Home > Smartphone comparison > Pixel 8a vs iPhone 8 – which one to choose?

Google Pixel 8a vs Apple iPhone 8

66 out of 100
Google Pixel 8a
VS
40 out of 100
Apple iPhone 8
Google Pixel 8a
Apple iPhone 8

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Google Pixel 8a (with Google Tensor G3) that was released on May 7, 2024, against the Apple iPhone 8, which is powered by Apple A11 Bionic and came out 6 years and 9 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Memory
  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery life
  6. Camera
  7. Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 8a
  • Has 4x more RAM: 8GB versus 2GB
  • Comes with 2671 mAh larger battery capacity: 4492 vs 1821 mAh
  • 2.8x better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1433K versus 520K)
  • Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
  • Delivers 137% higher peak brightness (1506 against 636 nits)
  • Has a 1.4 inches larger screen size
  • Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
  • Thinner bezels – 16% more screen real estate
  • Modern USB Type-C port
  • Shows 21% longer battery life (19:43 vs 16:16 hours)
  • 32% higher pixel density (430 vs 326 PPI)
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
  • More energy-efficient CPU – Tensor G3
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 8
  • Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
  • Weighs 40 grams less
  • Better grip in hands – the body is 5.4 mm narrower

Review

Evaluation of Google Pixel 8a and Apple iPhone 8 crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
DeviceFacts Score
Final comparison evaluation
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate DeviceFacts Score
📱 Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

Should I update?
No 99% Yes
Yes, this is a clear and meaningful upgrade.
Updating from Apple iPhone 8 to Google Pixel 8a is a clear step forward, and the improvements should be easy to notice.
Main improvements: display, camera, and performance.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Phone:
Pixel 8a
vs
iPhone 8

Display

Type OLED IPS LCD
Size 6.1 inches 4.7 inches
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels 750 x 1334 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 16:9
PPI 430 ppi 326 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
Max rated brightness 2000 nits 625 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR 1400 nits -
HDR support Yes, HDR10 No
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Tempered glass
Screen-to-body ratio 81.3% 65.3%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 -
Display tests
RGB color space 99.1% 99.9%
PWM 120 Hz Not detected
Response time 2 ms 22 ms
Contrast ∞ Infinity 1373:1
Screen space comparison
Pixel 8a
6.1″ (20:9 ratio) = 13.9 in2
iPhone 8
4.7″ (16:9 ratio) = 9.4 in2
~47% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
Pixel 8a +137%
1506 nits
iPhone 8
636 nits
Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height 152.1 mm (5.99 inches) 138.4 mm (5.45 inches)
Width 72.7 mm (2.86 inches) 67.3 mm (2.65 inches)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) 7.3 mm (0.29 inches)
Weight 188 g (6.63 oz) 148 g (5.22 oz)
Waterproof IP67 IP67
Rear material Plastic Glass
Frame material Metal Metal
Colors White, Black, Blue, Green Silver, Gold, Gray
Fingerprint scanner Yes, in-display Yes, in-button
Repairability Good (3.52/5) -
Drop resistance Excellent (A) · 270 drops -
Screen-to-body ratio
Pixel 8a +25%
81.3%
iPhone 8
65.3%

Performance

Chipset specifications of Google Pixel 8a and Apple iPhone 8
SoC
Chipset Google Tensor G3 Apple A11 Bionic
Max clock 3000 MHz 2100 MHz
CPU cores 9 (1 + 4 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A510
- 4 cores at 2.37 GHz: Cortex-A715
- 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X3		 - 4 cores at 1.42 GHz: Mistral
- 2 cores at 2.39 GHz: Monsoon
Manufacturing Samsung TSMC
Lithography process 4 nanometers 10 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU) Yes Apple Neural Engine
GPU
Graphics Immortalis-G715s MC10 Apple GPU
GPU shading units 896 192
GPU clock 890 MHz 1066 MHz
FLOPS ~1594.8 GFLOPS ~409.3 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Benchmark comparison of Google Pixel 8a and Apple iPhone 8
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Pixel 8a +36%
1491
iPhone 8
1093
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Pixel 8a +96%
3584
iPhone 8
1828
Compute Score (GPU)
Pixel 8a +51%
8490
iPhone 8
5630
Compute Score (GPU) 8490 5630
Single-core score 1491 1093
Multi-core score 3584 1828
Sources: Geekbench [3], [4]
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
Pixel 8a +175%
1433693
iPhone 8
520567
CPU 546093 249127
GPU 391230 -
Memory 195569 102335
UX 300801 169105
Total score 1433693 520567
Samples [6 tests] Less than 3
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Pixel 8a
990
iPhone 8
n/a
Stability 67% -
Graphics test 7 FPS -
Graphics score 990 -
Sources: 3DMark [5], [6]
Submit your benchmark results

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Google Pixel 8a
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2025-12-28 (adismsha)AnTuTu 111471866
📘 2025-12-22 -> jpara_diseGeekbench 6 GPU8490
📘 2025-12-22 -> jpara_diseGeekbench 6 CPU1491 / 3584
📘 2025-12-22 -> jpara_diseAnTuTu 111397797
📘 2025-12-17 (jpara_dise)AnTuTu 111397797
Add View all (9)
Apple iPhone 8
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-05-13 (TestGame)Geekbench 6 GPU5630
📘 2026-05-13 (TestGame)Geekbench 6 CPU1093 / 1828
Add View all (2)

Memory

RAM
RAM size 8 GB 2 GB
Memory type LPDDR5 LPDDR4
Memory clock 3200 MHz -
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage size 128 GB 64 GB
Storage type UFS 3.1 NVMe
Memory card No No

Software

Operating system Android 14 (Can be upgraded to Android 17) iOS 11 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16.5)
ROM Stock Android -
OS size 18.4 GB 6 GB
OS updates 7 years -
Security updates 7 years -

Battery

Capacity 4492 mAh 1821 mAh
Max charge power 18 W 15 W
Battery type Li-Po Li-Ion
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes, Qi (7.5 W)
Reverse charging No No
Fast charging Yes (33% in 30 min) Yes (50% in 30 min)
Full charging time 2:09 hr 1:15 hr
Battery cycles 1000 cycles -
Battery life tests
Web browsing 08:15 hr 06:14 hr
Watching video 13:00 hr 09:59 hr
Gaming 04:54 hr 03:40 hr
Standby 86 hr 81 hr
General battery life
Pixel 8a +21%
19:43 hr
iPhone 8
16:16 hr
Add your battery life

Main camera

Matrix 64 megapixels 12 megapixels
Image resolution 9000 x 7000 4032 x 3024
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Quad LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
Slow motion 240 FPS (1080p) 240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens 120° -
Lenses 1) Standard: 64 MP
2) Ultrawide: 13 MP
1) Standard: 12 MP
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution 64 MP 12 MP
Aperture f/1.9 f/1.8
Focal length 26 mm 28 mm
Sensor Sony IMX787 Apple iSight Camera
Sensor size 1/1.73" (≈ 0.58 inch) 1/3" (≈ 0.33 inch)
Pixel size 0.8 micron 1.22 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus
Stabilization Optical Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution 13 MP -
Aperture f/2.2 -
Sensor Sony IMX712 -
Sensor size 1/3.06" (≈ 0.33 inch) -
Pixel size 1.12 micron -
Stabilization Digital -

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Pixel 8a +52%
141
iPhone 8
93
Video quality
Pixel 8a +42%
128
iPhone 8
90
Generic main camera score
Pixel 8a +48%
136
iPhone 8
92
Bokeh 60 -
Preview 71 -
Zoom 126 -
Samples Photo samples of Google Pixel 8a from DxOMark Photo samples of Apple iPhone 8 from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels 13 megapixels 7 megapixels
Image resolution 4032 x 3024 3088 x 2320
Aperture - f/2.2
Focal length - 32 mm
Sensor - BSI CMOS
Pixel size - 1 micron
Autofocus - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization - Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D) No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C No
USB version 3.2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
DisplayPort Yes -
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port No No
Network
Number of SIM* 1 1
Type of SIM card Nano Nano
Multi SIM mode - Standby
eSIM support* Yes No
Hybrid slot No No
LTE Cat* 20 16
5G support Yes No

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
Headphone audio jack No No
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speakers test
Max loudness
Pixel 8a +11%
89.3 dB
iPhone 8
80.1 dB

Other

Category Mid-range Flagship
Announced May 2024 September 2017
Release date May 2024 September 2017
Launch price (MSRP) $499 $699
Successor - Google Pixel 10a -
SAR (head) - 1.35 W/kg
SAR (body) - 1.36 W/kg
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint		 - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
Bundled charger Not included -
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the data, we think that the Google Pixel 8a is definitely a better buy.

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