When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
Any search for a low-cost midrange phone will lead you to aGooglePixel 8a vs. Samsung Galaxy A35 comparison.
Instead, theGalaxy A35emerged as the option for U.S. bargain hunters.
Google Pixel 8a
It lacks some of the power of the Galaxy A55, but it beats the Pixel 8a on price.
Or can Google maintain its position as the go-to choice for budget-minded shoppers?
Our Google Pixel 8a vs. Samsung Galaxy A35 face-off gets to the bottom of those questions.
Google Pixel 8a
That gets you a phone with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
There’s no 256GB version of the Galaxy A35 available in the U.S.
In other words, except for rare occasions, you’re going to pay less for Samsung’s phone.
We can argue about which is the better aesthetic choice.
Both phones features IP67 water and dust resistance ratings, and neither one offers a headphone jack.
The Galaxy A35 is noticeably taller and wider, the result of offering a larger screen.
I prefer my phones more compact, which adds to the Pixel 8a’s edge in my estimation.
Besides Awesome Navy, U.S. shoppers can get the Galaxy A35 in Awesome Lilac.
(Two more colors are available in other markets.)
The Pixel 8a offers you a choice of Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay and Aloe.
That definitely comes in handy when streaming videos or playing games.
Each phone offers a 120Hz refresh rate for more immersive scrolling.
Samsung adds a dedicated 5MP macro sensor, while the Pixel 8a doesn’t even have a macro feature.
Up front, the Galaxy A35 features a 13MP camera of its own.
Google’s phone handles dynamic range better, and it performs well in low light.
But the A35’s camera performance is more inconsistent.
This shot of a kayak gets a little overexposed because of the beam of sunlight breaking into the shot.
The Pixel 8a applies much better balance to the photo, so its colors remain consistent throughout the image.
A ferris wheel shot as the sun began setting also shows off the superiority of the Pixel 8a cameras.
Google’s phone manages to reflect the sunlight with warmer colors on the ferris wheel itself.
I don’t want to give the impression that the Galaxy A35 cameras don’t perform well.
Google Pixel 8a
They’re solid enough, but not as consistently dependable as what the Pixel 8a produces.
Chiefly, that A35 has a much better time with skin tones than the Pixel 8a does.
I do think the Pixel 8a gets the color of my hat more correct, though.
But that’s what happens when we put the Pixel 8a and Galaxy A35 through a battery of tests.
That’s the same silicon that powered last year’s Galaxy A54, for example.
The Pixel 8a’s 1,581 score was 55% faster than what the Galaxy A35 posted.
Samsung Galaxy A35
In the multicore test, the Pixel 8a beat the Galaxy A35 by 39%.
Graphics tests using 3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited to measure frames per second output produced a similar mismatch.
The Pixel 8a posted a 53.8 fps result, compared to 16.8 fps for the Galaxy A35.
Google Pixel 8a
That’s not to say the Galaxy A35 is a noticeable slow poke.
But the Pixel 8a is undeniably faster as we found out when transcoding video using Adobe Premiere Rush.
If there’s a difference maker in this category, it comes down to wireless charging.
The Pixel 8a supports it, the Galaxy A35 does not.
That one capability separates two otherwise evenly matched phones.
Specifically, the A35 supports Circle to Search, which debuted on the Galaxy S24 earlier this year.
It’s a really slick tool to find out which incoming calls are truly important.
Oh, and Circle to Search is available on the Pixel 8a as well.
Because the Pixel 8a is from Google, you’ll get access to Android updates right away.
Even the cameras one area where the Pixel 8a clearly dominates produce good shots, though with greater inconsistency.
More from Tom’s Guide
