When I was talking about thermals I was primarily speaking about the tensor G3. The previous generations are way worse.
As for A series being priced midrange. In my country it costs Rs52999($635) for the base 8/128gb model. I can get the top 16/256gb variant of the oneplus 12R with the much superior Snapdragon 8 gen 2 for Rs45999($551). There are also other options like the Poco X6 pro, motorola edge 50 pro, and the Realme GT 6T which cost significantly less.
Unless, pixels start approaching the price point of other smartphones. Its a no go to pay the google price just for software and camera alone.