Google Pixel 9a's New Design Might Raise Eyebrows, But The Price Is Right

The recently announced Google Pixel 9A has large shoes to fill. The affordable telephone is nan follow-up to 1 of my favourite phones from 2024, nan Pixel 8A, which earned a CNET Editors' Choice Award. With nan Pixel 8A, Google recovered a saccharine spot successful position of features, artillery life, semipermanent package support and wide value. Fortunately, connected paper, nan Pixel 9A seems for illustration an upgrade successful astir each measurement to past year's Pixel 8A.

But nan Pixel 9A faces added pressure, arsenic its motorboat comes connected nan heels of Apple's "affordable" phone, nan $599 iPhone 16E. The caller iPhone, while being nan cheapest 1 Apple sells, is still good beyond nan $500 saccharine spot that nan best affordable phones negociate to hit. Fortunately, Google didn't travel Apple and kept nan Pixel 9A's value astatine $499 (£499, AU$849), which puts it much successful scope for group pinch a tighter budget, particularly arsenic US tariffs return clasp and thrust nan costs of equipment higher.

I utilized nan Pixel 9A for astir half an hr and was impressed pinch its build (it feels incredibly solid) and aspects of its caller design. I genuinely for illustration that nan Pixel 9A's backmost is astir wholly flat. However, nan telephone lacks nan unique camera barroom recovered connected nan remainder of nan Pixel 9 series, diminishing immoderate of nan Pixel 9A's Pixel-ness, astatine slightest successful appearance. Otherwise, connected nan surface and nether nan hood, it's arsenic Pixel arsenic they come.

The Pixel 9A will beryllium disposable astatine nan Google Store and astatine retailers beginning April 10.

Watch this: First Look: Google's Pixel 9A Gets a Large Battery and New Design

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Pixel 9A design

The Pixel 9A looks different from caller Pixel A models. Like nan Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, nan Pixel 9A has level sides alternatively of nan curved ones connected nan Pixel 8A. But Google's creation attack to nan Pixel 9A challenges nan boundaries of minimalism. The backmost of nan telephone is almost wholly flat, pinch nan camera bump sticking retired conscionable a hair. When I tally my fingertip crossed nan back, my nail catches connected nan articulator of nan camera bump, but not by much.

The Pixel 9A is simply a rarity successful 2025: It tin laic wholly level connected a array aliases desk. It doesn't wobble, though nan Pixel 9 and 9 Pro pinch a camera barroom don't wobble either. But nan Pixel 9A's level creation takes things to nan adjacent level. And I americium all-in connected nan Pixel 9A's level design.

But nan deficiency of a camera barroom seems for illustration a spot of a miss, arsenic I had ever recovered it visually striking connected erstwhile Google phones. The barroom helped separate nan Pixel from different brands' handsets. And while astir group will hardly ever spot nan Pixel 9A successful its day suit, alternatively opting to clothe it successful a case, nan Pixel 9A looks much generic than eye-catching.

In nan tug-of-war betwixt shape and function, Google went for usability and, arsenic a result, says nan Pixel 9A is nan astir durable Pixel A instrumentality it has made. The backmost is made from 81% recycled plastic. I cognize immoderate group will rotation their eyes because of nan plastic, but it looks bully and still felt coagulated erstwhile I picked it up, and it apt helps support nan costs down. The telephone has an IP68 standing for h2o particulate guidance (compared pinch nan Pixel 8A's IP67 rating), meaning it tin beryllium submerged successful h2o arsenic heavy arsenic 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. 

The Pixel 9A is disposable successful 4 colors: obsidian, porcelain, peony and iris. In person, I really liked nan iris color.

The Pixel 9A has a 6.3-inch show encapsulated successful a assemblage astir identical (it's a skosh taller) to nan Pixel 8A, which had a 6.1-inch display. The display's highest brightness is 2,700 nits, which is bully measurement up from nan 8A's screen, which could deed 2,000 nits. So it'll beryllium absorbing to spot really its surface looks outdoors, particularly nether immoderate agleam California sunlight. On paper, nan surface seems identical to nan 1 connected nan regular Pixel 9.

Pixel 9A camera

In position of photography, nan Pixel 9A has a 48-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. The caller main camera supports Google's Macro Focus, which intends you tin get adjacent to your taxable -- deliberation for illustration a nutrient photograph -- and person it beryllium successful focus. In fact, Google accomplishes this pinch nan main camera alternatively of utilizing nan ultrawide camera for illustration galore different phones do.

As for resolution, nan Pixel 9A's 48-megapixel main camera is simply a measurement down from nan 64-megapixel main camera connected nan Pixel 8A. But much megapixels isn't needfully better, arsenic Google proved for years leaning connected its package to boost its photography complete different phones pinch higher-megapixel cameras.

Also, nan Pixel 9A has a smorgasbord of AI goodies recovered connected nan much costly Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, specified arsenic Best Take for amended portraits, Photo Unblur, Magic Editor for removing distractions, Night Sight for low-light photos and more. The 9A moreover has Add Me, which uses AR and AI to fto photographers adhd themselves to a group photo. I've utilized Add Me connected my Pixel 9 Pro respective times and americium ever impressed pinch nan results.

Previous Pixel A phones person ever had a coagulated B camera that exceeded its price. I don't deliberation nan Pixel 9A's shooters will beryllium arsenic bully arsenic nan ones connected nan Pixel 9 aliases 9 Pro, but I'm excited to spot really they clasp up, particularly pinch nan caller 48-megapixel sensor.

Pixel 9A capacity and battery

The Pixel 9A runs connected Google's Tensor G4 chip, nan aforesaid 1 recovered successful nan Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. That intends it tin support Google AI features and Gemini. Notably, nan Pixel 9A comes pinch 8GB of RAM alternatively of nan 12GB recovered connected nan Pixel 9 and nan 16GB connected nan 9 Pro. But moreover pinch little RAM, Google guarantees nan Pixel 9A will person 7 years of awesome Android OS and information updates (it comes retired of nan container moving Android 15).

While nan Tensor G4 spot didn't triumph immoderate awards for its capacity successful benchmark tests for computations aliases graphics, we recovered it plentifulness tin erstwhile we tested it successful nan Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. Whether it was playing games, mindlessly scrolling news and societal feeds, aliases conscionable editing a photo, nan G4 spot consistently performed good successful mundane use. I dream nan aforesaid will beryllium existent erstwhile I get to trial nan Pixel 9A.

In position of power, Google says that nan Pixel 9A has nan largest artillery of immoderate Pixel A device. When I saw nan battery's capacity listed arsenic 5,100 mAh, I double-checked that I wasn't reference nan specs for Samsung's caller Galaxy A phones announced astatine MWC. Technically, nan Pixel 9A's artillery is bigger than that of immoderate successful Samsung's caller phones, including nan $1,300 Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Pixel 9A last thoughts for now

In position of everything else, nan Pixel 9A has each nan Pixel features you'd expect: everything from theft protection and Family Link (for limiting entree and sharing) to Google services for illustration Gmail and Maps. Surprisingly, nan caller telephone doesn't get Satellite SOS connectivity for illustration nan remainder of nan Pixel 9 line, but compromises ever person to beryllium made to thief support nan value down.

The Pixel 9A comes pinch either 128GB aliases 256GB of storage, 3 months of Google One, 3 months of YouTube Premium and six months of Fitbit Premium. I look guardant to spending much clip testing nan Pixel 9A for a afloat review, erstwhile I tin get my hands connected it.

Google Pixel 9A specs vs. Pixel 8A, Pixel 9