What can Google’s Pixel 4a 5g do for your photography?

Sure it does not have the nicest name – Google Pixel 4a 5g – but once you get over that mouthful and hold the phone in your hand you cannot help but be impressed with what Google has achieved with their mid-budget smartphone.

With this review focussing on the onboard camera, the Pixel 4a 5g (let’s call it the 4a from now on) is on to a winner when you learn that the camera on this device is in almost every way exactly the same as the camera on its more expensive big brother, the Pixel 5. The only slight difference is when it comes to video. On the 4a, you do not get to shoot 4k.

Google’s Pixel 4a 5g reviewed

Google Pixel 4a 5g

The 4a passed my first test with flying colours. How does it feel in my hand? I am happy to report that first impressions are great. It is light – just 168 grams – and while it does have a large screen (the biggest in the Pixel range, in fact) it does not feel too big in the way that some max-sized phones nowadays do. The polycarbonate matte black casing is nice to the touch, perhaps a little slippy, and as such might prompt you to get a case.

One apparent drawback is that unlike its counterparts, the 4a does not have a swipe up from the left to launch the camera from the lock screen, but what it does instead is allow you to double tap on the power button and up pops the camera.

There is also no facial recognition, but the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone is consistently reliable and makes it easy to launch. That it does not have facial recognition is something you can used to quite quickly.

And the camera? Did I mention that for stills it is exactly the same as the more expensive Pixel 5? What you get is a 12-megapixel sensor on the rear with three shooting options: an ultra-wide of .6x, a standard 1x and a 2x optical zoom.

The 3 lens options; top – 2x zoom, bottom left 1x and bottom right ultra-wide lens

Image quality is crisp and sharp. But the colours, for me, straight out of the camera are over-saturated. This is very noticeable in the blue of the sky. In editing (I used Snapseed) I tend to have to reduce their vibrancy. This seems to be a common move for smartphone manufacturers. While so many leaps forward in the capabilities of the cameras are being made, there is a little over-egging of the colour rendering still.

With the newly-introduced ultra-wide lens you can, as the name implies, pack much more of the scene into your photograph. It is a great addition for shooting landscapes, for example, or when you want and need to show more of your scene.

Ultra-wide scene of Cork’s River Lee

Nightsight for those low-lit moments that you want to capture is pretty good. I was impressed with the speed and even when hand-held it produced really good results. I loved the detail in the neon lights reflecting in the River Lee at dusk. The level of detail for a hand-held shot on a smartphone is impressive. You can also use it when shooting portraits in low-lit conditions.

Night mode scene of River Lee reflections

We all love to shoot portraits and the 4a’s Portrait Mode continues to produce quality results. Another upgrade in the camera is the introduction of Portrait Light. Google’s AI kicks in here giving you studio lighting options for portrait shots. Added to this is more of Google’s software wizardry which will illuminate your subject in low light conditions to get you a pleasing portrait shot. Use the tap-to-focus option and then for that extra control of the highlights and shadows adjust the sliders to get the best combination for your portrait shots.

Portrait on the Pixel 4a 5g

The show dirty lens warning is just such a simple and useful idea. Our phones endure quite a lot of handling and it is inevitable that the glass of the lens will get smudged and dirty. This little addition to warn you to clean your lens is cool, but don’t wait until you get the warning. Give the glass on your lens a wipe from time to time.

When I reviewed the Pixel 4 last year, I felt one of the features I loved also had a design flaw. Unfortunately, this still has gone unchecked with the 4a. The highlights and shadows sliders, which give you great control of the exposure of your image, are easy to use when you are holding the phone vertically in your hand (as they are located on the right of the screen), but when you switch to landscape orientation the sliders don’t rotate with you.

This means to adjust them you will not be able to see your scene as your hand will be covering the screen as you try to get the exposure right. There is such an easy solution to this to make it more user-friendly – let the sliders rotate again to the right of the screen.

Another irritation is the shortcut to activate video by holding down on the shutter. For photography, I much prefer when this allows burst mode (snapping multiple photographs per second). I ended up with too many unwanted 2 and 3 seconds and unfortunately some missed photo opportunities.  Now, it is worth pointing out that when you review these videos and swipe up you will discover a row of shots. These are stills from your video and the in-built AI will identify for you the best ones to export. It is a work around, but when you begin to mix video with stills, it gets messy.

The battery life with a 3,800 capacity is good. When I was out shooting for an hour or so the drain on the battery was what you might expect. I went from 100% to under 80% in that time. Put it on Airplane Mode if shooting is your thing and you do not need to worry about battery drain.

All in all, if photography is your thing and you are looking for a mid-budget smartphone, the 4a will more than meet your needs.

You can buy the 4a directly on the Google Store for €490.89

Brendan Ó Sé is a multi-award winning photographer from Cork, Ireland. He regularly gives mobile photography workshops in Cork’s Glucksman Gallery and in the Gallery of Photography, Dublin. With Covid restrictions in place these workshops are now delivered online. To check out his work, click here.

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