Google Pixel 5a (2022)
Repairing the Screen

Growl! I took out my phone and found a 2mm gap between the screen and the back in the lower right (southeast) corner, extending most of the way along the right (east) edge. The phone works, so far, but a prompt repair or replacement is going to be a real good idea.

What could have caused this? I'm blaming the problem, without proof, on cleaning the phone with non-approved cleaners, specifically alcohol.

How much does it cost to repair it, i.e. replace just the screen? Actually there's nothing wrong with the screen, but it's held onto the back with 3M double side tape 2mm wide, included in the repair kit, but if I try to snarf some tape and do it myself, this is going to get into a multi-level tangle which I really don't need in my life right now. Results of a search on Google:

• UBreakIFix by Asurion, screen repairs for Google Pixel 5a. Price: $165 and up. Come into the store (700 sites) and most repairs are done in 1 hour or less. Nearest store: 4288 Lincoln Blvd, Marina del Rey, in the strip mall at the corner of Lincoln x Maxella. 310-306-0183, open until 19:00 weekdays. Inception 2009. Next closest is Koreatown, 8mi away.

• iFixit: Google Pixel 5a replacement screen. Just the screen: $80; screen plus tools: $88. The screen is a genuine Google replacement part. Same day shipping if ordered by 13:00 Pacific time (costs how much?). Their instruction page rates the difficulty as moderate. Another page says iFixit will do the replacement for $110, presumably at their depot.

• TFT Screen Replacement… by Yoidesu, ships from Hakeeta-us. Price: $96.41.

What would be a good replacement? I got my Pixel 5a Barbet for $460 in 2022-04-xx. Per my selection criteria the replacement must have a LineageOS image and it should be available from a credible vendor; Amazon is preferred but not required. See the reviews section below for product details and reviews of the (only) credible replacement: the Google Pixel 8a at $499 on Amazon.

So which will it be, repair or replace? Reasons to repair:

• Repair costs 35% of the original price of the 5a (and up), or a third of the proposed replacement.
• The 5a is working fine, except for the sticky tape that holds it together. If I repair I avoid the monetary and labor expenditure to activate the new phone.
• Junking a working device really galls me.

Reasons to replace:

• In three years the hardware has advanced.
• Google has its new artificial intelligence features, which possibly won't work on LineageOS.
• One thing that bothers me about the 5a: the front and back are all glass with curved edges, making it very stylish but very fragile. I have to be super careful with it.
• The WAF (wife acceptance factor) of the replacement is a lot higher than the repair. Paying a third of the price of the 5a to repair it galls her.

Ben made some useful points:

• Google Fi will sell you a Google Pixel 8a for $249 if you promise to stay signed up with them for 120 days. These prices are all for 128Gb flash, generally $100 higher for 256Gb.

• They also have the Pixel 9 at a discount (MSRP $799, Fi $449) and LOS has an image for it.

• The Pixel 9a became available 2025-04-10; list price $499 (same as Pixel 8a). It took the LOS maintainer about 2 months to get the 8a's image ready (unusually fast). Google Fi price is $249, same as 8a.

• I could consider using the 9a for 1-2 months on the stock OS, then upgrading to LOS when it's available.

• See the review on ZDnet by Jason Howell: he concludes that both models are very good, and the 9a is not radically better than the 8a. Another reviewer says about the same thing: if you have a 8a (or good reasons to pick that one), it's not worth upgrading to the 9a.

• The 9a deal is very attractive, but right now I need certainty and not needing to jump through hoops on someone else's schedule.

Conclusion: Replace with the Google Pixel 8a from Google Fi.

Pixel 8a Features and Reviews

Here's the list from a search on Amazon for unlocked cell phone 5G intersected with the LineageOS download list. Pruning 10000 hits with these search criteria: Free shipping (limits it to fullfilled by Amazon), price $350-$700 (down to 296 hits), new (184 hits but it still has some refurbs),

• Moto G Stylus - 2025: all carrier compatible, 8Gb RAM, 256Gb flash, 4 cameras(?), optical image stabilization. Has a stylus. 6.7in OLED screen, 2160x1080px. 30W fast charging, may or may not do wireless charging, battery, 5000 mAh. Dual SIM. Card slot. Hotspot capability. Made in China. 190 grams. Glowing reviews, 5* 79%, 4* 11%, lower 10%. Only issue: I find it hard to match up Motorola marketing names with LOS builds, but this phone probably lacks a LOS image, being too new.

• Google Pixel 8a Akita: $487. 128Gb flash; 256Gb would be $635, price varies with color. Colors: Aloe (green), Bay (blue), Obsidian (black), Porcelain (white). Works with all carriers (GSM + CDMA). Oops, this listing is from Amazon Resale (refurbished). But there's another one in Aloe, $499 SBSF Amazon, which is preferred. Some details from the Amazon product page:

  • What's in the box: Phone, SIM ejector, USB-A to USB-C adapter, cable (1 meter, type C to type C, USB-2.0, use for charging), product info card. No charger: Chinese and I think E.U. commerce regulations.
  • Things it doesn't have: 3.5mm phone jack, SD card slot,
  • IP rated: IP67, no ingress of dust or larger foreign objects; immersion in plain water 1 meter deep for 30 minutes.
  • It can do wired or wireless (Qi) charging.

  Features, from LOS info page:

  • Inception (of the phone): 2024-05-07 (1 year old)
  • SoC: Google Tensor G3
  • RAM: 8Gb
  • CPU: ARM64 Cortex various levels, 9 cores at various speeds, 2.14 to 3.0GHz.
  • GPU: ARM Mali-G715s MC10
  • Cell network: 5G, 4G (LTE), 3G (UMTS), 2G (GSM).
  • Flash: 128 or 256Gb
  • Screen: 6.1in = 155mm diagonal, 1080x2400px, OLED
  • Bluetooth 5.3 with A2DP and aptX HD
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be; be works in 2.4, 5, 6GHz bands; also called Wi-Fi 7.
  • Navigation: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, other national supplements (India, Japan).
  • Fingerprint reader (does it work?) on the display.
  • Qi wireless charging
  • USB OTG (somebody mentions running wired headphones this way)
  • 3 Cameras: 64MPx, 13MPx wide angle, 13MPx front; rear flash dual LED; no flash in front.
  • Dimensions: 152 x 73 x 9mm
  • Battery: Lithium Polymer 4492mAh, not removeable.
  • LineageOS info: Maintainer mikeioannina; LOS 22.2/Android 15; kernel 6.1.

  Fingerprint sensor issues from OP BeefEater81 (2024-07-xx): Couldn't get it to work. Face ID doesn't work in low light, so he tried to fall back to fingerprint. Blog post recommended to set up fingerprints in pitch dark, also press firmly on the sensor, much more than you'd expect. Worked great, until daylight, then it was useless. Jimc's experience: On the Pixel 5a I've had very poor results from the fingerprint sensor. I can't even train the sensor on sample fingerprints. Responses: #1 has 60-70% success rate (pretty good compared to jimc). #2 disabled haptics and it worked much better. Also scan both thumbs into all 5 slots. #3 set up fingerprints in the dark and then added the same finger in daylight.

• Samsung phones on Amazon:

  • Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, $650
  • Samsung Galaxy S24 FE dual SIM 256Gb flash, $560
  • Samsung Galaxy A36 5G-A, $380
  • Samsung Galaxy A55 5G A556E, $350

  These are probably all that are available currently on Amazon. None of these have LOS builds. LOS is available for some Samsung phones. Looking at the most recent supported models in each series, the endpoints are: A73 5G: 2022; S10 and friends: 2019. So Samsung phones are once again getting some attention, but LOS here is fulfilling its role of supporting popular older models abandoned by their OEMs and/or resellers. I.e. I'm not going to get LOS for any of the models that I could buy on Amazon.

Summary: Looking at the most recent model from each OEM that meets selection criteria including having LOS, the Google Pixel 8a at $499 is the only one available on Amazon. There are a lot of Pixel 7a's. There are a lot of flagship Pixels, various models, at flagship prices. Nothing else is both on Amazon and has LOS.

Reviews of Google Pixel 8a:

Android Police, Sanuj Bhatia, 2024-10-10: Google Pixel 8a, three months later: What I love and what still frustrates me

(He has official Android-15, has been fairly stable.) Here's what still impresses me:

• He didn't use a case, but has barely any scratches on the body. One slightly deeper scratch on the screen. It has Gorilla Glass 3 which he wishes were updated to latest version. Body color has not become faded or dingy.

• Display exceeded expectaton. It has a bezel, maybe 2mm. Jimc says this would help durability, fie on the curved right up to the edge display on the 5a though jimc has not (yet) damaged it. 2000 nit (two thousand nit) peak brightness, handles brighter lighting than his iPhone (what model?) and recent Samsung phones.

• AI enhanced software: he expected to use Magic Editor on photos, but ended up not using it much. But unanticipated, Clear Calling really helps to de-crap voice streams, effective on both incoming and outgoing audio. He came to often use Circle to Search: draw a circle around an object in a photo, and the AI will try to identify it and give you product information.

• The Tensor G3 chipset gives adequate performance for most users. The Pixel 9 has upgraded performance, and the OnePlus 12R, a direct competitor, also has more performance. But the Achilles heel is overheating. More apps, resource heavy features like Android Auto, lots of snapshots, and heatwaves take their toll. What's really annoying is charging speed. The battery easily lasts a whole day, but (screenshot of charging, 10%, charging rapidly, full in 1hr 37min). This is rapid charging?

• Camera performance is still great, but with some quirks. He misses the dedicated telephoto lens on flagship phones like Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google's AI produces commendable portrait shots, the lack of optical zoom is noticeable, especially for closeups or capturing distant subjects.

• All things considered, the Pixel 8A remains one of the best-value Android smartphones at this price point.

Android Authority, by Ryan Hainse (2024-11-10): 6 months later, the Pixel 8a feels like a Google phone from another era

After reviewing the Pixel 8a he did the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, and he decided that he liked the older physical design.

• The 8a's back panel is composite (i.e. plastic), not glass; jimc says he has a lot more confidence in the ruggedness of fiber-reinforced plastic.
• IP67 rating.
• Dial *#*#7287#*#* to start the Pixel Diagnostic App. If you're having problems with your fingerprint sensor, there's a diagnostic test for it.
• You should be getting 16MPx photos, but if limited to a lower resolution, it may be due to a setting carried over from your old phone. Uninstall and reinstall the Pixel camera app, that will get rid of it.
• Slow charging: Max 18W wired and 7.5W wireless; takes 100 minutes to charge when wired. This can't be speeded up. If you charge overnight, go to Settings-Battery-Charging Optimization; turn it on, and select Adaptive Charging.
• Google Support: Fingerprint unlock hardware doesn't work in Pixel 8a: Detlef M. replies: After replacing the screen the repair shop should have calibrated the sensor. You could try this: How to Calibrate the Fingerprint Sensor in your Google Pixel Phone. (For on-screen sensors, Pixel 6 to 9 at least.) (See comments for an alternate procedure and help site.)

ZDnet, by Jason Howell (2025-04-21): Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 9a: We Tested Both Midrange Phones and the Winner Is Not So Obvious

In these comparisons the Pixel 8a's value is shown first, vs the 9a.

• Price (MSRP): $499 for both.
• Display: 6.1in vs 6.3in (5mm difference); both have OLED up to 120Hz. Jimc says: I wonder if I would have to get a new pouch for the 9a.
• Display brightness: 2000 nit vs 2700 nit. Both are unusually bright.
• Mass: 190g vs 187g.
• Processor: Google Tensor G3 vs G4.
• RAM: 8Gb for both,
• Battery: 4492mAh 18W charging (takes 100min for 0-100% charge), vs 5100mAh (13% more than 8a), 23W; wireless 7.5W for both.
• Wi-Fi: Both have 802.11be, also called Wi-Fi 7 (and backward compatible to ax etc), which could use the 6GHz band if the access point supports it. This article says 802.11ax for the 8a, but the product specs say 802.11be.
• 9a has a heat pipe to cool the processor. Nothing said about 8a, and one reviewer complains about overheating under heavy load and consequent defensive clock throttling.
• Camera features that are better on the 9a: it has a f/1.7 main camera. New dual pixel autofocus system, Macro focus capability.

A Case for the Phone

Until now I haven't used a case, but treating the Pixel 5a as fragile glass has been a minus, and I'm going to at least try a case on the 8a. This will fit over the sides and back; a screen protector is a different thing, for scratch resistance.

• Crave Dual Guard for Google Pixel 8a Case, Shockproof Protection Dual Layer Case for Google Pixel 8a - Aqua. $17, SB Crave USA FBA. Pro: It has a softish rubber inner layer and a colored stiff outer shell, should be better than competitors at protecting the phone. Everyone likes it, glowing reviews, particularly from Ms. Clumsy who drops her phone a lot. Best color choices. All ports, speakers, etc are accessible. It has a raised bumper around the screen edge. Con: is the color I chose too juvenile? (8 colors available.) It covers (but matches) the nice color of the phone. A transparent case would be better on this dimension.

• Spigen Rugged Armor Designed for Pixel 8a Case (2024) [Military-Grade Protection] - Matte Black. $17, SB Spigen FBA. Pros: People like it. Great product hype. Cons: Black is the only color. Military grade is excessive puffery.

• Spigen Ultra Hybrid Designed for Pixel 8a Case (2024) [Anti-Yellowing], [Military-Grade Protection] - Crystal Clear. $16 SB Spigen FBA. The edges and camera area are protected by a soft transparent polyurethane layer (non-yellowing so they say, very slight blue tinge), but most of the back has a more rigid polycarbonate panel. There's a raised bump around the screen edge. It has a pair of holes somewhere for a wrist strap. (I wonder how durable this is, and haven't found where the anchor is, probably on the bottom edge.) It about doubles the thickness of the phone. There's a special shock-absorbing bubble at each corner. 32g mass; phone with case is 220g (so phone is 188g vs 176g for Pixel 5a).