Customer Ratings & Reviews

Good overall phone. There is a lens issue with camera though. A blue dot appears in images where there is a bright light source in scene. Even photographing my Christmas tree, caused small blue dots to appear off to the side. I don't know why reviewers aren't complaining about it. I returned the camera. Not happy about $45 restocking fee.

So far, I've been pleased with the phone. However I've run into 2 issues that leave me wishing I had gone another direction. The good first. It's cheap - for a phone. It has a spectacular camera. It's no frills. And it gets the job done. The not good or bad. It's small. I swapped from an XS Max and it's a major adjustment. I find that I have to zoom a lot now on this device. The bad. I have what appears to be a weakness in the enclosure. Near the rear camera, it squeaks. Since I've had it a few weeks, it appears to have become worse - despite being in a case and treated carefully. This may require a repair or replacement. Based on research, I am not alone with this issue. Maybe some padding was overlooked during the build. I understand that the device has plastic parts, but clearly the issue is not normal. The very bad. After upgrading to Android 11, many 4a users including me are experiencing a sensitivity issue with the touchscreen. After the device is used for a bit, it starts to treat some swipe motions as clicks. It makes the device almost useless. This was not an issue with Android 10, so hopefully a fix is in the works. If Best Buy had a better return policy (a month would be nice), the device would have been returned by now. The quality control issues are a shame. Since I missed that return window, I do plan to have the device repaired or replaced by Google. And hope they fix the click issue via software. I can't say I'd recommend the 4a until Google puts more energy into resolving issues.

I used to have a Motorola Turbo, and maybe I just need to get used to a Pixel more. I understood there would be no bells and whistles, and I don't need a wireless charge, facial recognition, etc. All I needed was a great camera, and the reviews for this were over the top. I really like the size. It's a little smaller than my old Motorola Turbo. I find it valuable to edit my photos on my phone at the job site I am working at. I use the mirror flip edit a lot. This phone does not have it. I plan to search for an app that will provide this, but my MT had it. You cannot "walk an image" using the panoramic feature. You have to stand in one spot to capture the image, otherwise it doesn't start. MT allowed me to walk along the image allowing me to capture a seamless photo without distorting the layout. Colors are slightly better on the Pixel, detail too. Not sure if it's the Pixel, but some videos are starting to freeze, and I have had the phone for a little over a week. I don't care for the side swipe to return to the previous page, but this looks like it's becoming the norm for other phones as well. Compared to the MT, the speakers are not any better, about the same. When I first got the phone, the screen kept dimming quickly. I would go into settings and brighten the screen, but it would not last when I would need to go back and use my phone later on. It's an ok phone.

Let me start off by saying that this phone has good specifications on paper, such as 128 gb of storage, 6 gb of RAM, an HD OLED screen, and a decently large battery. My expectations for this phone were high, and the specs are generous at this price point. However, my overall experience of using this phone is average at best. Many apps are glitchy in ways that I have never experienced in the 4 years that I owned my previous Samsung Galaxy S7. I believe this to be that app developers do not optimize their apps to run on Google devices (although maybe I am wrong). Many mainstream apps (Instagram, Spotify, etc.) felt much more stable on my Samsung, even after 4+ years of use. I understood the hype for this phone when I was shopping for it, but all of the high expectations seem superficial in hind-sight. The higher-end specs on this phone do not make up for the lackluster, frustrating user experience. Overall, I would not recommend this phone. My advice is to stick to Apple or Samsung for your smartphone. Anyway, that is my experience with this phone, and I hope your experience will be better.

I tried the less expensive route than continuing with Samsung. I really didn't think it would make a difference but I was totally wrong. Not a terrible phone, but after 6 months I decided to eat what I paid and went back to BB and bought the Samsung Galaxy. Much happier.

Nice phone with lots of bells and whistles. I'm not a fan of the Google ecosystem but the camera on this phone is great and for the price you can't beat it

Thing quit on me after three years, got super slow, my camera glass randomly shattered. And the battery is awful.

This phone does the job but it is basic. It is a good smart phone and has a ear phone jack which the 5 does not. The screen is flat, which is important so it does not easily crack. Some features are not as easy to use as they are on Samsung, like viewing the photos, but you can download other apps for this purpose. Can't beat it for the price. Good basic phone. Camera is good too.

Of you’re looking for a basic device that takes excellent pictures, this might work for you. It just didn’t live up to my flag ship standards. I purchased it to try as closes to stock Android as you can find. Reception was okay most of the time, indoors it suffered. Speakers are “just okay”. The screen could be better. I ended up returning this device.

Easy to use on most things. This is my first Android. The one fault is that occasionally I am unable to answer an incomng call if my contacts are open on the phone. I have found out online this is true with most of the Android phones and that you have to shut your phone off and turn it back on. When I have asked others about that, they just say it is something you get used to. Life was easier with just a flip phone.

I went from an LG V40 Thin Q to the Pixel 4a. You can definitely tell this is a budget phone in some of the features of the device. First, there's no audio equalizer or any special sound features, so expect to adjust the sound of the audio through an app or the equalizer of your car stereo. The GPS for Google Maps works like it did for my LG Stylo 4. I think it's missing an accelerometer or something. I also have been noticing a lot of issues with the camera when using the Instacart Shopper app where it warps the image on the screen, but then saves it in the proper ratio but with the image rotated horizontally. Also, if you like customized cases for your phone, you out of luck because most sites only offer customized phones cases for the 5G version. If there wasn't a $45 return fee I would have just didn't the extra money for the 5G version.

Phone has a bloated battery withing 2 years of use.

This is my first Pixel after having many Samsungs prior. It was typical to set up, but a lot more questions which had me questioning how much data they are collecting. Also questions keep coming up on the phone’s asking me to decide when calls come in how to handle it. Just answer or decline that all I need. It seems more complicated with the setting and a different set-up with that as well. I can’t say I love it at all. Texts seem the same. Setting a get changed often my either my touching things inadvertently or the phone is possessed. It is annoying and did not happen with my Samsung phones. It is slippery without a case so get a case and screen protection. The finger print reader in the back is nice and more functional that the iPhone 12 models without it. Especially with wearing a mask it is nice to not rely on the facial recognition.

This purchase replaced a Google Pixel 2 XL which I owned for several years. I was attracted by the Google product because they come, unlocked, have automatic security updates and provided a quality product. With the first phone I was delighted at being able to buy an English, multi-pocket protective cover which allowed me to eliminate my billfold at great convenience (unfortunately the cover manufacturer, "Snakehive London," has yet to make a Pixel 4a product forcing use of a less satisfactory cover). That aside, the new smartphone is convenient to carry and has good portability with a "work-around." Overall, the Pixel 4a provides a generally acceptable smartphone delivering flexibility, uniform quality and good battery life at a intermediate user price where there is not a requirement for leading edge technology. One area of complaint is the existence of an awkward setup process which at times makes it difficult to control transitions between functions for the average user; e.g telephone and photography. Regardless, the Pixel 4a is getting heavy use and I'm satisfied with my purchase.

Two weeks in and one camera already has had to be re-set to factory specs (wiped and start from scratch), which did not correct the camera problem. The camera didn't work properly out of the box, but it took time to get around to trying to troubleshoot etc. Now we are working through the next step of the warranty which is getting it repaired. So I got a lemon and now I get to have it "fixed". Also the Pixel screen is very fragile. I had a case on mine and it slipped out of my hand and fell a couple feet to the floor. Screen fractured. My Moto X4 hit the floor hundreds of times over the years and the screen never broke. I miss the wide-angle lens on the Moto, and I miss the gesture shortcuts to turn on the flashlight and start the camera. This phone is faster, but it it 4-5 years newer, so it should be :)

Just purchased yesterday and I'm not thrilled. I hate when cell phone companies feel the need to switch way phone operates. This version of Pixel phone is not user friendly. There is no back button. This makes it very difficult to toggle between apps. I had the pixel 3 and loved it, but spent most of my first day trying to figure out how to efficiently toggle from app to app, If using an app and you get a text you can swipe to answer the text but then very difficult to go back to that app. You would think just close text app and go back to prior app you were utilizing, but no. I am seriously considering bringing my 4a back to Best Buy and purchasing another 3. Loved everything about the 3 except that the motherboard blew out for no reason.

Amazing Camera and User experience, Horrible video camera and software glitches, lotssss of software glitches. This is an amazing phone for the price, if google focused on the camera picture AND video quality this would just be an insane value.

So far, for the month that I've had this phone, it's been good. The battery life is great, I only charge once every couple days. Going from a Samsung that allowed me to customize everything to this is a little difficult. The phone doesn't have much options to personalize it

The Pixel 4a is just okay. I bought it because it was a good price. However, I'm used to Samsung phones and I find this phone not as simple as I thought it was going to be and not as intuitive.

Having used a $80-dollar BLU android phone for a bit between a Samsung and this Pixel 4a, I was expecting a bit more from the $350 Pixel. I mean - the phone does the job, but there are three major frustrations: 1. the fingerprint sensor routinely says it is dirty and I need to unlock my phone using the PIN, even though I have just cleaned the sensor with alcohol (100-proof vodka on a cotton ball) 2. The selfie camera is a joke. I am not into selfies...if I were, I'd be returning the phone. 3. one reason I went for the Pixel 4a is I didn't want a big phone. But...the Pixel 4a is small in the wrong way - it is narrow and long, so not convenient to hold. The proportions of my cheap Chinese phone fit much better in my hand - a bit wider and shorter. I know that a much narrower and smaller phone can fit ergonomically in one's hand - but in order to do that, it can't be shaped like a parallelepiped.