Technologies

Google Pixel 7A: 3 Months Later, It’s Still a Great Affordable Pick

The Pixel 7A still shines for its design and camera. But if you can wait, it’s worth seeing what the Pixel 8 has to offer.

When I reviewed the Pixel 7A back in May, I praised it for its sleek design, great cameras and resemblance to the pricier Pixel 7. Revisiting the phone three months later has only reinforced those impressions — along with reiterating other pros and cons about the device.

Google has a strong track record for updating the software on its Pixel phones years after their release with new features and functionality, which keeps its devices feeling fresh. And the same should hold true for the Pixel 7A. But since we’re likely just a couple of months away from Google announcing its Pixel 8 lineup, the big question is whether it’s worth buying the Pixel 7A now or whether you should wait for the Pixel 8.

Read more: Pixel 8: All the Major Rumors About Google’s Next Phone

While we don’t know what to expect from Google’s next-generation phone, the answer will largely depend on the Pixel 8’s price, and whether it comes with any compelling new features. Google typically announces its next Pixel line in October, and may drastically markdown the Pixel 7 series in the lead up which could make it a better buy than the 7A.

I generally recommend waiting until Google holds its next major product launch before making a purchasing decision. But if you need a new Android phone now and are eyeballing the Pixel 7A, rest assured that you’ll get a great camera and useful software features in a package that feels just right: Not too big and not too small.

Screen is just the right size, but too dim

The Pixel 7A’s 6.1-inch size feels like the perfect balance between portability and spaciousness. It’s big enough to comfortably read news stories, make video calls and scroll through social media, but doesn’t feel like a burden when I hold it.

Samsung does a better job at cramming a giant screen into a compact design. Take the Galaxy S23 as an example which has the same-sized screen but feels smaller to hold — although at $800 it’s significantly more expensive than the Pixel 7A.

While I appreciate the Pixel 7A’s size, the screen looks too dim outdoors. When I used the Pixel 7A outside, even on an overcast day, I had to boost the screen’s brightness all the way up to comfortably view it. The $449 Galaxy A54 5G has a 6.4-inch display that can get brighter than the Pixel 7A’s, but it’s worth noting that my colleague Andrew Lanxon found the Samsung phone compared less favorably to Google’s Pixel phones in most other respects.

Three months later, I still enjoy the Pixel 7A’s sharp design. I’ve courageously been using it without a case, and the «snow» white model has stayed surprisingly clean. After years of experimenting with the Pixel’s design language, I think Google finally found the right look for its phones. Google introduced the Pixel’s current aesthetic, which is sleek and minimalist but draws attention to the camera, with the Pixel 6, and I hope it sticks with this direction.

Battery life is OK

The Pixel 7A’s battery life is adequate but not noteworthy, although it’s about on par with the more expensive Galaxy S23 series. On a full charge, the Pixel 7A was able to get me through a full day with some breathing room in the evening. On a typical work day, which for me involves taking my phone off its charger at around 8 or 8:30 a.m. and going to bed between 11 and 11:30 p.m., the Pixel 7A had 46 to 56% of its battery left by the time I turned out the lights.

That’s enough to make me feel at ease if I was going out after work and didn’t have time to plug in my phone at my desk. But like most phones, you wouldn’t want to forget to charge it overnight.

The Pixel 7A also performed better than the entire Galaxy S23 lineup on CNET’s three-hour battery test, which involves streaming the same video on YouTube continuously and measuring the battery level at each hour. The Pixel 7A had 85% of its battery left after the third hour, while the Galaxy S23 had 81%, the S23 Plus had 84% and the S23 Ultra had 82%.

That may sound impressive for a phone that’s so much cheaper than Samsung’s flagship lineup. But there are a few important caveats to consider. Samsung’s phones have brighter displays with higher refresh rates compared to the Pixel 7A.

Google’s phone also performed slightly worse than the Galaxy S23 Plus and Ultra, and about the same as the Galaxy S23, on a separate battery test meant to simulate real-world usage. After this 45-minute test, which involves playing games, streaming video, browsing social media and making a video call for 10 minutes, the Pixel 7A had 92% of its battery left. The Galaxy S23 had 91%, while the Plus model had 95% and the Ultra had 94%.

All told, the Pixel 7A has about average battery life, which more or less lines up with my findings when I reviewed it in May.

The camera takes great photos for the price

The Pixel 7A’s 64-megapixel main camera takes sharp and colorful photos, as I noted in my original review. There’s also a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera for capturing shots from a broader field of view.

It doesn’t compare to the camera you’d get on a high-end phone like the Pixel 7 Pro or Galaxy S23 Ultra, and it shouldn’t since those phones are significantly more expensive. But the Pixel 7A’s photos still included an impressive amount of detail and contrast. In the photo below, you can even spot grains of salt on the shishito peppers.

And in the photo below, the shadows visible in the flower petals really makes the image pop.

Still, the Pixel 7A struggled with sharpness and clarity when photographing groups of people in a dim indoor setting. Take a look at the photo below, which was taken in Barcade in New York. The glowing neon sign and Ninja Turtles logo on the screen of an arcade cabinet are impressively sharp, but all the people in the scene look blurry.

Software updates bring new features

I’ve come to appreciate Google’s tendency to release new features for its Pixel phones over time. Google calls these updates Feature Drops, and the Pixel 7A (along with Google’s other phones) received one in June, about a month after its launch. The update brought new cinematic and emoji-themed wallpapers, the ability to use safety features through the Google Assistant, real-time location sharing with emergency contacts, and a new timer feature for the camera app that lets you start a countdown by raising your palm. The Recorder app also received some updates, including support for exporting transcripts to Google Drive and the ability to create speaker-labeled video clips.

Thankfully, I haven’t had to use any of the safety features, although it’s nice to see Google expanding those capabilities. The new cinematic wallpaper option, which applies an effect to your photos that emphasizes the subject in the foreground, is fun to play around with. However, I noticed it sometimes crops in on subjects too closely. It turned a selfie of my husband and I in Seoul into a close-up photo of just his face.

These features aren’t as impactful as what you might expect from a full Android update, or even Samsung’s One UI upgrades for its Galaxy phones. But it shows that Google is thinking about how to keep its phones feeling fresh and relevant over time. I’m hoping to see even more in this regard as Google’s in-house Tensor processors grow more advanced.

When Google announced its Tensor chip in 2021 with the Pixel 6 series, it talked about how the processor would improve features that rely on machine learning. That includes tasks such as photo editing and voice-powered features like language translation and dictation. Continuing to add new features like this over time would be another way for Google to make good on that pledge.

Is it worth buying the Pixel 7A right now?

That answer depends on a few things. First, it might be worth waiting to see what Google has in store for the Pixel 8. That answer all depends on the Pixel 8. Google usually announces new Pixel phones in the fall, and the new model will likely have a new Tensor processor, some camera upgrades and a larger screen than the Pixel 7A.

However, the gap between Google’s A-series phones and standard flagships is getting slimmer, as the Pixel 7A proved. It feels like Google is targeting the same audience with its Pixel 7A and its standard non-Pro Pixels: Shoppers who want an affordable Android phone with a great camera. If the Pixel 8 ends up being an iterative update to the Pixel 7, the cheaper Pixel 7A could end up being the better choice.

If you need a phone right now, the Pixel 7 is also currently on sale for $449 making it roughly the same price as the Pixel 7A which is discounted to $444. The Pixel 7 has a larger screen and a more advanced camera (although truthfully I couldn’t see much of a difference between photos taken on the Pixel 7 and 7A). There’s a chance Google could be clearing out inventory of the Pixel 7 in advance of the Pixel 8, but we’ll have to wait to know for sure.

Technologies

Wild Weather Ahead: Here’s How 2024 Is Shaping Up After the Hottest Year on Record

The climate crisis is impacting communities around the world. Here’s what to know about dealing with extreme weather in 2024.

We just lived through the hottest year since recordkeeping began more than a century ago, but before too long when we look back at 2023, it might not stand out as the pinnacle of extreme heat.

That’s because it’s unlikely to be the only hottest year that we experience. Our climate is changing, growing warmer due to the emissions from burning fossil fuels, and our weather is changing with it. It’s possible that this year may turn out to be hotter still.

In March, scientists from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said February 2024 was the hottest February according to records that stretch back to 1940. The news came on the heels of their report in early January that, as expected, 2023 was indeed the hottest year on record. Temperatures closed in on the critical 1.5-degree Celsius rise above preindustrial levels, after which we will see irreversible damage to the planet. These aren’t freak outliers: The extreme heat we’re experiencing is something we’ll need to be prepared to deal with on a much more regular basis, along with storms, floods and drought.

Later in March, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its spring outlook, predicting that most of the continental US and Alaska will see above-average temperatures from April through June. The risk of flooding, it said, will ease during the three-month period because of «historically low winter snow cover» in large parts of the country.

A key trend highlighted by the US government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment, published in November, was that climate change is provoking extreme weather events across the country that are both more frequent and more severe. It pointed to an increase in heatwaves and wildfires in the West over the past few decades, the increased drought risk in the Southwest over the past century and more extreme rainfall east of the Rockies. Hurricanes have also been intensifying, as those who have found themselves in the path of a storm know all too well.

You’ll need to be prepared. Extreme weather is going to have a widespread impact on industry, society and individuals. Last year in the US there were 25 extreme weather events with losses amounting to over $1 billion that resulted in the deaths of 464 people. People lost their homes, saw personal property damaged or suffered mental and physical health issues.

Three months into 2024, we’re staring down the barrel of another potentially record-setting hot year. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the US is now better prepared than ever and we know what steps you can take to better deal with these unwelcome events. When it comes to weather, forewarned is forearmed.

The US has been taking active steps. The Biden administration has provided funding to build resilient communities, and a new (as of September 2023) National Climate Resilience Framework, which should provide the US with a whole range of protections. These include conserving water resources, modernizing and strengthening the electric grid against weather and disasters and building infrastructure to protect communities and ecosystems from sea level rise, tidal flooding, hurricanes and storm surges.

At home and in your community, you can take steps, too, including preparing your home for wildfires and flooding and recognizing signs of heat-related health issues. This way, when wild weather comes calling, its impact on our homes, health and livelihoods is minimized.

Forecast 2024

Last year’s heat was no anomaly. It’s part of a long-term trend: The last 10 years have been the 10 warmest on record, according to NASA, with most of the Earth’s warming taking place over the last 40 years. Most forecasters are anticipating yet another year of extreme heat ahead.

«If we look at the forecast for the next three months in the long range, it’s suggesting that the trend that we’re seeing in baseline warming could continue, and so 2024 could rival 2023 for being the hottest year on record, which is very scary,» says Chloe Brimicombe, a heatwave researcher at the University of Graz.

Some of the extreme weather we experienced in the latter half of last year and will continue to experience in the first half of this year is a result of El Niño, a cyclical climate event that sees unusually warm ocean waters that has a knock-on effect of warmer temperatures and increased rainfall across the southern part of the US. For instance, temperatures in Death Valley, California, peaked at 128 degrees Fahrenheit in July, while forecasters predicted warmer temperatures in northern parts of the US stretching into February and a colder, wetter winter for Southern states.

While meteorologists are able to make long-term predictions about El Niño, other climate-related predictions are trickier. «All things told, we’re going to see an increased prevalence of heat events across the globe, but we can’t tell right now exactly where that will be,» says Andy Hoell, a climate scientist at NOAA.

What we do know, he adds, is that the climate crisis can compound events such as extreme heat or extreme rainfall to make them more likely or more severe.

In the past, it wasn’t always easy to draw direct links between extreme weather events and climate change. But huge improvements in attribution science (the ability to specifically identify emissions as the cause for unusually dramatic weather) in recent years have changed the game. The World Weather Attribution program, based at Imperial College London, has now completed nine studies on droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and heavy rainfall in North America. «Every study found that climate change made the event more intense and more likely,» says Ben Clarke, a researcher at WWA.

The speed at which climate scientists are able to identify human-caused climate change as the culprit for extreme weather has also dramatically improved. Last year alone, Climate Central was able to attribute record-breaking spring heat in the western US, and ongoing extreme heat stretching through the summer in Texas and Florida, to climate change as it was happening. «It’s much more impactful as far as our understanding of what climate change really is if we can make that connection in real time,» says Andrew Pershing, vice president of science at Climate Central, a climate science analysis non-profit.

Thanks to attribution science, we can confidently point to a heatwave we’ve experienced and say whether climate change played a role in making it happen. But it also helps us to recognize that extreme weather events we’re experiencing are part of a pattern – one that can’t be broken without tackling the root causes of the climate crisis. «Until the world moves away from fossil fuels and reduces emissions to net zero,» says Clarke, «extreme weather events in North America will continue to become more intense, more dangerous and more deadly.»

Even if you live in a region that hasn’t yet directly been impacted by a climate-linked weather event, you’re not off the hook.

«As the climate continues to warm, most areas will be at an increased risk of some types of climate-linked extreme weather,» says Russell Vose, chief of the Monitoring and Assessment Branch at NOAA’ National Centers for Environmental Information and one of the NCA’s authors. «Perhaps the best example is extreme heat – it can occur anywhere.»

He points to the scorching heat dome that descended on the Pacific Northwest in June and July 2021, which was unprecedented in the historical record. The unpredictable nature of such extreme heat means no regions are marked as safe.

In fact, a region that’s been lucky enough to not yet experience an extreme heat event is more likely to experience one in the future and suffer more greatly due to lack of preparedness, according to a study published by scientists from Bristol University last April.

Scientists are more concerned about the ability of people in areas that don’t usually get intensely hot to cope when their turn comes. «What worries me would be something in the Upper Midwest or the Northeast that just hasn’t had a major heat event for a few years,» says Pershing. «I think we kind of lose a little bit of that muscle memory.»

Weather’s unequal impacts

The weather might not discriminate when it comes to who gets hit, but that doesn’t mean its impacts are experienced equally by all groups across American society.

«Certain groups are simply more vulnerable to extreme events due to geographic, socioeconomic or demographic factors,» says Vose. He points to the extreme rainfall brought by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which led to a large number of homes being flooded in Harris County, Texas, with a disproportionate impact on low-income Hispanic neighborhoods.

When a heatwave hits, it will feel hotter in high-density urban environments that are more likely to be occupied by people of color or people living in poverty than in more spread-out neighborhoods or rural areas. Then some are homeless and can’t access health care. They have little ability to protect themselves, no matter how much warning they get about an incoming heatwave. This makes these groups much more vulnerable to the health risks of extreme heat.

Heat researchers are extremely concerned about people who live in housing not resistant to warm temperatures, says Brimicombe, who points out that those who rent are especially at risk. «If you’re a tenant, you have less ability to adapt your house to extreme heat than if you’re a homeowner,» she says. «And that also means young families, because babies are vulnerable to extreme heat.»

Not only are economically disadvantaged communities in the US more susceptible to feeling the worst impacts of extreme weather, but they have also done the least to contribute towards the climate crisis in the first place. A study published last August revealed that the wealthiest households in the US are historically responsible for 40% of the country’s climate emissions.

Meanwhile, these same households have more tools at their disposal to protect themselves from the impact of climate-related weather events. In 2019, The New York Times reported that wealthy California residents were banding together to hire private firefighters to protect them from the impacts of wildfires.

The Biden administration is well aware that marginalized and minority groups are hardest hit by climate change, including extreme weather. At the beginning of his term, the president set up the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, made up of leading experts from the US climate justice community.

Last September the group published its policy recommendations urging the government to ensure climate disasters do not further or exacerbate harm to vulnerable populations and communities.

«Disaster relief should never be the cause of deepening inequality in any neighborhood, region, or Tribal community,» the council wrote in its recommendations. «When disaster hits, the goal of government should be that the people hit the hardest should emerge stronger and more secure than before, not the opposite.»

It recommended a number of measures that would help protect people in case of extreme weather including the creation of a low-cost national flood insurance and the establishment of a «Just Relocation Fund» that would provide communities hit by climate impacts with a relocation process based on a dignity framework with respect for their human rights.

The White House has yet to respond to the recommendations, but if it does act on them this would hopefully prevent a repeat of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, in which Black communities were allocated less money to rebuild their housing, resulting in a lawsuit against the federal government.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other initiatives, the Biden administration is investing heavily in adaptation, mitigation and resilience measures designed to protect all Americans from the impacts of climate-linked extreme weather. As with all funding, people may have to wait some time to feel the full impact of that funding. In the meantime, there are a number of steps you can take to keep yourself safe in the months ahead.

How to weather the weather, whatever the weather

Summer’s not so far off, meaning sizzling days are on the horizon.

Intense heat poses some scary risks to our health, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be life-threatening. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the signs so that you’ll recognize them in yourself and others, and can therefore seek medical attention if necessary.

Remember that heat is more likely to adversely affect older people, children and babies, and those with preexisting health conditions. There may be cooling centers or other well-air-conditioned places in your community where you can take refuge – if you do, consider taking elderly or vulnerable neighbors with you. «Look out for friends and families,» said Brimicombe. «Don’t be complacent.»

The British writer and fellwalker Alfred Wainwright is widely credited as coining the phrase, «there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.» Wainwright, who died in 1991, didn’t live through the kind of consistently bad weather we’re experiencing in this era of extreme heat, but that doesn’t mean we have nothing to learn from him. In the midst of a heatwave, it’s best to wear loose-fitting clothes in light colors, rather than black, which absorbs the heat.

Make sure you stay hydrated and try to spend as little time as possible outside in the sun. Try to block sunlight from warming your house, and consider buying reflectors to place in your windows that can help keep the heat out. At nighttime, take note of when it might be cooler outside than in, and use this to your advantage by opening doors and windows to let the internal temperature of your house regulate. Fans can be effective, but at very high temperatures they’re likely to just start pushing the hot air around – in which case you should, sparingly and without putting too much pressure on the grid, resort to air conditioning, or moving to your local cooling center.

Remember that global warming is worldwide, so the same heat warnings apply even if you plan to travel to other parts of the world over the summer. The heat waves that hit the US in the summer of 2023 also impacted areas of Europe, including popular vacation spots in the Mediterranean. Countries including Greece, Spain and Italy were all affected by wildfires that resulted in the evacuation of locals and tourists alike from some areas and islands.

The surge in Europe-bound American tourists that occurred in 2023 is expected to continue this year, but if you’re planning to be among them it’s important not to travel without comprehensive insurance. Likewise, if you’re traveling in the peak months of July and August, be prepared to adjust your itinerary in case of extreme heat to ensure you’re not putting your health at risk. This may mean spending more time indoors than you’d planned for the sake of your health.

For other types of extreme weather that may hit your property such as wildfires, storms or floods, it may be useful to have an evacuation plan. You should prepare an emergency evacuation bag, also known as a go bag or a bug-out bag. Don’t forget to plan for your pets. The National Fire Protection Association has a handy guide on how to prepare your home for wildfires.

One of the easiest but most important things you can do is keep an eye on long- and short-term weather forecasts. The silver lining for people in the US, says Pershing, is that the country has great weather forecasting capabilities and the channels to communicate incoming events to people so you can prepare. «The gaps are really whether you take it seriously yourself,» he says.

So for anyone who does take it seriously, be sure to read our tips on how to prepare yourself and your home for wildfires, hurricanes, floods and storms.

Here are some additional resources:

For even more details on natural disasters and how to prepare beforehand or respond after an event takes place, check out https://www.ready.gov/.

Correction, March 15: This story originally misstated the name of the National Fire Protection Association.

Technologies

SpaceX Calls Mission 3 a Success, Despite Losing Starship: How to Rewatch

On its third attempt, SpaceX launched its Starship and cruised into space, but lost the rocket after reentry to Earth.

SpaceX launched its third Starship mission on Thursday, with the space exploration company owned by Elon Musk forging ahead after the first two attempts exploded after takeoff. SpaceX considers those first two missions successful, thanks to the data it was able to collect, and the third mission was the most successful of the bunch.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday, the company posted three words to the Musk-owned X social media site: «Liftoff of Starship!» A 36-second video showed the rocket engines igniting and then Starship rising amid a cloud of exhaust smoke and up into the sky.

But the rocket did not complete the round trip, as you can see by rewatching the full test flight. «The ship has been lost. No splashdown today,» Dan Huot of SpaceX communications said on the stream. «But we were able to get through some of the early phases of reentry.»

SpaceX quality engineering manager Kate Tice noted on the stream that SpaceX wasn’t intending to recover Starship anyway, and had been planning to crash it into the ocean.

Starship is arguably the most ambitious effort for Musk, who owns the satellite-based internet company Starlink along with X, EV maker Tesla and the neurotechnology company Neuralink. The Starship missions are critical to SpaceX’s — and Musk’s — goal of getting to and eventually settling the moon and Mars.

With a new flight trajectory and hopes for new data insights, the space company’s third mission may prove to be its most important yet.

When did the Starship mission launch?

Starship’s third mission launched on March 14. It had been pending favorable weather and a license from the Federal Aviation Administration.

How to rewatch Starship mission 3

SpaceX set up livestreams for watching the third mission. One was the SpaceX account on X, and another was the SpaceX third mission landing page. You could also watch via CNET’s YouTube channel.

You can rewatch the launch on X, on the mission 3 page, or via CNET’s YouTube stream embedded here.

What SpaceX achieved in Starship mission 3

SpaceX’s third Starship mission was designed to test whether the spacecraft can complete certain tasks. After liftoff, the company planned to open Starship’s payload door and transfer its propellant from one part of the vehicle to another. For the first time, SpaceX also attempted to relight its Raptor engine while in space, a test that could be critical for future missions as it eventually tries to propel Starship through space.

Starship took a different flight path this time around, and had planned to land in the Indian Ocean instead of the Pacific Ocean until it lost the vehicle after reentry. In a statement, SpaceX said that the new flight path was designed to maximize «public safety,» but the company didn’t discuss how.

The new flight path also paved the way for SpaceX to try «in-space engine burns,» a reference to the company attempting to reignite the Raptor engine in space.

«Huge congratulations to the entire team for this incredible day: clean count (glad the shrimpers could get out in the nick of time!), liftoff, hot staging, Super Heavy boost back and coast (and likely a couple engines making mainstage during landing burn!), clean ship ‘insertion’ and coast, payload door cycling and prop transfer demo (to be confirmed!), and ship entry!» SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell posted on X following the launch, naming the successful components of the test.

The mission was slated to last for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Previous missions, if completed, would have lasted 90 minutes.

What happened in the previous missions?

April mission: Forced detonation

The first Starship mission launched in April 2023. Early on in the mission, the two stages of Starship — the reusable upper stage, called Starship, and its Super Heavy first-stage booster — were supposed to separate. That didn’t happen, and for safety reasons, the SpaceX team was forced to detonate the vehicle just 4 minutes into the mission.

November mission: Explosion due to liquid oxygen

In November 2023, Starship launched on its second mission. That time around, Starship was able to separate its two stages and it reached nominal first-stage engine burn. However, Starship exploded 8 minutes after launch when it tried to vent its liquid oxygen. Oddly, the explosion may not have needed to happen. Earlier this year, Musk said on a real mission carrying payload — meaning the materials a spaceship carries to perform its scientific mission — liquid oxygen wouldn’t be onboard.

«Starship’s second flight test achieved a number of major milestones and provided invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,» the company wrote on its site. «Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.»

Corinne Reichert contributed to this report.

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: All Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

We explain everything from new features to upcoming updates.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.