Google Pixel 4a (2020)

Great camera and excellent storage... but that is it! – I had a Nokia for years - but they are now rubbish, so decided to try a different Android without the Samsung price tag. My sister has the 3A and it takes excellent pics - so I decided to go with the Pixel. On the plus side: The photos are EXCELLENT and it has amazing 3D options and 360-degree panoramas and really good colour. The night shots of… Read more

people without a flash are also excellent. With a flash - not very good. Night shots - handheld - zoom is not good - couldn't get a full moon shot.

Have had many many problems receiving notifications. Including text messages - sometimes I get a notification, sometimes I don't - so need to keep checking messages by opening them up - as the blue notification dot also doesn't work some of the time (usually when the text is urgent). I think a lot of these problems stem from software updates - as it comes and goes.

I get notifications very late at night and early in the morning (have played with all the settings to fix this - but they seem to be all on or all off). Settings are difficult to operate as there are two locations for settings - one in the app and one for settings and settings options are very limited on or off - no tailoring to suit.

I don't run a lot of apps - so the battery lasts for 3-4 days - which is good.

The phone is ageist - and doesn't operate well with older skin and often the fingerprint ID doesn't know me. Highlighting text is also a challenge and can only be done using half a finger on the side held for a good 3 seconds to work (a full finger will result in nothing).

The sound quality is good when on the speaker using YouTube etc with good output.

But overall the unreliability of the messages and notifications (default setting is a max of 16 notifications per day -WHHHHHYYYY??? What person on the planet with a phone wants to limit their notifications? If you did you can just turn it off or put it on silent). Stupid stupid pointless function - and a pain if you are texting back and forth with a friend (where did you go?? Oh sorry - I reached my 16 notifications.......duh!)

It is also easy to accidentally put it on Do Not Disturb - and then wonder why nothing is happening.

But the photos are excellent and the storage amazing - and that's why I bought it - because I ignorantly thought this phone would automatically do everything my past phones did... like let me know when someone was calling... or that someone had sent me a message...or an urgent email....... but no. No. No.

Terrible experience, not once but twice – Purchased this in Dec 2020 as a present for my daughter. By June 2021 (with no warning) it wouldn’t power on, so returned to JB HiFi for a refund, however Google first needs to make sure that it’s not the customer’s fault, so it was sent away, with the request from me that it’s fixed properly, as my daughter was heading into the outback to a… Read more

remote town for teaching. The communication from the nominated repairers was good, it was determined that it was a phone issue, not a user initiated issue, and they sent us…a refurbished model. Nice exchange for our brand new one that worked only for 7 months. Anyway, back to present day, daughter messaged me to say - the phone’s display is showing purple dots. After a couple of hours, it was completely black and has stayed so. So, now I have to: post up an old family phone so she’s not caught without means of contact. Get her to post the one down so I can get a refund - not, and I will be very clear about this - another low quality bandaid solution. She’s been with Pixel phones for a while, this was a Christmas present, and we were happy to get her a new one for reliability when she was out where it may be imperative she can contact someone. But: not one, but two letdowns from Google Pixel phones.

Good functions but TERRIBLE build quality – Purchased a brand new Pixel 4a from JB 2 months ago to replace my aging iPhone 7. The phone is light and sleek, has all the functions I need and none that I don't. I have been using iPhones since 3GS, this is my 2nd foray into the world of Android. I was almost a convert, until the phone had a fall from a low 30 cm bench and landed on my shoe,… Read more

there was no noise, and the screen was completely shattered, from underneath the screen protector, which does not have a single scratch on it. The phone was also sitting in its case during the incident. In addition, I also have multiple witnesses if this ever gets to that point. I took the phone back to JB and was told Google would not accept this as a manufacturing defect, therefore it would not be covered under warranty. Fair enough. However, I've never used a phone that is as flimsy as the Pixel 4a over the last one and half decade. If this is not a common occurrence, then it is a manufacturing defect; and if this is common, then it is a terribly build product. Either way, it is disappointing that no one us willing to stand behind the product they sell/manufacture, and you wonder why they aren't selling as many as they should....

Decent phone but dodgy customer service – The phone is decent, happy with it. But one of the main selling points was free YouTube premium, Playpass and Google One for 3 months. There was no way to activate this and when I tried Google told me they couldn't because I'd had a one month free trial of YouTube 3 years ago. The customer service people were rude and condescending and basically… Read more

said if you don't like it send the phone back. My old phone was from a much smaller company and they were really helpful with any issues, I guess Google just think they're big enough that paying customer relations staff the bare minimum won't hurt the company. I know this shouldn't effect the phone review, but it made me so angry I've actually sent the phone back