The Pixel 8A is powered by Google's Tensor G3 chipset with 8GB of RAM, just like the Pixel 8 series. That means it will be able to take advantage of a lot of its capabilities the same software wizard Google showed off the debut of its flagship devices last year, including Audio Magic Eraser, which lets you erase unwanted sounds in video clips (like sirens); Magic Editor, which lets you move subjects and let the software generate a background to fill in the space; and Best Take, which can replace someone's face in a photo by cutting it out of a similar photo, which comes in handy when someone blinks and ruins an otherwise perfect shot.
This phone can also use Google's Gemini Nano major language model. To enable Gemini Nano, you'll need to go into the Pixel's developer settings and check a box that says you agree to run experimental features that may or may not work perfectly. When enabled, Gemini Nano will give you access specific AI features on the device, such as summarizing in Google's Recorder app and Smart Reply in Gboard. Gemini Nano will be available in a future software update, but Google has confirmed that while the default assistant in this device will remain Google Assistant, you replace it with its Gemini assistant easy out of the box, just like you can do on most other Android phones these days.
Speaking of which, just like the Pixel 8 series, Google is promising seven years of software updates on this phone. That makes the Pixel 8A one of the few devices under $500 to get such a long software support period. Google also offers the same built-in VPN feature. The device comes with 128GB of storage, and there's now a 256GB option, although that's limited to the Obsidian color. The other colors of the Pixel 8A are Bay, Porcelain and a beautiful new Aloe.