Google Pixel 9a Review: A Budget Phone With Comparable Experience To Its Flagship Siblings

Google's Pixel 9a offers specified bully worth that it cannibalizes nan flagship Pixel 9 model. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

As Google's Pixel "a" phones person routinely done for years, nan Pixel 9a delivers a near-premium acquisition for a importantly little costs than nan company's flagship phones.

Using nan Pixel 9a mostly feels for illustration utilizing nan flagship Pixel 9, arsenic it intimately mirrors nan latter's performance, surface quality, and camera capabilities for a $300 little value tag. Indeed, nan Pixel 9a challenges nan Pixel 9's worth proposition to nan constituent that, contempt nan flagship's higher-end creation and top-tier 5G connectivity, it's difficult to warrant nan added costs for astir people, particularly arsenic nan Pixel 9a offers longer artillery life than nan Pixel 9 successful our testing.

To get an appreciably amended phone, you'd request to walk astatine slightest $500 much and opt for a Pixel 9 Pro model. However, those seeking nan best fund Android phone should look nary further than nan Pixel 9a.

Design: A sleek, minimalist shape pinch a fewer compromises

The Pixel 9a hardly has a camera bump, making its backmost almost flat. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The Pixel 9a is astir a cleanable rectangular slab pinch level edges and an almost wholly level back. Indeed, nan Pixel 9a's camera oval hardly protrudes from nan back, and we haven't seen specified a flush camera connected a telephone since nan Essential Phone successful 2017.

The astir level camera is simply a departure from Google's accustomed Pixel camera barroom design, which stretches crossed nan telephone and protrudes, but it suits nan Pixel 9a's minimalist creation well.

The Pixel 9a's integrative backmost and aluminum framework negociate a high-end look and consciousness for a fund phone. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

Like astir Pixel "a" models, nan Pixel 9a's framework is aluminum, and nan backmost is simply a matte-textured plastic, but it'll still please anyone seeking a premium look and consciousness successful a phone. To beryllium sure, nan Pixel 9, pinch its aluminum frame, clear solid back, and other 0.4 ounces of weight, still looks and feels for illustration nan much costly phone.

The Pixel 9 (left) has thinner borders astir nan show than nan Pixel 9a (right). Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The Pixel 9a's achromatic borders astir nan show are besides noticeably thicker than those connected nan Pixel 9, which dilutes nan fund model's near-premium aesthetic.

Performance: On par pinch Google's flagship models

As it runs nan aforesaid Google Tensor G4 processor arsenic nan flagship Pixel 9 phones, nan Pixel 9a useful conscionable arsenic quickly and smoothly successful day-to-day usage for apps, games, and AI features for illustration Gemini aliases Magic Editor successful Google Photos.

The Pixel 9a scores somewhat little than nan Pixel 9 successful capacity and AI benchmark results, apt owed to nan former's 8GB of RAM compared to nan latter's 12GB. Yet, arsenic I mentioned above, location is nary perceivable difference.

The only capacity quality betwixt nan Pixel 9a and flagship Pixel 9 models is successful benchmarks, and nan quality isn't moreover that stark. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

Based connected my caller acquisition pinch nan 2021 Pixel 6 that runs connected nan original Tensor processor, nan Pixel 9a moving nan Tensor G4 should enactment soft and snappy for astatine slightest 3 years.

Yet, successful benchmarks, Google's Tensor G4 processor scores importantly little than nan Samsung Galaxy S25 series' Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. It could bespeak that nan Pixel 9a's semipermanent capacity whitethorn not support up for much discerning users astatine nan extremity of Google's generous seven-year support model for Android upgrades and information updates.

Still, moreover if capacity isn't buttery soft successful nan agelong term, it's awesome that you tin usage nan Pixel 9a for arsenic agelong arsenic 7 years pinch nan knowledge that it'll support getting Android and features upgrades, fto unsocial information updates.

Display: A high-end OLED screen

On nan Pixel 9a, nan Tensor G4 is paired pinch nan aforesaid Google Actua show arsenic nan Pixel 9. It's a 6.3-inch OLED sheet pinch a 60-120Hz refresh rate, 1080p resolution, and up to 2,700 nits highest brightness (1,800 for HDR).

The Pixel 9a fundamentally has nan aforesaid show arsenic nan Pixel 9. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

It's group to 60Hz by default, but you tin alteration nan Smooth Display mounting to get a notably smoother 120Hz refresh rate. The consequence is simply a fluid, bright, sharp, high-end acquisition pinch nary complaints erstwhile swiping astir nan Android operating system, apps, and games.

The only quality is nan Pixel 9a's Gorilla Glass 3 screen solid compared to nan Pixel 9's Gorilla Glass Victus 2. While nan second is technically much durable, nan erstwhile is plentifulness durable for astir people.

However, arsenic pinch immoderate of nan best phones, we urge equipping nan Pixel 9a pinch a lawsuit and surface protector, arsenic nary metallic framework aliases solid surface is invincible. See our guides to nan best Pixel 9a cases and screen protectors for apical options.

5G connectivity: Lack of top-tier networks isn't a dealbreaker

A communal limitation of much affordable phones is their deficiency of connectivity to nan fastest 5G networks, which are known arsenic mmWave 5G aliases high-band 5G. Google's Pixel "a" phones person historically lacked mmWave 5G connectivity by default, and nan Pixel 9a maintains this pattern.

The Pixel 9a doesn't link to mmWave 5G networks, but that's good for astir people. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

Most group aren't apt to announcement a quality successful day-to-day use. The low- and mid-band 5G networks compatible pinch nan Pixel 9a are plentifulness accelerated connected immoderate bearer to support beautiful overmuch thing you'd do connected nan phone, whether scrolling done photo-heavy societal media apps, streaming videos, aliases downloading a ample game.

Plus, not each bearer plans see entree to mmWave 5G networks. Many of nan best compartment telephone plans from MVNOs and fund carriers, for illustration Mint Mobile, don't connection mmWave 5G connectivity, and nan best inexpensive compartment telephone plans whitethorn already beryllium champion suited to nan budget-minded Pixel 9a owner.

Cameras: Flagship-level quality, isolated from zooming

Cameras person been a Pixel strongpoint ever since nan very first exemplary was released successful 2016, and nan aforesaid goes for each Pixel "a" exemplary truthful far. The aforesaid tin easy beryllium said astir nan Pixel 9a's 48MP main camera and 13MP ultrawide, which compete pinch flagship phones that costs astatine slightest doubly arsenic much.

The Pixel 9a's ultrawide camera takes fantabulous photos. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The Pixel 9a's 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide cameras present nan aforesaid earthy colors arsenic nan Pixel 9 phones, which besides hap to beryllium nan champion connected immoderate phone, including nan best iPhones.

The Pixel 9a's main camera takes photos pinch a near-perfect equilibrium of earthy color, brightness, and contrast. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The equilibrium of brightness, contrast, and colour is besides adjacent cleanable — brights aren't excessively bright, darks aren't excessively dark, and each item is captured. It moreover captures amazingly crisp shots of moving subjects (my kids) successful low-light conditions, which further backs up nan Pixel 9a's worth proposition, whether you're looking for a fund aliases premium device.

The Pixel 9a's main camera has a integer zoom option, which degrades value nan much you zoom in, but you won't announcement if you're flicking done photos successful Google Photos. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The Pixel 9a has a tin integer zoom that nevertheless degrades successful value nan much you zoom successful comparative to nan 2x optical-quality zoom of nan Pixel 9 and nan dedicated 5x optical zoom lenses of nan Pixel 9 Pro models. However, photograph value is only perceptively degraded erstwhile you harvest into a 2x photograph aliases zoom successful further than 2x to return a shot. Otherwise, 2x photos look arsenic bully arsenic 1x shots erstwhile flicking done photos successful nan Google Photos app connected a phone's comparatively mini show aliases moreover a larger machine monitor.

The Pixel 9a comes pinch almost each AI-powered camera and photograph characteristic successful Google's photography suite, for illustration Add Me, Magic Editor, and Magic Eraser. It's only missing Action Pan, disposable connected nan flagship Pixel 9 bid and designed to seizure a moving taxable while creating a blurred background.

Like nan Pixel 9, nan Pixel 9a tin grounds video up to 4K solution astatine 60 frames-per-second (fps). However, it lacks nan expertise to seizure video successful 10-bit HDR, truthful colors, brightness, and opposition won't beryllium arsenic formidable arsenic nan best Google Pixel phones. Still, videos taken pinch nan Pixel 9a will easy please astir people.

Battery life and charging: Battery outperforms nan Pixel 9 and astir small-size phones

The Pixel 9a scored nan second-best consequence for a smaller telephone successful our artillery test. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The Pixel 9a, pinch a 5,100mAh battery, ended our intensive artillery trial pinch a superb 66% consequence for a telephone pinch a 6.3-inch display. It hit nan 6.3-inch Pixel 9's 60% consequence and nan 6.3-inch Galaxy S25's 62% result. The Pixel 9a sits among nan 6.1-inch iPhone 16 (65%) and iPhone 16e (68%) arsenic 1 of nan smaller devices among nan best phones for artillery life.

The Pixel 9a supports accelerated charging up to 23W, which is somewhat slower than nan Pixel 9's 27W but accelerated capable and akin to Apple's accelerated charging for its existent flagship models. You tin besides wirelessly complaint nan Pixel 9a pinch nan guidelines Qi standard, which useful astatine a slow 7.5W rate.

Should you bargain nan Pixel 9a?

If you're deciding betwixt nan Pixel 9a and nan Pixel 9 aliases are mostly seeking a fund Android telephone pinch flagship-level performance, we wholeheartedly urge nan Pixel 9a.

In a pragmatic utopia, nan Pixel 9a is nan only telephone astir group ever need. Its ratio of value, performance, design, camera quality, and features is rather simply unmatched. It's conscionable a shame it doesn't travel successful an action larger than 6.3 inches for those who for illustration larger displays.

Though its camera strategy lacks nan optical-quality zoom of higher-end phones, nan Pixel 9a is simply a sincere contender arsenic nan best Android phone you tin buy, particularly for its fund value.