I have a 6a with the battery issue and didnt qualify for getting anything back from Google, after just buying the phone last year. With past 4a battery issues and having read somewhere the 7a might also have issues, I'll be avoiding the a-series, and if I want to stick with GOS then I need to either charge my 6a several times a day or get a new Pixel. I'm leaning Pixel 8 but have seen others suggest 7 or 7a. Why? Here's my reasoning for the 8 being the ideal replacement phone hitting the sweet spot of hardware, cost, and continued support:
- Hardware improvements from 7 to 8 seem substantial while 8 to 9 seem less so. Big 7-to-8 upgrades include smaller, lighter, better battery, better screen 120hz, Tensor G3, better camera
- Longer upgrades for the 8 at 7 years vs the 7-series only going through 2027-28 while the 8 gets updates to 2030 (the 8a gets less than 12mo of extra updates too, so not a big upgrade there)
- Budget, not much more expensive than 7 but significantly cheaper than 9 (or obv 10)
Appreciate any feedback or thoughts from others about this, or which phone they prefer generally and why