Not quite there yet
Motorola nailed the basics with the Edge 2024, and the phone has a clean design with leather at the back, a good P-OLED panel with vibrant colors and contrast, amazing battery life, 68W charging along with 15W wireless charging, and IP68 ingress protection. The software is clean and has Motorola's usual extras, but it will only get two updates. The biggest drawback is the cameras; they're nowhere as good as the Pixel 8a, and the Qualcomm hardware just doesn't measure up in daily use. It is still a decent option if you prefer Motorola's phone, but the Pixel 8a is an objectively better choice.
For
- Good design
- Large OLED screen with 144Hz refresh
- Excellent battery life
- Clean software with useful extras
- IP68 ingress protection
Against
- Cameras not quite as good
- Outdated hardware
- Laggy in daily use
- Won't get as many software updates
Still the best
The Pixel 8a continues to set the standard in the mid-range segment, and it brings much-needed changes: the screen now goes up to 120Hz, the back is made out of glass, and the phone has rounded edges, making it easier to hold and use. You get the best cameras, the best software, seven Android updates, and the best part is that the clean software has plenty of great additions you won't get outside of a Pixel. The device has its share of issues around thermal management, but on the whole, the Pixel 8a is the only mid-range phone worth considering.
Motorola Edge 2024 vs. Google Pixel 8a: Design
Motorola hasn't changed the design of the Edge 2024 too much from last year, and the result is that the phone looks largely identical to its predecessor. The same is true of the Pixel 8a, but Google made a few tweaks to the design that make the device easier to hold and use. The Pixel 8a has rounded edges, and it now has an aluminum mid-frame that gives it much better rigidity. What hasn't changed is the size — the Pixel 8a is noticeably smaller than the Edge 2024, and it feels great in-hand.
I like the eco-leather back on the Edge 2024, and it allows the device to stand out a little bit. Although it is larger because of the 6.6-inch screen, it is 14g lighter than the Pixel 8a. There isn't much in the way of customizability as the device is sold in a single color, so if you need a phone that will turn heads, you should pick up the Pixel 8a in the new Bay variant — the pastel blue hue looks gorgeous, and the texture is delightful.
Both devices have ingress protection, but Motorola has an edge in this regard as it offers IP68 dust and water resistance — you get IP67 with the Pixel 8a instead. There isn't an outright winner in the design area, but I prefer the size of the Pixel 8a, so that gets my recommendation.
Motorola Edge 2024 vs. Google Pixel 8a: Screen
Switching over to the screen, the Edge 2024 has a 6.6-inch P-OLED panel with 144Hz refresh and max brightness of 1300 nits in HDR content. If those numbers look familiar, it's because Motorola is reusing the same panel as last year; that said, it is still a good choice, and you get vibrant colors.
Google, thankfully, made much-needed tweaks to the panel on the Pixel 8a, and the phone finally goes up to 120Hz. The OLED panel is significantly brighter as well, going up to 2000 nits in HDR content. The smaller 6.1-inch size is ideal if you need a phone that's usable one-handed, and when it comes to color fidelity, the Pixel 8a does all the right things.
The only issue in this area is that Google didn't change the bezels, so the Pixel 8a has sizeable bezels that are bigger than just about any other mid-range device. The Edge 2024 is noticeably sleeker, and Motorola did a great job maximizing the real estate.
Motorola Edge 2024 vs. Google Pixel 8a: Hardware
The Edge 2024 is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, and Motorola should have ideally used MediaTek instead. The 7s Gen 2 uses the ancient A78 and A55 cores, and it just doesn't have the power to meet demanding workloads. If anything, there's noticeable stutter in daily use, and even mundane tasks like launching the camera and taking photos is often laggy.
The Edge 2024 is sold in a single 8GB/256GB configuration, but it uses older UFS 2.2 storage, so you will see some lag when saving photos to the gallery. Thankfully, the Pixel 8a doesn't have any such shortcomings; the phone is powered by the same Google Tensor G3 as the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, and it has 8GB of RAM and is available with 128GB and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Where the Pixel 8a misses out is thermal management; the phone tends to throttle aggressively while gaming, and it overheats with extended gaming sessions. Continuous 4K video also tends to heat up the phone to a noticeable degree, and this is something that Google needs to address. Outside of that, I didn't see any issues with the Pixel 8a in daily use.
The one area where the Edge 2024 has a distinct edge is the battery life; the 5000mAh battery easily manages to last over a day with ease, and you get 68W charging and even 15W wireless charging as standard. The Pixel 8a has a smaller 4492mAh battery, and while it also lasts a day, you will need to plug it in by nighttime. Google still uses the 18W charging standard, so it takes considerably longer to charge the device.
Motorola Edge 2024 vs. Google Pixel 8a: Cameras
Google has maintained a heady lead in the camera section, and that hasn't changed this year — the Pixel 8a is still the best mid-range phone if you take a lot of photos and videos. The phone has a 64MP main camera and a 13MP wide-angle lens, and it does an outstanding job in just about any scenario. Google also retained the camera features it introduced last year, so you get all the extras that are a mainstay on the Pixel 8.
Motorola, meanwhile, hasn't done enough to differentiate the Edge 2024 in this regard. The main 50MP camera takes good photos in its own right, but it isn't consistent, and it just doesn't measure up in situations with little to no ambient lighting. While the camera is usable, you should pick up the Pixel 8a if this is a priority.
Motorola Edge 2024 vs. Google Pixel 8a: Software
Google is once again in the lead when it comes to the software. Both phones run Android 14 out of the box, but the Edge 2024 will only get two guaranteed platform updates, one less than the industry standard. Google, meanwhile, is offering the same seven-year update guarantee as the Pixel 8 series, and that's unmatched in this segment — even the Galaxy A55 will pick up just four updates.
It remains to be seen what software features actually roll out to the device in seven years' time, but there's no question that the Pixel 8a is the phone to get if you want long-term updates. Then there's the software itself; while both phones have clean software, the Pixel 8a comes with all of Google's exclusive AI-assisted features, and they make a genuine difference in daily use. Most of these features are limited to Pixels, and the fact that you don't miss out on any features present in the standard Pixel 8 makes the 8a just that little bit more enticing.
Motorola also has a slate of unique features on its devices, but the brand really needs to do more with software updates. The brand isn't anywhere as good as Google, Samsung, or most Chinese manufacturers at rolling out platform updates on time, and the device is unlikely to switch to Android 15 before the end of the year.
Motorola Edge 2024 vs. Google Pixel 8a: Which should you buy?
Motorola did a lot of the right things with the Edge 2024; the phone has stellar battery life, a good OLED panel, lightweight design with thin bezels, and clean software. But the hardware is underwhelming to say the least — as are the cameras — and it won't get as many software updates. It costs $549, so you are shelling out $50 more than the retail price of the Pixel 8a.
Ultimately, the Pixel 8a is still the definitive choice in this category. It has a better design, brighter panel, much better hardware, outstanding cameras, and will get seven Android updates. Google continues to thermally constrain its devices, and that limits the Pixel 8a's potential as a gaming phone, but it still outshines the Edge 2024 in this regard. If you want to get a new mid-range phone in 2024, the Pixel 8a is still the best overall choice.
Not quite there yet
The Edge 2024 doesn't quite have the same level of polish as the 8a, and that ultimately makes it an inferior choice.
Still the best
Google continues to dominate the mid-range segment, and while a lot of that has to do with its unique camera tuning, the Pixel 8a brings much-needed upgrades in a lot of other areas as well.
