We’ve talked before about how the Google Pixel 7a could render the standard Pixel 7 redundant, and now there’s yet more evidence of that, with a benchmark suggesting Google’s upcoming mid-ranger could actually be more powerful than the Google Pixel 7.
A Geekbench 6 listing (via Tom’s Guide) points to the Pixel 7a having a Tensor G2 chipset and 8GB of RAM, which are two things we’ve heard elsewhere. As for its scores, the phone achieves a single-core score of 1,380, and a multi-core result of 3,071.
Those are both marginally higher than the scores Geekbench has recorded for the standard Pixel 7, with that managing an average of 1,336 for single-core and 3,061 for multi-core. Though it’s worth noting that the scores are close enough that there’s unlikely to be any noticeable difference in real-world use.
This doesn’t bode well for the Pixel 7 given that, in theory, it's framed as a higher-end device, however, with rumors and now this benchmark suggesting the Pixel 7a has the same chipset and RAM amount as the standard Pixel 7, it’s also not surprising that their scores are similar.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro does at least score higher than the 7a though, which is also unsurprising, since while it too has a Tensor G2 chipset, it has more RAM than the Pixel 7a reportedly has, at 12GB. With scores of 1,408 and 3,341 for single and multi-core respectively though, it’s only a little more powerful.
The Pixel 7 Pro also stands out in other ways though, with a higher 120Hz refresh rate display and more cameras than the Pixel 7a is likely to have, whereas – on paper – it seems like the Pixel 7 might not have too many advantages over the 7a, from what we’ve heard so far.
If you like the sound of the Pixel 7a, you should be able to buy it soon, as we’re expecting it to be unveiled during Google IO 2023 on May 10, and we’ve got a guide covering how to watch the launch live if you’re interested.
It's already on sale
That said, if you’re really keen, you might not even have to wait, because a number of Pixel 7a listings have been spotted on eBay by 9to5Google and others.
These don’t show us anything we haven’t seen before – there are pictures of the box, which had previously leaked anyway and, of course, there aren’t any live images of the phone itself, because the sellers don’t want to hurt the value by opening the box.
But this is yet more evidence that the Google Pixel 7a must be launching imminently, and interestingly the prices on these eBay listings aren’t even high, with one likely undercutting the expected $499 retail price at $380 (around £300 / AU$570).
Still, we strongly recommend not buying one of these. Some may not be legitimate listings, and even if they are, you won’t have a warranty, and it’s possible that Google will even remotely disable these phones. So, if you want one of the best Pixel phones, we'd suggest either waiting a little longer or buying a different model that we've already reviewed.
