Pixel 4A review: Impressive camera and a battery that beats the iPhone SE

2020 has definitely been a garbage year but it's unexpectedly been a good year for budget phones joining alongside the iPhone SE and the Galaxy A 51 is the pixel for a So let's dive right into Google's newest phone. [MUSIC] The pixel for a cost $349 and comes in one colour black and one size. As in there's no pixel for a Excel. It's a cheaper version of 2019 pixel four but unlike the flagship, the pixel four a doesn't have a second telephoto camera, a 90 hertz display, wireless charging water resistance or motion sensing features. It does however, have a headphone jack, a slightly larger screen and a bigger battery. And while its processor isn't as powerful as a Pixel 4, the 4a does come with 128 gigs of storage right off the bat. Besides its affordable price, the Pixel 4a's main draw is its camera, which it shares with the main camera on the Pixel 4. At times the HDR effects and contrast can look unrealistic. But overall, the cinematic quality of its photos make it one of the more impressive, and intuitive cameras to use. These photos I took outdoors had a lot of fine details and crisp contrast. In this picture the camera was pointed directly towards the sun, and this one was taken in the dim shade against a bright sun drenched lake. Both were tricky lighting situations, but the photos came out well exposed. This photo was taken with a phone's seven x super resin zoom. Though the person sitting on the lawn looks muddled the fact that I can still make them out 400 feet away is impressive. Like previous pixel phones the pixel 4a can take pictures in very low light, known as night sight and portrait images. [SOUND] Shooting video was also a great, the pixel 4a uses a combination of optical image stabilization and software to stabilize footage. When I recorded video while walking on the sidewalk and riding one hand on a bicycle on a paved trail, the videos were stable and smooth. [MUSIC] The pixel for a comes with Android 10 out of the box and features a few new updates. You can now live transcribe phone and video calls including ones made on non native apps like Facebook messenger. Real time transcription for audio recordings, which debuted on the pixel four and is for english only can now be prompted by google assistant and saved to google drive. And like all of Google's phones, the pixel four a will be one of the first phones in line to receive OS and software updates. When they're ready to roll out from Google, the pixel 4a has a plain polycarbonate body. So it makes it really clear that you're getting a budget version of the pixel 4. It doesn't have that kind of elegance of the iPhone SE or that cool glossiness of the galaxy a 51 And unlike the pixel four, it doesn't have that silky smooth higher refresh rate display. But the pixel four a has a better battery life than the pixel four. with mild usage the phone lasted all day, no problem without a charge. Tests for continuous video playback on airplane mode averaged 18 hours and 45 minutes which is an excellent time. For comparison last year's pixel three a lasted about 16.5 hours while the pixel four clocked in only 10 hours. We're going to conduct more battery tests on the pixel four a with streaming video. And when those results are in update the written review with a final rating, so does the pixel four a have the best camera on any phone?. Which is to say does the pixel four still have the best camera now? Not necessarily. When the Pixel 2 came out in 2017, the delta between Google's camera and other Android phones at that time felt pretty wide. And when the Pixel 3 introduced Night Sight, it was like witchcraft levels of impressive. These days though, rivals like Apple, Samsung and OnePlus have closed the gap when it comes to important camera features. Like low light photos and zoom. Instead, I think the better question to ask is, is this the best phone with the best camera that you can get for $350? Considering that the Pixel 4a will receive prompt software updates, has a long battery life from what we've seen so far. And a headphone jack, then I believe the answer is yes. I'd venture to say that for its price, the pixel for a truly has one of the best cameras on a phone and these days anybody The amount of money that you can save is crucial. [MUSIC] That's it for me. Let me know what you think about the pixel four a in the reader comments. And for more tech videos, check out the rest of cnet's channel. Stay safe be well and I'll see you all next time.