Google Pixel 8a cameras get modest ranking on DXOMARK

The Google Pixel 8a cameras got tested by DXOMARK, and the phone got a modest ranking. That is not all that surprising considering it doesn’t even have a telephoto camera, and it’s also a budget phone.

Still, it may surprise some of you, as Google’s Pixel phones are well-known for their camera prowess. As a reminder, on the back, the Pixel 8a basically has the Pixel 7a cameras. It has a 64-megapixel main camera (f/1.9 aperture, 1/1.73-inch sensor, OIS), and a 13-megapixel ultrawide unit (f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV).

The Google Pixel 8a cameras received modest ranking from DXOMARK

The phone sits in 33rd place on DXOMARK with 136 points. It shares a spot with the Vivo X90 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 12S Ultra. It’s placed right below the Xiaomi 14 (31st) and Vivo X80 Pro (32nd). As a reminder, the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra leads the pack with 163 points.

It is worth noting that the Pixel 8a is second-placed when it comes to smartphones in the $400-$600 price range, though. The only phone that sits above it in that range is its sibling, the Pixel 7.

DXOMARK noted “Very good overall photo and video experience for its segment” as a major ‘Pro’ for the phone’s cameras. In regards to Cons, the main one is “Limited zoom capabilities”, which was to be expected.

The phone got a really good ranking when it comes to outdoor and outdoor photography, and taking pictures of friends and family. The lowlight category results weren’t as high, though, but it wasn’t that low either.

Here are some pros and cons listed by the company

Some other ‘Pros’ that DXOMARK mentioned are accurate target exposure, fairly good contrast and good detail in photos, pleasant colors with fairly neutral white balance in videos, and several more.

In regards to other ‘Cons’, inaccurate skin tones in indoor portraits are mentioned. In addition to that, unstable autofocus and noise variation across consecutive shots are also listed. The same goes for depth estimation artifacts in bokeh mode shots and low texture/noise trade-offs in video portraits.

DXOMARK also mentioned that the Pixel 8a exhibited frequent autofocus stepping, frame shifts and sharpness differences between frames, and some color fringing.