Google's budget Pixel 8a will get another flagship AI feature soon after launch

The Google Pixel 8a in Obsidian (Image credit: Google)

The feature-packed Google Pixel 8a was unveiled to the world on May 7, and is due to begin shipping on May 14, but we’re already hearing about an additional AI feature that’s set to be included in the phone’s first post-launch software update.

According to a Verizon product page (via Android Authority), the Pixel 8a’s first software update will grant access to Google's AI wallpaper app, which lets you generate completely new wallpapers based on selected keywords and themes.

AI-generated wallpapers are currently exclusive to the Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 8 Pro and a handful of Samsung devices (check out our Galaxy AI compatibility roundup for the specific models), and the feature won’t be included in the Pixel 8a’s firmware at launch. Google's AI wallpaper app will, however, be bundled into the phone’s first security patch, which will presumably begin rolling out from May 7 onwards.

To generate AI wallpapers on the Pixel 8a, you’ll need to tap and hold an empty space on your device’s home screen, select ‘Wallpaper & Style’, then ‘More wallpapers’, then ‘AI wallpaper’. Incidentally, the feature is powered by Google’s cloud servers, rather than on-device processing, so you’ll need an internet connection for it to function.

As for the AI features that will be included with the Pixel 8a at launch, Google has confirmed that Circle to Search, Call Assist, Best Take and Magic Editor will all be present and correct on May 7. By the sounds of things, Google’s new budget model will be the best cheap phone for AI features, what with Samsung’s latest affordable effort, the Galaxy A55, being excluded from the company’s suite of Galaxy AI features.

The Pixel 8a is available to pre-order now from $499 / £499 / AU$849. However, if you’re in the US, you can score the phone for free thanks to an eye-catching new Best Buy promotion. For a limited time only, the retailer is offering a potent combination of a $100 gift card as a bonus freebie and a trade-in rebate of up to $499 – a saving that's enough to cover the entire cost of the Pixel 8a device.

We’re currently putting the Pixel 8a through its paces in our testing labs, and will be sharing our full verdict on the new phone soon, so stay tuned to TechRadar for more.

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Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.