Google Pixel 4a deals
The Google Pixel 4a is in our catalog but no UK retailer currently stocks it.
Release date: 20 August 2020
Buyers after a small, light Android phone with an excellent stills camera for occasional or secondary use, who can live without 5G and without ongoing security updates.
Google Pixel 4a
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The Google Pixel 4a is in our catalog but no UK retailer currently stocks it. Check back later, or browse Google alternatives below.
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About the Google Pixel 4a
The Google Pixel 4a was the phone that convinced a lot of people they never needed to spend flagship money on a camera. Google paired a single 12.2MP sensor with the same computational photography stack used on its far pricier phones, and the results still hold up: sharp daylight shots, dependable Night Sight, and none of the over-sharpened look that plagued budget rivals of the era. The plastic body feels unremarkable but it is genuinely small and light, which is increasingly rare, and Google kept the 3.5mm headphone jack. The trade-offs are the ones you would expect from a 2020 budget model: 4G only, no wireless charging, no official water resistance rating, and a modest 3,140mAh battery. Six years on, the bigger issue is software. Google's update commitment ran out in 2023, so the Pixel 4a no longer receives Android upgrades or security patches, and a 2025 update deliberately reduced battery runtime on affected units for safety reasons. It remains a pleasant compact Android phone, but it is best treated as a spare or a light-use handset rather than a daily driver.
Expert Rating
Price History
Tracking the best prices since 27 Apr 2026.
Google Pixel 4a vs Google Pixel 5 - Key Differences
| Feature | Google Pixel 4a | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.8-inch OLED, 2340 × 1080 | 6.0-inch OLED, 2340 × 1080, 90Hz |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 730G, 4G only | Snapdragon 765G with sub-6GHz 5G |
| Rear cameras | Single 12.2MP main | 12.2MP main + 16MP ultrawide |
| Battery | 3,140 mAh, 18W wired | 4,080 mAh, 18W wired plus 12W Qi wireless |
| Water resistance | No official IP rating | IP68 |
| Weight | 143 g | 151 g |
| Dimensions | 144 × 69.4 × 8.2 mm | 144.7 × 70.4 × 8.0 mm |
| SIM-free price | Not available | From £169.95 |
Frequently asked questions
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Google Pixel 4a Specifications
Spec Scores
£400-£699 Phones · 55 phones
- Snapdragon 730G
- Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver)
Based on calibrated CPU benchmark rankings (60%) and GFXBench GPU scores (40%). Apple chipsets included via editorial calibration since AnTuTu under-represents Apple's architecture.
- 5.81 inches
- 1080 x 2340 pixels
- OLED
Based on panel type (LTPO is the modern flagship gold standard), resolution, refresh rate, peak brightness, screen size, and HDR10+ / Dolby Vision support. Marketing peak-brightness claims are capped at 3500 nits to prevent inflation.
Lab-measured by DXOMARK (100 on their scale). The measured result replaces our spec-sheet estimate for this category.
- Single camera setup
- 12 MP main camera
- Optical image stabilisation (OIS)
- 4K video recording
Based on main-sensor size (1-inch / 1/1.3" beats 1/2.0"), telephoto reach (periscope > 5x > 3x optical), image processing tier (Apple Pro, Pixel Pro, Galaxy Ultra, Honor Magic Pro, Xiaomi Ultra), pro video features (ProRes, Apple Log, Dolby Vision), camera-partnership branding (Leica, Hasselblad, Zeiss) and OIS. Older flagships are de-rated since image processing pipelines have advanced significantly each generation. Megapixel count is deliberately downweighted — it correlates poorly with real-world camera quality. Where DXOMARK has lab-tested the phone, its measured score replaces this estimate.
- 8 MP front camera
- 1080p selfie video
Based on the image-processing tier (Apple Pro, Pixel Pro, Galaxy Ultra and Honor Magic lead on computational processing), sensor resolution in tiers rather than raw megapixels, autofocus, aperture and max selfie-video resolution. Calibrated against DXOMARK's selfie protocol.
- 3,140 mAh
- 18W wired, PD2.0
Based on battery capacity (mAh) adjusted for platform efficiency calibrated against NotebookCheck, Tom's Guide, GSMArena and CNET reviewer tests. Apple A-series gets +45% (iOS process freezing + LTPO 1Hz + tuned panels make iPhone Pro Max outlast many 6500+ mAh Android phones in measured tests). Top Snapdragon / Dimensity flagships get +15%, budget chipsets are penalised −15% to −25% to reflect less efficient displays and looser background limits. Charging speed is excluded — see the separate Fast charging tag for that.
General
Dimensions
144 x 69.4 x 8.2
Weight
143 g
SIM
Nano-SIM + eSIM
Operating System
Android 10, up to Android 13
Colours
Just Black, Barely Blue
Radio
No
Body
Just Black, Barely Blue
Camera
Primary Camera Megapixels
12
Primary Camera
12.2 MP, f/1.7, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS
Primary Camera Video
4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps; gyro-EIS
Selfie Camera Features
HDR
Primary Selfie Camera
8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm
Video Resolution
2160
Selfie Video Resolution
1080p@30fps
Display
Type
OLED, HDR
Display Size
5.81
Display Resolution
1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~443 ppi density)
Display Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
CPU & Memory
Chipset
Snapdragon 730G
GPU
Adreno 618
CPU
Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver)
Memory Card Slot
No
Internal Storage
128GB 6GB RAM
Sound
Loudspeaker
Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm Jack
Yes
Connectivity & Data
2G
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66, 71
Network Speed
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (3CA) Cat12 600/75 Mbps
Network Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
Bluetooth
5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
USB
USB Type-C 3.1
NFC
Yes
GPS
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
Battery
Battery
3140
Charging
18W wired, PD2.0
Other
Sensors
Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer