The phone that no one bought: the Pixel 8a deserved better

You can be forgiven for forgetting that Google released the Pixel 8a. By the time it shipped on May 14, 2024, rumors were already well underway for the Pixel 9 lineup, which launched just a few months later. State-of-the-art devices tend to be more exciting for people, especially if there’s some new wrinkle to their technology — be it AI camera features or a foldable model. Many shoppers with disposable income were either going to hold their breath for the Pixel 9 or look at other brands.