The evolution of precipitates and mechanical properties of AZ80A magnesium alloy with aging time was studied by in situ observation with SEM, TEM and tensile testing. The results show that the continuous precipitation (CP) phases near the reaction front (RF) are replaced by the discontinuous precipitation (DP) phases at the early aging stage. In DP regions, the elliptical phases coarsen obviously with the increase of aging time, which results in a slightly slow reduction of the intracrystalline hardness of DP regions. In CP regions, some small plate phases reprecipitate simultaneously with the growth of the initial precipitates, which contributes to a slight increase in the intracrystalline hardness in CP regions at the later aging stage. The aging hardening of DP regions is faster and stronger than that of CP regions. However, the age strengthening of CP regions not only compensates for the overaging softening of DP regions but also improves the strength of the alloy.