive offering from their various brands and give the sensory faculty of using a flagship even when you spend guardedly . If you need a in force Android earpiece under $ 500 , here are the differences between the Pixel 8a and the OnePlus 12R to help you decode the more fitting choice for you .

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: specs

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: design

The Google Pixel 8a and the OnePlus 12R are both inspire by their mighty siblings — theGoogle Pixel 8and theOnePlus 12 , respectively — in terms of pattern . Similarities run so thick that you ca n’t instantly differentiate them from the more expensive models without looking close .

While have only elusive differences from the expensive manikin by either company , the Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R variegate greatly . The Pixel 8a dons a simplistic look with a flat display on the front and a horizontal dual - photographic camera camera apparatus on the back . Google use a plastic - reenforce composite stuff back control panel with a recycled aluminum mid - frame and plank to invest the cameras and ostentate .

All surfaces on the Pixel 8a , include the back panel and the aluminum bits , have a matted close . The phone come in the same three colors as the Pixel 8 , including a Bay blue , Obsidian blackness , and Porcelain white , along with another exclusive Aloe dark-green cultivation . The atomic number 13 ingredient feature the same colors but are tone down .

The Pixel 8a does n’t have a large footmark ; the 6.1 - column inch show warrants a size of it similar to the Pixel 8 , Galaxy S24 , or the iPhone 15/15 Pro phones . This , along with the limit use of glass , translates to a free weight of less than 7 Panthera uncia . Like the Pixel 7a , the 8a has an IP67 evaluation for dust and water resistance . That mean it can hold being submerged in water supply for a short continuance , although that is not advisable .

By compare , the OnePlus 12R gets arguably more inspiring people of color and a premium design . It looks like a replica of the OnePlus 12 ( in a upright way ) and features curving edges along the back and the front control panel , both of which are made of methamphetamine . It draw a similar rotary camera mental faculty — albeit with sensors inferior to the OnePlus 12 — that blends into the build on the side . Like the Pixel 8a , the OnePlus 12R uses aluminum for the mid - skeleton and the exterior of the photographic camera housing , but the company does not explicitly mention its origins in recycle chip .

The OnePlus 12R stick a frosted finish on the back , while the mid - frame and the photographic camera bay tree are mainly composed of shinier , more reflective surfaces . It gets two colour mainly — gray and blue — but there ’s alsothe special editionGenshin Impactvariantwith an Electric Violet back with element revolutionise by the game .

The OnePlus 12R is much bigger and bulkier than the Pixel 8a owe to its larger show and glass back . It also feature a three - way alert slider to change the earphone ’s sound profile . in conclusion , the OnePlus 12R is below the Pixel 8a in terms of piddle resistance . Its IP64 military rating only ensure protection against light shower or drizzle , not against being doused in water .

aside from its advantage in term of water resistance , the Pixel 8a feels less attractive compare to the OnePlus 12R in design , making the latter our winner .

achiever : OnePlus 12R

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: display

The Pixel 8a see a significant improvement in video display over the Pixel 7a . For appetizer , this is the first A - serial Pixel with a 120Hz refresh rate , which has otherwise become commonplace on even $ 300 speech sound . The 120Hz refresh charge per unit feel like an improvement over the Pixel 7a but is n’t as good at saving battery compare to the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro , which offer dynamic refresh charge per unit shift .

The 6.1 - in display has a Full HD+ resolve and practice an OLED panel with larger bezels than we are used to learn on most midrange earpiece these days . The display does not nonplus any difficulty in legibility under the sun , but there were some issues with viewing at cant over slant .

The Pixel 8a ’s show also gets a cost increase in term of brightness , gain up to 1,400 nit in the high - brightness mode ( triggered manually or under strong ambient light source ) . It also boasts a 2,000 - nit summit luminousness ( per pixel ) while viewing HDR - enabled content on the earphone . Google does not define the supported HDR codecs , but we surmise backing for at least the unresolved HDR10 , if not HDR10 + , which the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 support .

There ’s an ocular fingerprint scanner embedded in the showing . Further , in condition of durability , the Pixel 8a puzzle minimum scrape resistance with Gorilla Glass 3 , which is several years old . Besides lacking in durability , the Gorilla Glass 3 also does unsatisfactorily when it comes to nullify reflexion under sunlight or other burnished sources .

Despite the improvements on the Pixel 8a , the OnePlus 12R overshadows it in most respects . first of all , it has a big 6.82 - column inch exhibit with a 1.5 K ( 1264 by 2780 pixel ) resolve . The larger size of it , however , means both phones have corresponding pixel density and , ergo , keenness .

Like the OnePlus 12 , the 12R also features curving edge along the display . gage by the latest LTPO 4.0 engineering science , the show can refresh at variable rates between 10 and 120Hz , depend on the content reckon . Besides reduce jitter or tearing on the screenland , this help conserve battery .

Another aspect where the OnePlus 12R outweighs the Pixel 8a is luminousness . Built with a applied science similar to the display on the more premium OnePlus 12 , the OnePlus 12R ’s display gets as vivid as 1,600 nits in high - brightness mood and reaches an incredible 4,500 nits in the peak brightness mode . This is especially useful while watching mental object with codecs such as HDR10 + and Dolby Vision , both of which are endorse by the OnePlus 12R.

The OnePlus 12R ’s presentation has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on top , which offers greater lastingness and prick resistivity than the Pixel 8a .

With higher force , more vivid visuals , a active refresh rate , and high cleverness , the OnePlus 12R ’s display feels like the stronger contender .

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: performance

Both the Pixel 8a and the OnePlus 12R run off chipsets from last year . The Pixel 8a relies on theGoogle Tensor G3chipset that drives the Pixel 8 sound . While it ’s convincingly a flagship chipset on the surface , Google look to make cutback in performance .

While there are n’t any potential slowdowns , the phone shows the same tendency to get warm after a short span . It can get uncomfortably hot if you embark out , and besides make the phone difficult to hold , it will also take down performance in every possible sense .

In addition , the 8 GB RAM , along with the UFS 3.1 storage , can be another limiting factor for the headphone ’s execution .

Despite these challenge , Google is bestowing the Pixel 8a with a outpouring of AI features similar to those of its more potent sib . This let in Google ’s Gemini Nano AI modeling , which escape on the twist , along with feature such asCircle to Search , Call Assist , and Live Translate . Even if you do not use extensively rely on those characteristic , customization options such as AI - generated wallpapers will in all probability invoke to you .

In line , the OnePlus 12R runs a more reliable and wide used Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip . It is complement by up to 16 GB of RAM , but the same slower UFS 3.1 might bottleneck it from reaching the high fastness .

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a trusty chip and still hold in effect for ask task and games , even a yr and a half after its expiration . With special play - interrelate optimizations in software , you may advertize it to the limits easily without require a heating plant buildup inside the dead body .

While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 also offers on - equipment AI abilities , neither OnePlus nor Qualcomm have take up concrete steps to make them wide available across all equipment . you may still get the Circle to Search functionality by using Google Assistant or Gemini to look for the contents of a screen , but the other features stay on exclusive ( at least in their full capacity ) to the Pixel phones .

In conclusion , the bright feature work better on the Pixel 8a , while play is likely to be superior on the OnePlus 12R. This is why we call this a tie-in .

achiever : Tie

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: battery and charging

The Pixel 8a ’s assault and battery get a notable rise over the Pixel 7a and now measures 4,492mAh — a tad bit smaller than the Pixel 8 . The compact concealment and the deficiency of demanding ironware already transform to in force stamp battery backup on Pixel speech sound , and the 8a easily delivers a day ’s backup , so long as you do n’t play a lot of games , watch a lot of telecasting , or shoot a destiny of videos with it .

When it comes to charging , however , it still back up a dismally wearisome charge speed of just 18 watts . That means you will in all probability resort to charging your telephone set at nighttime and keeping it tethered at a desk during the desk . If you prefer the latter , Google has gratefully included tuner charge up to 7.5W on the earphone . But if you care for a quick style of charge in just a few minutes , that may not be potential with the Pixel 8a . During our limited review , the Pixel 8a hire over 90 proceedings to charge fully , which could extend further if you are using the phone while charging it .

The OnePlus 12R , on the other hand , excels when it comes to barrage fire and charging feature . The 5,500mAh assault and battery is the same size as the OnePlus 12 and is good enough for a day ’s extensive utilisation . for certain , the large and more vibrant display is likely to phlebotomise out juice faster , but the quicker charging is here to carry through the day , too .

OnePlus is among the earlier pioneer when it comes to riotous charging , using engineering take up from its parent company , Oppo , and the 12R continue to reap the benefits . It amount with 80W fast charging in the U.S. and Canada ( 100W outside North America ) , which can charge the phone fully in about 30 minutes .

If you do n’t have 30 proceedings to spare , a few minutes are enough to replenish about half of the battery , which should easily last for a day of constant usage . These attributes make the OnePlus 12R a clear winner in this esteem .

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: cameras

television camera have always been a strong suit for the Pixel phone ( hence , the name ) , and even the low-cost A - serial publication phones do n’t fall significantly behind . With the Pixel 8a , Google aims to recreate some of the magic , especially with its computational picture taking skills .

The Pixel 8a essentially uses the same threefold - television camera apparatus as theGoogle Pixel 7a . Although the ironware ( with a 64 - megapixel main camera and a 13MP ultrawide camera ) is n’t prominent — especially compared to the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro — Google extensively improves images with its car - learning prowess . It catch detailed icon with brilliant colors that are consistent across both cameras . It struggles a moment with zooming in , especially since there is no telephotograph camera , but the images are otherwise telling .

Portraits have an immaculately naturalistic ( but actually software package - generated ) setting deepness or bokeh that replicates DLSR - level quality . We require similar results from the Pixel 8a , too . Meanwhile , the front camera lacks autofocus but may be able to appropriate some compelling selfies .

When it comes to video , the phone can record 4 K video at up to 60 frames per second using the rear camera or 4 kB at 30 Federal Protective Service with the front camera . The main sensor on the back also gets optic image stabilization , but the television lineament is capped at 1080p while using the lineament . The Pixel 8a can also capture dumb - movement videos at up to 240 Federal Protective Service using the rear camera .

For better video , the Pixel 8a also put up 4 K timelapse , cinematic panning and focalise whorl , and supporting for the high - efficiency telecasting format HEVC . you could also filter out undesirable background noise using Audio Magic Eraser . However , there is no HDR picture transcription as on the Pixel 8 ( or even old Pixel 7 series ) telephone set . Google also pretermit the Pro mode that is otherwise visit on the more expensive phones .

In increase , AI sport such as Magic Eraser allow you to significantly falsify the mode of the image and add a dreamy ( sometimes phantasmagoric ) pop out to the trope . Having these feature on a $ 500 is definitely a bonus .

Despite its advances in other prospect , the OnePlus 12R may fall savorless in terms of cameras . It features a 50MP chief sensor , which , although physically bigger than the Pixel 8a ’s 64MP sensor , will miss the same AI - enhanced shots . During our review , the OnePlus 12R ’s camera have been a hit - and - miss , especially when capturing move objects or animate being . The colors may sometimes seem affected , even without the Hasselblad enhancements from the OnePlus 12 .

The OnePlus 12R ’s ultrawide camera will catch some commendable shots , but only if there is sufficient firing . Meanwhile , the third fixed focus macro tv camera is so useless that OnePlus is even ashamed of including it in the Camera app ’s primary computer menu . The 16MP selfie camera is adequate , but expecting spectacular selfies might result in letdown .

For videos , the OnePlus 12R can appropriate similar caliber ( with OIS ) using the rearward cameras , but selfie video recording are limited to 1080p at 30 fps . More importantly , there are no non - gimmicky AI improvements to make the final result pop out . You do , however , get a manual mode on the OnePlus 12R if you prefer to fiddle with shutter speed or light-headed options .

Overall , the Pixel 8a ’s longer list of feature and better software program - based refinements propel it to the finishing line as the good camera earpiece .

Winner : Google Pixel 8a

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: software and updates

Last yr , Google raised the bar for software package updates on Android phone by foretell seven year of support with the Pixel 8 twist . This class , the Pixel 8a is continuing that promise , which means it will outlast the Pixel 8 in terms of software program update .

The timing of the launching means the Pixel 8a does n’t run Android 15 right away , but seven updates following Android 14 are every bit impressive . How well the hardware entertain over the years will actually square up the phone ’s ability to go next versions of Android without performance degradation , but the hope alone feel assure for anyone who is not looking to interchange their phone anytime before long .

Meanwhile , the OnePlus 12R also add up with Android 14 , with a custom OxygenOS skin on top . You will get enough more features than what Google offer , including support for double instances of societal media and chatter apps , more striking animations , better multitasking functionality with split screen and floating window , etc .

However , it does not fit the Pixel 8a in term of seniority . OnePlus prognosticate only three Android rendering update and four years of security update — that ’s less than one-half of what the Pixel amount with .

moreover , the Pixel 8a gets admission to Google ’s best features to begin with than the OnePlus . With AI becoming a cornerstone in smart handheld devices , any new AI features in Android will first be piloted on the Pixel and then delivered to the OnePlus several months later . For these reason , the Pixel 8a is better in terms of software backup .

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: price and availability

The Pixel 8a is available for even cut-rate sale now on Google ’s online store and other on-line retailers . The 8 GB RAM with 128 GB depot variant is priced at $ 499 , while the 8 GB with 256 GB modeling is uncommitted for $ 559 . Google also offer up to 24 months of credit at no redundant cost if you activate the telephone with Google Fi .

The OnePlus 12R is uncommitted across major online and offline retailers . The 8 GB RAM with 128 GB storage model costs $ 500 in the U.S. , while the 16 GB with 256 GB theoretical account cost $ 600 . TheGenshin Impactspecial variation is priced at $ 650 , but it ’s a limited variant poser and may not be easily available .

Google Pixel 8a vs. OnePlus 12R: verdict

The Google Pixel 8a brings many of the “ premium AI ” feature down to a slenderly more affordable pricing . The $ 500 cost shred can be particularly exciting for those with a knockout cap on the budget . It is also the only mid - range Android sound to offer on - equipment AI features and seven years of software system financial backing . To top that , the camera features may be some of the good you find on a $ 500 telephone set .

On the other hired man , the OnePlus 12R is a execution - oriented phone with a bright exhibit and superfast charging . Thanks to OnePlus ’ generous use of glass , it calculate and feel more premium , but it may jail behind in terms of software support and AI functionality . The camera on the OnePlus 12R may also feel less exciting than the Pixel 8a .

You could , however , opt for the 16 GB RAM option and get more muscle for games and other ambitious task . But , its shorter software system funding may not invoke to everyone . Nevertheless , it feels like an enthusiast ’ telephone , whereas the Pixel 8a has a more hardheaded and gentler collection .

While neither is actually a dirty phone ( and the choice for the better one depend on your requirements ) , the Pixel 8a is positioned too secretive to the Pixel 8 , which can be bought for just an extra $ 50 during sure sales . This additional investment land a better presentation , a more premium design , quicker point pep pill , and significantly better photographic camera . By price the Pixel 8a so dangerously close , it leaves it at the risk of being cannibalized by its own elder sibling .

But if you require a simple-minded phone and want to bet less than $ 500 on it , both the OnePlus 12R and the Pixel 8a are first-class options , each with their own strength and impuissance , and neither is less impressive than the other .