Apple CEO Tim Cook has been the head of Apple for over a decade but time is nearing when he’ll have to step down and the next potential candidate for the role is already being considered at the company. As per a new development, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is at the top of the list of people being considered for the position.
As per Bloomberg, there’s “no reason to assume that a change at the helm is imminent,” but there are multiple possibilities as to who could eventually take over and Ternus seems to be the ideal candidate. Based on conversations with “several people familiar with Apple’s inner workings,” if the change were to happen soon, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams would almost certainly be appointed as CEO.
However, the issue is that “Williams, who’s 61 this year, is only two years Cook’s junior, and company insiders say they think it’s now unlikely he’ll be the new long-term chief. Apple’s board would probably want an executive who, like Cook and Jobs, would stick around for at least a decade. “If you asked me five years ago, it was very clear Jeff was leading the pack to become CEO,” says one longtime Apple executive. “But the slowness to refresh the C-suite leaves a problem with who you can bring on board”, read the report.
As per the executives, Cook will likely serve as Apple CEO for at least another 3 years but post that, 49-year old Turner would likely take over the position. He’s reportedly “well-liked inside Apple” and has “earned respect of Cook, Williams and other leaders.” “Tim likes him a lot, because he can give a good presentation, he’s very mild-mannered, never puts anything into an email that is controversial and is a very reticent decision-maker,” says one person close to Apple’s executive team. “He has a lot of managerial characteristics like Tim.”
It’s clear that Apple wants someone as CEO for the long term and with Tim Cook approaching the end of his term, someone much younger than him would be apt as a replacement. Other well-liked executives at Apple, like Craig Federighi and Deirdre O’Brien are “unlikely successors” to Cook and others such as Phil Schiller and hardware chief Dan Riccio “are at the end of their tenures” at Apple, claims the report.
Google announced around a month ago that its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro have been designed to support offline finding through Android’s new Find My Device network and it seems like the Google Pixel 8a can do that too. The feature relies on the Bluetooth chip being supplied with reserve power even after the phone has been powered off or when it’s offline.
Mishaal Rahman (via Android Authority) spotted evidence in the Android API on Pixel 8a that’s responsible for offline finding. As per Rahman, Google set the system property “ro.bluetooth.finder.supported” to “true” on the device.
This system property is only set to true when a device supports Powered-Off Finding (name of the Android API for offline finding), which means the Pixel 8a also gets the same specialized hardware as Pixel 8 & 8 Pro that’s necessary for its Bluetooth chip to continue broadcasting the location of the device after it has been powered off.
One of the Google Help Centre pages says “For supported devices, like Pixel 8 series and up, if the device runs out of battery or is off, the Find My Device network can still locate the phone for several hours after it’s turned off.” That means you’ll have a good chance you can locate your phone even if it got lost or stolen hours ago.
Once you receive your Pixel 8a, you can enable offline finding on it by going to the Android Find My Device network settings and selecting either the “with network in all areas” option or the “with network in high-traffic areas only”. If you choose any of the other two options available, or turn off Bluetooth or location services, the feature would cease to work.
Google Pixel 8a supporting the offline finding feature isn’t a surprise considering it already borrows a lot of features from the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8, and gets the same Tensor G3 chip that powers those handsets. Once the network rolls out globally, users will easily be able to locate their Pixel 8, 8 Pro, 8a and possibly other devices also in the future quickly and without any inconvenience.
Stay updated on the latest smartwatch releases in India with our detailed guide, featuring the newest offerings from renowned brands like Pebble. Explore the most recent smartwatches launched and stay informed as of May 2024.
BoAt Wave Sigma 3
The boAt Wave Sigma 3 is available in a variety of colour options – Active Black, Metal Black, Metal Grey, Cool Grey, Cherry Blossom, Rustic Rose, and Sapphire Breeze. It is priced at Rs 1,199 and is available on boat-lifestyle.com, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and select stores nationwide. It’s features include:
2.01-inch display, 550 nits brightness, 240 x 240 pixels resolution, DIY Watch Face studio
Aluminium Alloy Casing
IP67 rated
Bluetooth calling
Up to 7-day runtime
Tracking of heart rate, SpO2, energy levels, and sleep
700+ active modes
Crest+ OS
Emergency SOS, Camera control, In-built QR code tray, Music Control, Alarms, Stopwatch, Timer, Weather, Find my Phone/Watch, Games
Amazfit BIP 5 Unity
The smartwatch is available for purchase on Amazon and on Amazfit India’s official website for Rs 6,999. It can be bought in Pink, Grey, or Charcoal shades. It’s features include:
Calendar Reminder, Call Notification, Sedentary reminders, Smartphone Apps Notifications, Music control, camera control
IP68 rated
300mAh battery; Up to 11-day typical runtime, up to 5 days with heavy use! up to 26 days with battery saver mode
Unix Ember
Priced at Rs 2,999, the Unix Ember is backed by a 365-day warranty, and is available in retail stores, Amazon India, Flipkart and brand’s website. It’s features include:
Priced at Rs 2,799, the Unix Storm is backed by a 365-day warranty, and is available in retail stores, Amazon India, Flipkart and brand’s website. It’s features include:
Camera control, DND mode, Weather updates, Stop Watch, Music Control, Find my phone, DND mode, Flash light, camera control, weather and Alarm
Up to 7-day runtime
Fast charge support
AI Voice Assistant
ACwO FwIT Play
The new FwIT Play smartwatch is available at an introductory price of Rs 3,499, ACwO FwIT Play is available on acwo’s website, ONDC, Tata CLiQ, Snapdeal and other leading e-commerce platforms. It’s features include:
Calculator, Alarm, Timer, Camera control, Vibration alert, etc.
Pebble Mega
Pebble Mega comes in three colour variants like Midnight Gold, Moonlight Grey and Jet Black and has been launched exclusively on Pebble’s website only at Rs 2,699. It is also available on the platforms Amazon and Flipkart. It’s features include:
Update 09/05/2024: Realme has confirmed that the GT-series smartphone arriving in India will be called Realme GT 6T. It will be the first smartphone in India to be powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor. There are chances that it could be a rebranded GT Neo 6 SE and not the GT Neo 6 that was unveiled earlier today in China.
Original Story Below
Realme introduced the GT 2 series of smartphones in India back in 2022. However, it has been almost two years since Realme released a successor to the series in the country. Meanwhile, the company continued to launch new devices in China but didn’t bring them to India. Recently, Realme has announced that the GT series will be making a comeback in India in May. The upcoming device is expected to be the Realme GT 6.
Realme GT Series India Comeback
Realme India made the announcement via its X handle, which said that the GT series would be coming back to India on the occasion of the brand’s 6th anniversary in the country. The 6th generation of Realme GT series device, potentially to be called Realme GT 6 or GT Neo 6, will target the mid-premium market segment, delivering flagship-level performance to the customers as per the brand.
Realme GT 6 Expected India Launch
Realme already debuted the first GT 6 series smartphone in China last month, dubbed Realme GT Neo 6 SE. However, the one arriving in India will likely be called the Realme GT 6 and will be a rebranded Realme GT Neo 6, which is set to launch in China tomorrow, May 9th. Realme India has confirmed via a microsite that the GT-series device will be coming to India in May 2024 itself.
According to listings that have appeared on the BIS website and various Benchmarking websites, the Realme GT 6 in India will get the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC paired with up to 16GB of RAM. It would run on Android 14-based Realme UI 5.0 out of the box and will have a 5,500mAh battery (2,680mAh dual-cell) with 120W SuperVOOC fast charging. At the back, it could have a 50MP sensor as per the Camera FV-5 listing. The GT Neo 6 is confirmed to feature an IP65 dust and water resistance rating, which means the Realme GT 6 could also sport the same.
Finally, the GT Neo 6 is expected to have the same display as its younger sibling, the GT Neo 6 SE, which is a 6.78-inch 1.5K 120Hz AMOLED Display with 6,000 nits of peak brightness. One can expect the Realme GT 6 to have the same as well.
Google India has officially launched Google Wallet App in India after it began becoming available for some users a couple of weeks back. The official announcement of Google Wallet says that it will allow users to conveniently store and retrieve important digital documents like boarding passes, loyalty cards, movie tickets, and more.
Google Wallet India: Features
Google says that Wallet complements Google Pay, which will continue to serve the payments needs of users across India. At launch, Google has partnered with 20 of India’s top brands to enable the Google Wallet experience, including PVR & INOX, Air India, Indigo, Flipkart, Pine Labs, Kochi Metro, Abhibus and many others, with more partners to be added in the months to follow.
Partnering with PVR and INOX, Android users can now conveniently add their movies and event tickets to their Google Wallet. Boarding passes for travellers flying with airlines like Air India, Air India Express, and online travel companies like MakeMyTrip, Easemytrip, and Ixigo, will be made available inside Google Wallet. As a bonus, Pixel device users can add their boarding pass to their Google Wallet by simply taking a screenshot and tapping “Add to Google Wallet.”
With Flipkart (Supercoins), Dominos, Shoppers Stop, and brands supported by loyalty program enablers Pinelabs, EasyRewardz and Twid, shoppers can now store and use digital copies of their loyalty and gift cards. Kochi Metro, Hyderabad Metro, VRL Travels, and Abhibus, travelers can easily store their transit tickets.
System integrators like Wavelynx and Alert Enterprise will allow for easier workspace access through the ability to store and access a corporate badge in Google Wallet. One can create new passes in Wallet from any image containing a barcode or QR code, like airline boarding passes, luggage tags, or parking receipts. After booking a movie ticket, IPL ticket, or train ticket, the event confirmation sent to a person’s Gmail account will automatically appear in their Google Wallet, if they have smart personalization settings in Gmail turned on.
Google Wallet has now launched for Android users in India and is available for download from the Google Play Store.
Google Wallet Vs Samsung Wallet
Google Wallet’s main competitor in India is the Samsung Wallet. While both of them offer similar functionality in terms of how you can add boarding passes, gift cards, and other IDs but Samsung Pay is one step ahead when it comes to payments. It allows you to add your debit or credit cards in the same place as the gift cards and boarding passes. However, in Google’s case, you can do the same but with Google Pay and not Google Wallet. This can create an inconvenience of switching apps all the time whenever you want to view your passes and whenever you want to make payments.
Both of them offer gift cards from various companies whom they have partnered with, but at the time of writing this article, Samsung Wallet seems to have more partners such as Myntra, Levi’s and more while Google has only a few.
One of the other major advantages of Samsung Wallet is DigiLocker integration so you can keep your identity cards handy and can access it quickly and conveniently. At the time of launch, Google Wallet doesn’t support DigiLocker.
While Samsung Wallet is definitely the superior one out of the two, availability is where it lacks as it can only be used on Samsung devices. On the other hand, Google Wallet can be used on most Android devices including those from Samsung. To sum up, if you are a Samsung user, Samsung Wallet would serve you best, thanks to a tighter integration with the OS and more features. However, if you are a non-Samsung user, Google Wallet paired with Google Pay is the closest experience you can get to a Samsung Wallet and would be your best bet.
Apple has announced the new iPad Air 2024 in two sizes, including 11-inch and 13-inch models powered by the M2 chip. While it’s 50% faster than the iPad Air M1 from 2022, the price of the new iPad Air 2024 has gone up by Rs 5,000 over the last year’s model. At its price, the new iPad has the Galaxy Tab S9 to compete with. Should you consider getting the iPad Air 2024 over the Tab S9 from Samsung? Let’s have a look.
iPad Air 2024: Price, Availability
The new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air will be available in blue, purple, starlight, and space grey, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at Rs 59,900 for the Wi-Fi model, and Rs 74,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air starts at Rs 79,900 for the Wi-Fi model, and Rs 94,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
iPad Air 2024: Features
The iPad Air 2024 is available in two sizes, which is a first for iPad Air, including 11-inch and 13-inch models. Featuring a faster CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine in M2, the new iPad Air offers even more performance than the previous model and is 50% faster over its predecessor. The front-facing Ultra Wide 12MP camera with Center Stage is now located along the landscape EDGE of iPad Air, which is apt for video calls. It also includes faster Wi-Fi, and cellular models include 5G.
The 12MP Wide back camera on iPad Air delivers high-resolution photos and detailed 4K video with support for 240-fps slo-mo. Dual microphones are designed to work in unison with the cameras, capturing audio from the camera being used and minimizing distracting background noise. The new iPad Air also has landscape stereo speakers with Spatial Audio. The 13-inch model delivers even better sound quality with double the bass.
Over M1 model, the new M2-powered model has a brighter display (and a bigger one in the 13-inch model) but uses the same liquid retina technology, is available in new 512GB and 1TB storage options, gets same cameras and body, and a similar battery life as well. The only major changes would be the M2 chip, more storage options and the new location of the camera.
iPad Air 2024 Vs Galaxy Tab S9
The Apple iPad Air with M2 chip would surely be faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC on the Tab S9. While both of them offer decent hardware, the Galaxy Tab S9 gets you a better display that is an AMOLED panel with a higher 120Hz refresh rate. It also has the S-Pen bundled with the tablet whereas you’ll have to purchase the Apple Pencil Pro separately in case of iPad Air.
Finally, the choice would boil down to which operating system suits your workflow. If you are invested in the Apple ecosystem and want softwares like Final Cut or Logic Pro to work on, the iPad Air is a better pick.
However, if you want to buy a tablet for consuming digital content, are a part of the Android or Samsung ecosystem in specific, have to draw a lot for your work, and want the flexibility of running various Android-based softwares, then the Galaxy Tab S9 is a better pick for a cheaper price tag of Rs 56,999 considering it comes with an S-Pen in the box itself. Overall, we’d say both of them can handle gaming well and other demanding tasks as well but its the software choice that will drive your purchase.
Apple has unveiled its latest iPad Pro 2024 model with a new M4 chip under the hood, making it the first tablet in Apple’s history to get a chip before the MacBook does. While it has some advanced features, India’s price has been set to reflect those features, starting at Rs 99,900, which is definitely quite pricey. To help you out getting it for cheaper in case you have a relative or are planning to travel to a new region, here are the top 3 countries selling the iPad Pro M4 at the cheapest price.
iPad Pro M4: India Price
The Indian pricing for the iPad Pro M4 is set at:
11-inch variant (Wi-Fi)
256GB – ₹99900
512GB – ₹119900
1TB (standard glass) – ₹159900
1TB (nano texture glass) – ₹169900
2TB (standard glass) – ₹199900
2TB (nano texture glass) – ₹209900
11-inch variant (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
256GB – ₹119900
512GB – ₹139900
1TB (standard glass) – ₹179900
1TB (nano texture glass) – ₹189900
2TB (standard glass) – ₹219900
2TB (nano texture glass) – ₹229900
13-inch variant (Wi-Fi)
256GB – ₹129900
512GB – ₹149900
1TB (standard glass) – ₹189900
1TB (nano texture glass) – ₹199900
2TB (standard glass) – ₹229900
2TB (nano texture glass) – ₹239900
13-inch variant (Wi-Fi + Cellular)
256GB – ₹149900
512GB – ₹169900
1TB (standard glass) – ₹209900
1TB (nano texture glass) – ₹219900
2TB (standard glass) – ₹249900
2TB (nano texture glass) – ₹259900
iPad Pro M4: Features
The new iPad Pro features the M4 chip, Apple’s debut processor. Built using second-generation 3-nanometer technology, M4 is a system on a chip (SoC) that advances the power efficiency of Apple silicon and enables the thin design of iPad Pro. Regarding thinness, the iPad Pro M4 is Apple’s thinnest product ever, with just 5.1mm thickness for the 13-inch model and 5.3mm thickness for the 11-inch model.
A new CPU with up to 10 cores has been integrated into M4, while the new 10-core GPU builds on the next-generation GPU architecture introduced in M3 and brings Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and hardware-accelerated mesh shading to iPad for the first time. M4 has Apple’s fastest Neural Engine ever, capable of up to 38 trillion operations per second, which is faster than the neural processing unit of any AI PC today, says Apple.
The highlight of the new iPad Pro is its tandem OLED display that fuses two OLED panels and combines the light from both to provide higher full-screen brightness. The new iPad Pro supports 1000 nits of full-screen brightness for SDR and HDR content, and 1600 nits peak for HDR. The Nano-texture glass option is precisely etched at a nanometer scale, maintaining image quality and contrast while scattering ambient light for reduced glare. It’s essentially a matte finish for the panel.
The updated camera system on the new iPad Pro M4 drops the ultra-wide angle sensor from previous models but the 12MP sensor allows for vibrant Smart HDR images and video with even better colour, improved textures, and detail in low light. It also now features a new adaptive True Tone flash that improves document scanning. Using AI, the new iPad Pro automatically identifies documents right in the Camera app, and if a shadow is in the way, it instantly takes multiple photos with the new adaptive flash, stitching the scan together for a dramatically better scan. The tablet has four studio-quality mics.
On the front, the TrueDepth camera system moves to the landscape location on the new iPad Pro. The Ultra Wide 12MP camera on the front comes with centre-stage support. iPad Pro includes a high-performance USB-C connector with support for Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, delivering fast wired connectivity — up to 40Gb/s. Thunderbolt supports an extensive ecosystem of accessories, including external displays like the Pro Display XDR at its full 6K Resolution and external storage, all connected using high-performance cables and docks. It has Wi-Fi 6E support and 5GeSIM support in cellular models.
Top 3 Countries Selling iPad Pro M4 For Cheapest
While we have an extensive price list for the Indian region available above, we’ll only be comparing the starting prices of both the 13-inch and 11-inch Wi-Fi only models in other countries versus the prices of the Indian counterparts. That should give you an idea of how much cheaper you can get the iPad Pro M4 outside India. The top countries selling the iPad Pro M4 for cheapest are as follows:
United States
The 11-inch model of the iPad Pro M4 begins at $999, while the 13-inch model begins at $1,299. The former translates to approximately Rs 83,400 while the latter converts to Rs 1,08,460. In comparison to India, you get the base trim of 11-inch iPad Pro M4 cheaper by about Rs 16,700 while the 13-inch model can be bought for cheaper, by Rs 21,400. Both of them are cheaper by a considerable amount. The higher model you opt for, the cheaper it gets in the US. For instance, the top model of 13-inch iPad Pro M4 with Wi-Fi and cellular and nano-texture glass goes for $2,599 which is approximately Rs 2,17,000. The same model costs Rs 2,59,900 which makes it a huge difference of Rs 42,900.
Canada
The 11-inch iPad Pro M4 starts at CAD 1,399 (approx Rs 84,930) while the bigger 13-inch variant begins at CAD 1,799 (approx Rs 1,09,200). That’s about the same difference as the US and India pricing but Rs 1,000 more expensive. Even then, it’s still a much better deal than what you get the new iPad Pro in India for. The top model of the 13-inch variant costs approximately Rs 2,19,000 in Canada, which is cheaper by Rs 40,000 compared to India.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, the iPad Pro M4 11-inch Wi-Fi only model costs HKD 7,999 (approx Rs 85,400) which is about Rs 15,000 cheaper than its Indian counterpart. The same trim of the 13-inch model costs HKD 10,499 (approx Rs 1,12,100) that makes it cheaper by Rs 18,000.
Dotdash Meredith, a digital and print content publisher in America, has announced a strategic partnership and licensing agreement with OpenAI. The collaboration will integrate content from Dotdash Meredith’s leading brands into ChatGPT to improve the AI’s responses with verified information.
Partnership Details and Benefits
Under the agreement, OpenAI will incorporate content from Dotdash Meredith brands such as PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, FOOD & WINE, Verywell, InStyle, and Investopedia into ChatGPT. This will allow the AI to provide users with expert content, including recipes, health advice, financial information, and product reviews, directly in its responses, which are linked and attributed to Dotdash Meredith.
Neil Vogel, CEO of Dotdash Meredith, emphasized the importance of compensating publishers for their content and ensuring proper attribution. “This deal signifies OpenAI’s commitment to partnering with content creators and maintaining a healthy Internet ecosystem.”
Brad Lightcap, COO at OpenAI, commented on the partnership, said, “We are excited to bring Dotdash Meredith’s trusted brands into ChatGPT and to develop new AI-driven products and features that advance the publishing and marketing industries.”
Additionally, the partnership will enhance Dotdash Meredith’s intent-based ad-targeting solution, D/Cipher. This platform, which prioritizes user privacy, connects advertisers with consumers based on the context of the content being consumed rather than personal identifiers like cookies. With the integration of OpenAI’s technology, D/Cipher aims to refine its targeting capabilities, offering more precise and effective advertising solutions.
Jon Roberts, Chief Innovation Officer at Dotdash Meredith, highlighted the potential impact of this collaboration. “By leveraging OpenAI’s advanced models, we can significantly improve the granularity and efficacy of D/Cipher’s ad targeting, creating a transformative tool for advertisers in a cookieless future.”
OpenAI’s Growing Network of Media Partnerships
This partnership with Dotdash Meredith adds to a series of collaborations between OpenAI and various media organizations aimed at enhancing its AI models and avoiding copyright litigations. Previous partnerships include agreements with the The Financial Times, Associated Press, Axel Springer, and the American Journalism Project, Le Monde and Prisa Media.
OpenAI has announced its participation in the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) as a steering committee member. Other committee members are Adobe, BBC, Intel, Microsoft, Google, Publicis Groupe, Sony and Truepic.
What is C2PA?
C2PA is an open, technical standards body that is developing standards for certifying the source and history of digital content to address the prevalence of misleading information online. This includes verifying whether content has been altered from its original state.
C2PA combines the efforts of the Content Authenticity Initiative, led by Adobe, which focuses on providing context and history for digital media, and Project Origin, a joint initiative by Microsoft and BBC aimed at combating disinformation in the digital news ecosystem.
“C2PA is playing an essential role in bringing the industry together to advance shared standards around digital provenance,” said Anna Makanju, OpenAI’s VP of Global Affairs. “We look forward to contributing to this effort and see it as an important part of building trust in the authenticity of what people see and hear online.”
“OpenAI’s existing adoption, advocacy, and ongoing commitment to Content Credentials will bring an important voice to our membership’s working efforts to guide the development of the C2PA standard,” said Andrew Jenks, C2PA Chair.
OpenAI recently integrated C2PA metadata standards into its DALL·E 3 image model outputs to enhance transparency and traceability. The company plans to extend these practices to Sora, its upcoming video generation model.
Moreover, OpenAI said in a blog post that its new initiatives are to tackle deceptive digital content, including advanced watermarking and AI-driven detection tools. The company is launching a new image detection classifier, which is now open for testing by select research groups and non-profit journalism organizations through its Researcher Access Program.
The classifier, which has demonstrated a high accuracy rate in identifying AI-generated images, represents a significant step forward in distinguishing between authentic and manipulated content. OpenAI emphasized the importance of these technologies in maintaining digital media’s credibility in a blog post.
In addition, OpenAI is currently working on adding audio watermarking to their custom voice model, Voice Engine, which is currently in a limited research preview. They are continuing their research in the audio segment to ensure that their advancements in audio technologies are transparent and secure. This was announced in a blog post.
OpenAI and Microsoft to promote AI education
In conjunction with these technological advancements, OpenAI and Microsoft are introducing a societal resilience fund to promote AI education and foster broader understanding of AI technologies and their implications. The fund will support various organizations, including Older Adults Technology Services from AARP, International IDEA, and the Partnership on AI.
This multi-faceted approach underscores the critical role of collaboration and transparency in addressing the challenges posed by the rapid advancement of generative AI technologies in content creation.
Google Pixel 8a was expected to arrive at Google I/O 2024, but it arrived a week earlier with features borrowed from its elder siblings, the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. These features include the new Gemini Nano-driven AI enhancements, the new actua display with higher brightness, and much more. However, is it value for money in India, which is such a price-sensitive market, or do you get better options? Let’s have a look.
Google Pixel 8a: India Price, Availability
Pixel 8a is available for pre-order in India on Flipkart since 7th May 2024, with sales commencing at 6:30 am IST on 14th May 2024. Pixel 8a will be priced at Rs 52,999 for the 128GB version and Rs 59,999 for the 256GB variant. Both of them have 8GB RAM. Colour options for the device include Aloe, Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain.
Launch and pre-order offers for Google’s Pixel 8a in India include:
Bank offer of Rs 4,000 and 12 months of no-cost EMI, available with select bank cards
Exchange bonus of Rs 9,000 on select smartphone models
Pre-order offer: Purchase Pixel Buds A-Series at Rs 999 with purchase of Pixel 8a anytime during the pre-order period.
Google Pixel 8a Vs Pixel 8: Specs Comparison
The Pixel 8a sports a 6.1-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a Resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 120Hz Refresh Rate. Further, the display gets a 20:9 aspect ratio, up to 2000 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass 3 protection and 430 ppi of pixel density. In comparison, the Pixel 8 gets a better display with narrower bezels and better brightness along with narrower bezels as well.
The phone is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 SoC, along with 8GB of LPDDR5x RAM. You will get up to 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It runs on Android 14 and will get 7 years of Android OS upgrades, security updates and regular Feature Drops. No major difference lies within the performance department when comparing the Pixel 8a to the Pixel 8.
Pixel 8a comes with a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 64MP f/1.89 IMX787 sensor paired with a 13MP f/2.2 IMX712 ultra-wide-angle sensor. On the front, there is a 13MP f/2.2 sensor as well. This is where the Google Pixel 8 shines again, with bigger Sensors that allow more light to enter, which also helps in better low-light photography.
Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and a USBType-C port. For security, you get an in-display fingerprint sensor and the Titan M2 security chip.
On the battery front, there’s a 4492mAh cell that supports 18W fast wired charging and Qi-certified fast wireless charging. It also has dual stereo speakers and is IP67 certified. The Pixel 8 has a bigger battery with a higher charging speed and an IP68 rating, which protects it better against water and dust.
The Pixel 8 is currently selling for Rs 62,999, and when clubbed with a bank offer, it can be made available for Rs 54,999. While you do miss out on storage with the base model of the Pixel 8 in comparison to the 256GB trim of the 8a, the overall value you get with the Google Pixel 8, keeping storage aside, is unmatched in comparison to the 8a. Due to that, we feel that even buying the Pixel 8 128GB model would be a better deal than the 8a’s 256GB model, and the storage tradeoff is worth it.
Google Pixel 8a vs Samsung Galaxy S23
The Galaxy S23 is available for Rs 51,999 on Flipkart at the time of writing this article and that too, the 256GB model. It’s a steal at that price, especially of the 8a, considering it gets you the latest Galaxy AI features which debuted with the Galaxy S24. While you definitely won’t miss out on AI, you’d get better thermal efficiency too, with the S23 as we have heard multiple reports of Tensor G3 not holding up well during sustained workloads.
Aside from that, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a beast of a chip even more than a year later since its debut. The Galaxy S23 will also get you equally great cameras, a display that may not be as bright but still sufficient for readability under direct sunlight, and much narrower bezels, allowing for a better look and immersive viewing experience. The software is a subjective choice, but the S23 has more customisation on offer and is good for another 3 years. The 8a does offer 7 years of updates, but would you use your phone for that long?
You do compromise on the battery front as the Galaxy S23 has a smaller 3900mAh cell over the 8a’s 4492mAh cell but that should still get you through a day without any issues, a phenomenon we saw both during the initial review of the S23 and when we revisited it 6 months later.
Google Pixel 8a vs OnePlus 12R
If you want raw power, the Pixel 8a just doesn’t cut it with the Tensor G3. However, for an even lower price of Rs 45,999, you can opt for the OnePlus 12R, which not only gets you the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Processor and a curved panel with better bezels but also has a sharper resolution at 1.5K pixels. Apart from that, it has decent cameras but we doubt they’d match the quality of Pixel 8a. That’s just a speculation based on our previous experiences with the brand’s phones.
It does offer a much bigger 5500mAh cell with faster 100W wired charging that makes wireless charging look useless. It may not offer as many updates as the Pixel 8a does, but thanks to better hardware, it will still age well for the next three years.
Google Pixel 8a vs iQOO 12
If you plan to game on your smartphone a lot and again want the latest hardware, then the iQOO 12 is phenomenal value over the Pixel 8a. In fact, both of them have the same starting price. At Rs 52,999, you get more RAM and storage than 8a’s 128GB model, which sells for the same price. At Rs 57,999, which is still cheaper than 8a’s 256GB trim price, iQOO 12’s RAM doubles to 16GB while the storage more than doubles to 512GB.
If that wasn’t enough, you get the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is miles ahead of Tensor G3 in terms of performance, thermal efficiency, and overall efficiency. It has a better display that’s sharper and brighter. The battery size is bigger and the charging speeds are much faster at 120W. We aren’t sure about the camera performance comparison between the two as we haven’t tested the Pixel 8a but what we saw with iQOO 12 during its review, we were far too impressed than what we expected from its camera.
The only department where you compromise is the software one. The software on the iQOO 12 isn’t as neat as Pixel 8a’s, but it’s still very much usable. There are enough customisation options on offer, and it’s snappy as well.
Google Pixel 8a: Is It Worth Buying In India?
If we only consider price and specs, the Pixel 8a may struggle to stand out, not only among its competitors but also compared to its own sibling, the Pixel 8.
If you are considering buying the Google Pixel 8a, we recommend waiting for a while. Google has frequently reduced the prices of its devices in India soon after launch. Sometimes, even just a month later after the phone initially debuted.
