Google Pixel 4a - Unlocked Android Smartphone - 128 GB of Storage - Up to 24 Hour Battery - Barely Blue

I procure and customize Android devices, specifically Google, as a little side source of income for myself. Needless to say I am surrounded by a ton of phones and about 95% of them I do not like. I gravitate toward pure Google phones because one can tweak them and make them function and operate and perform to the specific individuals needs. I have had every Google phone from the original Pixel right through the 5. This review is about the 4a so I won't elaborate on why I dislike models past the 5. I will only say that they're just too darn BIG. I found this phone on Amazon being sold as "used, like new" from Amazon stock and I already knew that if it's coming directly from Amazon stock that it's not going to be some discarded vendor phone with a attachment of a service provider or bloatware, etc. (because Amazon is careful the screen what they sell from their own stock because they stand behind it 100% 😁). Even though I have a whole bunch of phones from which to choose, I use a Pixel 4a5g as my primary phone but it started to feel a little bit too large for me and holding it just hurt my hand for lack of better description. I don't like large phones. I always keep two primary phones and my secondary phone, that I had for almost 6 years, finally gave up so I was in the market to replace it. I wanted something smaller than the 4a5g, which I do continue to use. Google's phones just keep getting bigger so I sought out what might still be available with Android updates, has a decent battery life, and is small and appealing and I found the 4a. I ADORE IT! I could probably write a book about all the reasons that you should buy this phone but it would take a zillion years to do so and certainly blow up Amazon's servers SO I will synopsize. ✓ It is a nice, pleasant to hold size and is very suitable and comfortable to hold for extended periods of time while texting or viewing websites or videos; ✓ right out of the box you will be able to update to Android 13 and receive updates, I believe for the next 3 years; ✓ it does not come with a bunch of bloatware which people usually try to get rid of by rooting their phones and therefore destroying warranty and usually screwing up their phones. Right out of the box you can customize it to perform to your personal satisfaction; ✓ battery life is absolutely fantastic! On paper the battery doesn't look like it would be so great but, au contraire, I've been texting and looking at YouTube videos and shopping online since 8:30 this morning (it's 3:19 right now so that's almost 8 hours) and my battery is still at 86% 😮! EXCELLENT!; ✓ it does not come with wireless charging built in but you can purchase a wireless adapter (get "short" if you don't want the finger print unlock covered up) for about $15 and the charging world is beautiful; ✓ unlike most of the newer phones, this one came with the charger, c cord, as well as the adapter so you can zap the contents of your existing phone right smack over to your new 4a before you get done deciding on what to make for dinner; ✓ phone is very responsive and does not start lagging even with multiple websites, facebook, and Amazon shopping open and active; ✓ screen resolution is exceptional and does NOT force dark mode as many of the current models do; ✓ easily accessible full developer mode allows you to tweak the settings so that the phone performs and looks the way YOU want it to; ✓ has fingerprint unlock as well as custom bezel configuration; ✓ cutout can be easily hidden for those that find it annoying as I do (on other brands of phones you're stuck with the thing 😡); ✓ camera quality is absolutely excellent for both stills and videos as well as wide and landscape modes. For those desiring a camera camera camera type of mode, I usually install "open camera" for my clients. It allows you to tweak the heck out of everything and make the phone perform as a camera... There is absolutely no need to spend ridiculous amounts of money to get one of those phones that boasts about their camera... just install that app and I can't imagine anything else you could possibly need; I quite literally could go on for pages about what I love about this phone but it would take forever. I cannot find any flaws about it at all. I'm absolutely thrilled to have a phone that is a comfortable size and performs as I want it to. The only drawback that might even be something to be thought of is if you keep your phone for 10 or 12 years is that you are capped at 4G. BUT if you live in the United States that shouldn't be an issue at all for the next decade. I told you that my phone of 7 years finally died. It was working beautifully at 3G. It just got worn out. I do know a bit about customizing and programming phones and that might be why my lasted so long but with a little bit of care yours should be able to last just as long and don't be scared off by the 4G. It will last WELL into the future. I am absolutely thrilled with my purchase! If you are in the market for an unlocked fully customizable phone, and you want one that isn't as big as a freaking cereal box sitting in front of you, this is the way to go!

[May 7, 2021 thoughts on Pixel 4a, ordered November 8, 2020 and used daily ever since] PROS: Form factor and weight- This is the best marriage I have found. Fantastic screen real estate, sensible (ideal?) resolution, and just terrific dimensions for me. This thing is light weight for its size, and I love that more than I can possibly express. Hand fatigue has been all but completely eliminated. Give me plastics, baby! I have no desire for metals that don't add to functionality (and apparently, from something I saw on YouTube, this phone is insanely rugged, even with a plastic shell). Glass is always heavier and less durable than other materials choices, and it's just altogether not well suited for the backside of a mobile handset, IMO. I think Apple charges $550 to replace the back glass on most modern iPhones. This Pixel 4a is the total package and stickers for $200 less than the price of Apple's back glass repair. Price:Performance- While I can't compare this phone to another of its kind with a higher performing Qualcomm, I am never wanting for speed. This phone has been wonderfully fluid and performant for my day-to-day needs. The lean Android experience on the Pixel line really lets its mid-range Qualcomm shine. I most recently carried both an iPhone 7 Plus and 2020 SE, and both proved plenty fast for anything I do; this 4a is no exception. Background app refreshes seem to be on par with what I had using 3GB iPhones. No real surprises. My day-to-day habits seem mostly unaffected by any background app refreshes I've noticed. I think the 6GB of memory strikes a good balance for the 4a. I don't game. Well, I play some chess now and again, including occasional analysis using very demanding engines (Stockfish, etc), but in general I can't comment on gaming performance. Battery- Battery life and charging time have been lovely. I seldom charge to 100-percent, instead I prefer to just give little 5- to 15-minute charges periodically during the day, while keeping the battery in the 30- to 70-percent range where possible. This thing charges way, way faster than my older 7 Plus and 2020 SE iPhones and overall battery life is likely comparable or better from what I can gather (very unscientifically). I leave it to the readers to determine how important battery life is and do some research of their own. Camera- It's so good it doesn't even make sense. Shooting stills, the 4a smashes my old iPhone 7 Plus my a wide margin and the 2020 SE couldn't hold a candle either. I think that's being objective. I've had quite a bit of low-level, professional photography training at University level and time behind the lens of DSLRs, and I'm quite astonishing that I can get such quality images from the 4a. The software image processing is pure magic. I have kids, and they're the important subjects for me. I'd guessed the 4a might struggle with motion, particularly in lower light, which would have been a deal-breaker for me, but this thing takes "keepers" practically every single time. Glorious. Most already know how well Pixel phones shoot non-moving subjects, so I won't carry on about that. It's an exciting camera experience. Concerning video, the 1080p 30- and 60-frame shooting has not disappointed either, and the image stabilization is truly excellent. I don't mess with 4k on phones (yet), so no comment there. I don't take selfies, so I won't comment on the front-facing camera either. Android- The gesture navigation is fantastic, particularly the ability to go back by swiping in from either the left- or right-hand side of the display. Massively convenient and easy on the hands. Updates/security patches are crucial for me, and with a Pixel, scorching fast updates are what you get, and support duration bests most Android-based OEMs. Fingerprint recognition- Works as well and as fast as any I've experienced. Thought the rear placement would bug me. It absolutely does not. Rear placement is probably my preference now. Well executed. I like. CONS: Audio volume/intensity- The 4a just doesn't get as loud as some other modern handsets. It's tricky to listen to a podcast or whatever when I'm doing dishes, for example. That said, the audio quality is perfectly satisfactory, to me. Google Search- There's a Google search bar installed by default on the home screen. I leave mine there and find it useful. When tapped, you're presented with the ability to "search apps, web, and more..." (much like the search on iOS when you pull down from the top). Google/Android learns over time, so that eventually it can quickly present you with what you're most likely to want. Works great, more often than not. But the problem for me is that it's inconsistent with regards to displaying apps. It must be that about 20-percent of the time it doesn't display apps, so I'm forced to swipe up from the bottom of the display to close the interface, then tap the Google search bar again before it populates apps in the query. I can't figure out what causes this for the life of me, and I've owned an IT MSP for years, so this ain't my first rodeo with tech devices! Frustrating, but muscle memory makes this only a half-second affair to correct. Dependability- I've long used the same MVNO for cell service, which I mention only because there exists a small possibility that it's of importance here: I've found a few occasions where I can't place phone calls. To fix, for some reason, a reboot was required. I haven't had any issues in the past few months, but it's probably because I've changed habits; now, whenever there's an update to something low-level from Android (not just a basic app update), I reboot the phone. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?? Anyway, I'd have a "need" to reboot an iPhone maybe once every six months, outside of forced reboots from doing an iOS update. To have had to monthly (or maybe even more frequently) reboot this 4a in order to connect phone calls (with no warning as to any trouble, unless I attempted to place a call and "connect the dots") is unfortunate. I don't like to have to think about mitigating critically buggy behavior by rebooting my phone from time to time. OLED- I'm sensitive to flicker, so I basically hate OLED. My daily driver laptop is a ThinkPad T480s LARGELY because its 1080p IPS is flicker-free (no PWM). This 4a gives me viewing fatigue after a relatively short while. On the 4a, unless you're at max brightness (exactly 100-percent), you can expect flicker in the ~122 to 255Hz range. That's too low for me. I would prefer an LCD, like the ones I had in my iPhone 7 Plus or 2020 SE. I could view those endlessly without fatigue- read books on them, you name it. But the industry does trend, and trend it does for the contrast ratio specs and inky blacks the kids rave about these days {rolls eyes}. Overall: This is probably the finest overall set of compromises I've ever found in a cell phone, and I've owned many of them since 1994. I'm highly satisfied with this handset, and I think very little could realistically be done today to improve upon the formula that is the Pixel 4a. Google has made a proper phone for adults. 9/10 DO recommend!

This phone for one thing has an awesome camera which I use for everything. I was getting so used to not getting clear sharp or correctly exposed photos with the Moto I had before. I struggled to get a clear closeup or sometimes even distant photos with the Moto. With this phone I am amazed, I get nicely exposed and clear pictures in all light levels. I use my phone to document items and even documents using the photo scan app and it works perfectly. I couldn’t have done that with Moto it just wouldn’t happen the camera and app on Motorola is horrible and I got no help from Motorola at all it’s a defect numerous people have. With this camera I have none of that the pics are just crystal clear and I don’t have to stand on my head and pray just for a good pic. Thanks Google. I like google everything it just works! Thank you! I can get perfect pictures for my reviews on Google maps and Amazon etc. I couldn’t do that before! The camera is important to me because I don’t carry my big digital camera anymore it’s just to much hassle. I want a nice clear picture taking camera that’s easy to use and quick! I use the camera more than phone calls and text so I really love this phone! I find that the camera functions can do very extensive things and for once they are easy to use which I didn’t have before. Google please keep it up make a camera that is good and easy to use and just works! I haven’t commented on the actual phone functions as I just live for the camera! I use it to document my old pictures and convert them to digital and store them on Google Photos, love it. I’ve done the old way trying to store on a desktop computer on hard drives, discs and flash drives and a scanner. Not anymore I had to re digitize my old paper pictures to google and I can access them effortlessly using Google Photos. I’m sold, I use Google for everything now. I’m 65 and this digital apps, camera phone and Google pics is just so much easier to do. The camera itself works excellent and menus are so much better and easier to use. I will probably be back to revisit this review as I discover more things about the Pixel 4a. Thanks again for a good phone at a reasonable cost.

I'm coming from a samsung android note 9. Loved my note 9 but turns out I'm not that good with big bulky all glass expensive phones... Who woulda thought🤔 ... My whole back of my note 9 phone was shattered and the screen was cracked and I had an otterbox on it the entire time I had the thing. Long story short I bought the phone out after 2 years to switch services and when I went to switch they took my case off to switch sim cards and it was a shattered mess which I was highly disappointed about because I thought it was in good shape!. I could have gotten it fixed for around $400 or I could get a different phone. I didn't want nothing hella expensive I'm tired of having to pay extra for phone payments and then just breaking them because obviously I'm just not good with phones! I wanted something budget friendly with a good quality camera but still similar to androids system. I've been team android forever now I just really don't care for their picture quality though, I have tried iphone out as well I had the iphone x and it just wasn't for me, however I did love the picture quality, so since I've tried both ios and android and have certain things I like and disliked for both of them I figured it was time to give pixels a try! Pros: This phone is cute, little, and light weight phone, but like not so little that the screens no good. The screen to phone ratio is super nice and makes the phone feel smaller with a good sized screen. Which is what I wanted I was over having huge, heavy bulky phones, I have little hands and I constantly was dropping my bigger phones... Picture quality is awesome! It def beats android and I think it might even beat iphones! Easy set up with transferring from my old phone to this one. The backs plastic! Which that was what I was looking for! People complain that "oh its so boring looking with the plain black plastic back"... I don't get it, so youd rather have a pretty glass back that you end up covering with a bulky case... Cause that makes so much sense... I like how you can either have the navigation buttons or you can use the swipe controls. I like this so your not stuck with one or the other. battery lifes pretty good the charge seems to last me as long as my note 9 did. It def seems very durable. I do have a screen protector along with a case on this phone, not even a good case or screen protector just something cheap I grabbed. I've dropped the phone a few times now and no have had no issues! Volume is also pretty good Cons: My biggest pet peeves with this phone isssss I hate the way screen shots are on this phone! Okay so the power button and the volume down button is how you take screen shots, which is normal for screen shots but on this phone the volume buttons and the power button are on the same side which makes it awkward to do and then sometimes when doing it the volume bar will pop up and turn everything all the way down and the bar just stays there which is annoying.... I don't like how there's not as much customization as androids would have, such as changing the themes and stuff which sorta disappoints me. Conclusion: All in all, the pixel 4a really is not a bad budget phone for people like me that are just to rough for these high end all glass, thousand dollar phones... I would eventually like to get one of the nicer pixels this one was mostly to try it out and see if I even like them before getting one of the more expensive ones later down the road. Nice thing about pixels even there higher end phones such as the pixel 5 arent robbing you like some of these dang androids and iphones are! If your looking for a nice budget phone you won't go wrong getting this one. Would recommend!

I had the Pixel 3a XL prior to ordering this phone, but my wife needed a better phone, so I ordered this one and gave her my 3a XL as she wanted the larger size. My biggest concern was the screen size difference, but with the slim bezels on the 4a, the overall screen size is really not much different when compared to the 3a XL. You can see a slight difference when you hold them side to side, but in practical terms of use, its very neglible. As for the phone itself... I love it! It has the awesome camera I have come to love with the Pixel lineup, the fingerprint reader is still in place, it has more memory and RAM than the prior model and the size is much more manageable than the 3a XL was. While I do have very large hands, the smaller physical size of the phone is just much easier to handle, and much easier to operate one handed. Prior to my Pixel 3a XL, I had the Huawei Mate 10 Pro - which I absolutely loved. I have also had Nexus and Galaxy phones, as well as a few other more budget friendly phones. For the MONEY - this phone is an absolute slam dunk! Everything you need, nothing you don't. Full Transparency - I am not a gamer, so I can not attest to how it holds up in heavy gaming. But beyond that, it works wonderfully. If there is any downside, it is the battery. Not that it's small... I have gotten through all day on more than one occasion. However, with my slightly more than average use, I do find myself needing to top off late in the evening. The good news is that in as little as 15 mins, this thing will charge up 50% or more, so it's not a huge deal. If you are going to go out for the evening, just plug it up while you are getting ready, and you'll be more than good to go! They claim that the adaptive battery software will continue to optimize the phone's battery life over time, so we'll see how that goes. But despite that, it is still a phone I would recommend ALL DAY LONG, especially when comparing to other phones in this price point. Oh, and having just one color choice?? What does that really matter, especially when virtually all of us put some sort of case on the phone. There's a good variety of cases to add color, so don't let that stop you.

I love this phone. Please keep in mind, I've never owned a flagship phone, usually sticking to phones I could buy outright for less than $200. That said, I was ready for a new phone and did a lot of research. I also had a chance to spend some time with a Pixel 4 to compare it. So the following are my impressions: First off, what's different from the Pixel 4: You are missing the aluminum frame, the facial recognition, the edge squeeze, the water resistance, a specific camera lens and some camera features, wireless charging, and an 800 series processor. I think that's about it. The thing is, other than the water resistance, I personally don't miss any of that. What you get in return is a slightly bigger screen, a better battery, and a brighter screen (you have to use adaptive brightness for it to work). This is also a fair bit lighter. Also a personal preference is that I prefer the fingerprint reader over facial recognition. For me it's the perfect little phone. Full disclosure, I paid about $260 since I bought it from Amazon Warehouse. Nonetheless, this phone hits all the right spots for me. It is light, it has a clear and bright screen, it is fast, takes amazing pictures, it isn't bloated with preinstalled apps, and is future proof in that you can update for 3 years, the sound is pretty great, and honestly I can't find much to complain about. The only thing I wish this had was the water resistance. Accidents happen. Also keep in mind that this is plastic with an outdated Guerilla 3 screen. Buy a case. Buy a screen protector. If you do, I can't see why this phone won't be a great phone for you unless you only buy the $1000 flagships with all the bells and whistles, in which case, why are you even reading this review? One last thought. The battery is fine by me. I can make it through the day and longer with moderate use. No wireless charging, but it charges from zero to full in pretty much less than an hour, so I always find time within the day to plug it in and then I'm good to go. Usually at dinner time or whatever when I don't want to be disturbed anyway. Had a chance to to go with the Pixel 4, chose to go with this instead (mostly because the Pixel 4 screen is waaaaay to dim). Thanks Google for this amazing cheap phone!

I love this phone! My old phone was slow and froze frequently within the first few months of having it, but the Pixel 4a has none of those problems! The camera is amazing, and has a lot of great settings and options. I will attach a regular picture and a portrait mode picture to show the clarity and great quality. The camera is also quickly accessable by double tapping the lock button on the side of the phone. I noticed that Google Duo has a share screen feature that is available on the Pixel 4a, but not a lot of other phones, and I enjoy having that option. The fingerprint reader works great. The battery lasts a very long time. I use my phone very frequently and usually charge it to 70 or 80% to preserve battery life. Even with all the usage, I usually only have to charge it once a day. It would definitely take a while to die with a full charge so no worries there. The thing I came across the most while researching the phone prior to purchasing was "it's a great budget phone" and I 100% agree. I'm no tech expert, but as a regular user, I can say this is the best phone I have ever had. In comparison with the Pixel 4 (which I do not have), the Pixel 4a does have a headphone jack, but does not have wireless charging or the squeeze feature, and is not water-resistant. I have the phone in "Just Black" and it is very nice and sleek with a white lock button. There were originally no navigation buttons and the phone directed me to use gestures but I was able to get the navigation buttons that I prefer in the settings. Overall it's a great phone and I highly recommend it.

The Google Pixel 4a provides the absolute best Android experience, for the cheapest price. Hands down! That cannot be contested. From the software updates (I installed Android 12 yesterday), to the features, to the camera, to the size, display, audio quality...everything. The biggest con might be the processor; it's not the fastest, most buttery experience out there, but by no means is it unstable or frustrating (with the stock Android launcher). But, there is a huge glaring problem with this phone, and it is the screen - and I believe it is a software issue. It is not a common issue, but it affects enough people (myself included) for it to not be ignored. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Google is doing; ignoring this issue. Approximately 3 months after purchasing this phone, an update rendered the screen extremy buggy, making it almost unusable. I mean, I can use it with some trickery here and there, but it is a very frustrating, unreliable experience. After the update, I got 3 dead zones on my screen - two the bottom half, and one at the very top. I can no longer swipe down pull-down the notification tray; I have to turn the phone to landscape or use the fingerprint sensor. Typing is a nightmare, and selecting "Ok" and "Cancel", and "Not Now" prompts are almost impossible. It takes dozens of presses and hoping my finger somehow lands on a miniscule part of the screen that recognises it. Filling it forms? Forget it. Emails? It's quicker to boot up my PC, type it out and send it from there, than using this frustating nightmare of a phone. In fact, just trying to write this review is a pain in the butt - I accidentally hit "Submit" four times already, at various points in writing this. And I am absolutely certain this is a software issue, as there are times where it works for brief moments (a few seconds or minutes if I'm lucky) before it reverts to this nightmare. Another reason why I know it's a software issue is if I slide my hands over those dead zones quickly enough, the input registers. It's not a fix though, as tapping them is still near impossible. And what is Google doing about it? Absolutely nothing! You should go to Google's support forum - hundreds, upon hundreds of complaints about this issue and the pinch-to-zoom or multi-touch not working - and all Google does, is have their volunteer users suggest factory resets, toggling on/off high-sensitivity mode, booting into safe mode, wait for another update, restarting the phone, or removing the screen protector. How successful were these suggestions? I bought this phone late 2019. A March 2020 update caused the problem. I've tried all of these things, repeatedly, for months on end, and have updated my phone with every update...recently updating to Android 12, AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS! I really, really, really want to love this phone. I sort of do; it nails everything for me. But this freaking screen issue is driving me crazy! I feel like I've wasted my money with this phone. I can't even, in good conscience, sell it to anyone. I love some of the Android features exclusive to Pixels, and I really want to purchase the Pixel 6, but I cannot afford it right now. The 4a is what I can afford, but I'm scared to purchase this phone again, with the possibility that I can end up with the same exact problem, and absolutely no care or support from Google. Be warned; this phone is excellent...but only if it works as intended. Good luck. *This is my 6th attempt to write this review. And what should have taken me 3 mins, took 15 :(

Good phone with low price and very light on the hands.

هاتف جميل جدا و ما عمرة علق معي و البطارية كويسة و صارلي ٢٠ يوم تقريبا استخدمه شكرا للبائع و شكرا لامازون

Fa tutto quel che dice, è velocissimo, bello...peccato solo per la batteria che a seconda dei giorni non arriva neanche a fine giornata 🤷🏽

Phone failed to charge when USB-C cables have been used (including the one provided in the box). All these wires are tested to be working on other electronic devices.

Espantoso.A los 10 meses de haberlo comprado la batería está completamente muerta.