Powerful competitors, however Google’s nonetheless king

Google is taking a barely completely different path with its funds A-series telephones. The brand new Google Pixel 9a continues to supply comparable efficiency and options as its mainline gadgets, however not like the Pixel 8a earlier than it, which aimed to supply the same design, the Pixel 9a switches issues up somewhat, with a design that does away with maybe probably the most distinctive factor concerning the Pixel collection — the digicam bar.

Other than that change, although, the Pixel 9a nonetheless goals to ship on Google’s promise of the very best of Android however at a lower cost. The cellphone has to go up towards more and more powerful competitors, together with from the likes of Nothing, which not too long ago launched the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, each of that are wonderful gadgets in the identical worth vary.

Does the Google Pixel 9a do sufficient to set itself aside from the competitors, or is Google’s dominance within the mid-range smartphone world beginning to slip?

Google Pixel 9a specs

Google Pixel 9a assessment: Design

The design modifications to the Pixel 9a are maybe a number of the most notable variations between it and former era A-series Pixel telephones. The most important and most blatant change is that the Pixel 9a fully does away with the digicam bar, which has been a signature design component of the Pixel for plenty of years now.

That stated, the Pixel 9a’s digicam design is simply as notable, however for a distinct motive — it’s virtually fully flush towards the again of the cellphone, reversing the various years of more and more giant digicam bumps that we’ve seen from all completely different cellphone producers.

I feel it appears nice, and I’m glad to see somebody trying to mix the digicam module again into the rear of the cellphone. There are trade-offs to this design alternative, although, like the necessity to use smaller digicam sensors and lenses, however not less than from a design perspective, it’s a neat alternative.

The remainder of the design of the cellphone is kind of to be anticipated, however in a great way. The cellphone feels very premium and well-built, particularly for a tool on this worth vary. It has a smooth matte body similar to the opposite Pixel 9 gadgets. Round that body might be discovered a quantity rocker and energy button on the fitting edge and a USB-C port on the underside.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

On the entrance, you’ll discover an edge-to-edge show with a pinhole cutout for the front-facing digicam. The bezels round that show are somewhat thicker than the usual Pixel 9 telephones, however I didn’t actually discover it distracting or overly dated-looking.

The machine is obtainable in a variety of shade choices, together with Obsidian, Porcelain, Iris, and Peony. My assessment mannequin is probably probably the most boring-looking of the bunch, Obsidian. I’m notably a fan of the Iris and Peony colorways, although I haven’t seen them in particular person.

Google Pixel 9a assessment: Show

The precise show on the machine is kind of good however not unbelievable. It’s a 6.8-inch 1080p pOLED show, with a refresh fee that may differ between 60Hz and 120Hz. The truth that it’s a 1080p show isn’t essentially a problem on this worth vary, neither is the truth that it’s not capable of vary right down to 1Hz like higher-end gadgets. I do recognize that it’s an OLED display, although, which implies that you’ll get deep black ranges and excessive ranges of distinction.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

Additional contributing to that distinction is a comparatively excessive brightness. The cellphone can hit 2700 nits peak brightness, and I discovered that it was simply brilliant sufficient for many use circumstances, together with use outdoors. Certain, it wasn’t as brilliant as higher-end telephones, however its brightness was by no means a problem for me whereas utilizing the cellphone.

Google Pixel 9a assessment: Efficiency

Like earlier era Pixel A collection gadgets, the Pixel 9a affords the identical chipset as the usual Pixel 9 gadgets, the Google Tensor G4 — which is coupled with 8GB of RAM. This is identical technique that Apple takes with its funds telephones, together with a high-performing chipset that was used on a flagship machine in its lower-cost telephones. The Tensor G4 could not fairly method Apple’s A-series when it comes to efficiency, however for a cellphone on this worth vary, the Pixel 9a performs very nicely.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

In day-to-day use, I discovered that the cellphone was simply capable of deal with even heavier multitasking and cell gaming, and whereas it actually heated up at occasions, it by no means felt prefer it was underperforming.

Crucially, the Google Tensor G4 performs higher than different mid-range chips just like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is the chipset that powers the Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional. Mainly, it ought to carry out higher for all types of duties, together with cell gaming and productiveness.

Google Pixel 9a assessment: Battery and charging

The Google Pixel 9a has a 5,100mAh battery, and I discovered that it was simply capable of get me by means of a full day of even heavier use. I don’t assume I’d be capable to stretch it into two full days of use, however I by no means anxious about operating out of juice by the tip of a day, and those that are good at charging their machine in a single day may have no issues with the battery of the cellphone.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

That’s excellent news as a result of the cellphone doesn’t essentially cost all that shortly. It fees at a most pace of 23W with a wired charger, and also you’ll have to make use of a appropriate charger to get these speeds. The cellphone does help wi-fi charging too, however once more, it’s at slower speeds. You’ll solely get a most wi-fi charging pace of seven.5W by means of commonplace Qi charging, not the 15W supported by Qi2 gadgets.

Google Pixel 9a assessment: Digital camera

The Google Pixel 9a has a flush digicam module on the again of the machine, and it’s a design alternative that I like. There are some trade-offs to that alternative, however the trade-offs are literally fairly minimal, which is sensible contemplating the truth that regardless that the Pixel 8a did have a digicam bar, that digicam bar was very slim and didn’t actually protrude from the rear of the cellphone all that a lot.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

The principle digicam on the Pixel 9a is a 48-megapixel digicam with an f/1.7 aperture. It’s coupled with a 13-megapixel ultrawide digicam. Notably lacking, nonetheless, is a telephoto digicam. That’s one thing that we wouldn’t have thought twice about on this worth vary only a few months in the past, however up to now few months, Nothing launched the Nothing Telephone (3a) and Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional, each of which have a triple digicam array that features a telephoto digicam. In different phrases, the digicam system on the Pixel 9a isn’t fairly as versatile as that on the Nothing Telephone (3a) or Telephone (3a) Professional.

Finally, nonetheless, the photographs captured by the Pixel 9a have been wonderful. They have been colourful, vibrant, and detailed. The principle digicam’s decision is perhaps somewhat decrease than the Pixel 8a earlier than it, however the newer cameras look extra detailed in most conditions, even when zoomed on the level of seize. Just like the Pixel 8a, the Pixel 9a can nonetheless solely zoom to 8x, and at 8x you’ll discover fairly a lack of element, however much less so than on the Pixel 8a.

In fact, talking of zoom, the Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional nonetheless vastly outperforms the Pixel 9a, contemplating the inclusion of an precise telephoto digicam. At 8x, which is the Pixel 9a’s most, the Nothing machine was capable of seize fairly natural-looking photographs, whereas these captured by the Pixel 9a have been noticeably overly zoomed. That stated, I discovered that the Pixel 9a captured higher element and extra vibrant colours at low ranges of zoom.

All that to say that the Pixel 9a has an excellent digicam system constructed into it. I hope that Nothing’s inclusion of a telephoto digicam indicators that different telephones on this worth vary will get a triple-camera system quickly too. In case you take quite a lot of zoomed photographs, you’ll discover that the Nothing Telephone 3a Professional performs higher. However in day-to-day conditions, I favor the photographs captured by the Pixel 9a.

Google Pixel 9a assessment: Software program

The software program expertise on the Pixel 9a is just about what you’d anticipate. That’s to say it’s wonderful. This isn’t essentially the inventory Android that some label the Pixel collection as providing, however it’s Android as Google needs it to be. All the things is kind of the place you’d anticipate it to be, and the cellphone has some further design components that make it extra distinctive. I’ve lengthy liked how the Pixel collection approaches software program, and that continues right here.

Picture supply: Christian de Looper for BGR

As you’d anticipate, the Pixel 9a has plenty of AI-based options that you could be or could not discover helpful. For instance, the digital assistant constructed into the machine is Google’s Gemini, and it now leverages Gemini 2.0 Flash, which is constructed to supply extra correct responses. Gemini 2.0 Flash is free for all Gemini customers, however paid customers of Gemini Superior will be capable to entry the extra highly effective Gemini 2.5 Professional. The machine additionally has different AI-powered options like those you’d anticipate within the Google Pictures app. Not a lot is essentially new for the Pixel 9a particularly, however it all works fairly nicely on the machine.

Conclusions

The Google Pixel 9a is extra of the identical, in a great way. It performs very nicely for a cellphone on this worth vary, plus it has a superb software program expertise, an excellent digicam, and useful options. That’s to not point out the brand new design, which some argue makes the Pixel 9a much less distinctive, however I truly assume helps make it stand out extra in a sea of telephones with huge digicam modules. The Pixel 9a is an ideal instance of why the mid-range smartphone market is significantly heating up — and I’m right here for it.

The competitors

Maybe the most important competitors to the Pixel 9a proper now comes within the type of the Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional, which is in the same worth bracket. There are professionals and cons to all of those gadgets. Those that need higher efficiency and a extra constant software program expertise ought to go for the Google Pixel 9a. Nonetheless, those that need a extra versatile digicam will discover the Nothing Telephone (3a) Professional to be the higher machine, contemplating the truth that it has a telephoto digicam constructed into it.

Ought to I purchase the Google Pixel 9a?

Sure, it’s a superb cellphone for $500 or much less.