With the cost of living crisis showing no signs of slowing down, people are trying to squeeze as much value as possible from every dollar. Google’s Pixel A series smartphones have always been more budget friendly than the flagship siblings, but without sacrificing too much in features and value. Google offers this once again with the Pixel 9a, an excellent option for those wanting as many bells and whistles as possible while keeping the cost down at $849.
Every year the same cycle plays out: we get the release of the next Pixel smartphones and then around nine months later, the A series entry. With yearly iterations, the gap between the differences in phones gets smaller, but as long as FOMO exists, people will continue to upgrade annually.
The TL;DR here is that you can’t go wrong with the Pixel 9a. It’s a great phone packed with features for a decent price. Android phones are everywhere, and most phones at this price point are going to be good. So, why is the Pixel 9a the one you should get?
Colours of the Pixel 9a rainbow
The biggest difference between the Pixel 8a and the Pixel 9a is the design, with the iconic chonky camera bar removed. Instead, the Pixel 9a has a flat matte back that sees it fall in line with other smartphone designs. On one hand, I like the flat design, as it looks sleeker and doesn’t get as dirty, but on the other hand, the camera bar is what made Pixel unique, so I hope Google hasn’t decided to remove it for good.
It comes in four colours, the colourful Iris (lavender) and Peony (pink), and the standard Porcelain (beigey white) and Obsidian (black), in 128GB and 256GB storage options. It’s a decent swatch of colours, but I would have liked to have seen Bay Blue make a return.
Under the hood is a Tensor G4 chip – the same chip powering the rest of the Pixel 9 family – as well as 8GB of RAM, giving it enough grunt to handle multiple apps and run games. One main perk of the Tensor G4 is that it’s the backbone of Google’s new AI assistant Gemini, but there’s a catch with the Pixel 9a. Unfortunately, with only 8GB RAM, some Gemini features, such as Call Notes and Pixel Screenshots, which is a pretty handy feature that lets you search your screenshots for keywords (red jumper, denim shorts), are not present.
The Pixel 9a vs the Pixel 9 Pro XL
When it comes to the display, the Pixel 9a has a 6.3-inch Actua OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, allowing for super smooth scrolling – one of the highlights of the Pixel experience. Google claims it’s also 35% brighter than the Pixel 8a, and to its credit, it does a great job of staying readable in sunlight. Not only that, it also looks great in general, whether you’re web browsing, watching videos or looking at photos.
The camera is a main selling point for any phone purchase, and the Pixel 9a is fitted out with a 48MP quad wide camera and 13MP ultrawide camera system. It’s a step down from the Pixel 9 but is about on par with the Pixel 8. These days it’s hard to get a phone with a bad camera, especially when you’re paying almost a thousand dollars, and as expected, the Pixel 9a takes cracking photos with sharp colours and great detail. There’s also a 13MP front camera for when the need for a selfie arises.
Further enhancing the camera’s abilities, all of Google’s AI tools are here for you to play with, like Magic Eraser for when you want to get rid of something or someone in the background. You don’t realise how good this tool is until you’ve taken photos at a tourist hotspot and wiped an entire crowd from your otherwise perfect shot. There’s also Best Take, Add Me, Magic Editor, Photo Unblur and other useful editing tools.
For those aspiring or veteran content creators, you’ll get 4K video recording at 60fps from the rear camera, and 30fps from the front camera, and like photos, the results are great. Plus, there’s a bunch of useful editing tools for video, such as Audio Magic Eraser, Image Stabilisation and Macro Focus to help make your videos and potential content the best it can be.
The Pixel 9a camera takes great pictures
The Pixel 9a delivers in other important areas too, such as battery life, where you’ll get close to a full day of normal use. For those who spend hours doomscrolling social media and watching TikToks until their eyes fall out, you’ll need a charger or powerbank handy during the day. It’s also IP68 water and dust resistant, and as has become the standard, Google is offering a two-year warranty and seven years of OS support (from the date of release).
Final Thoughts
In Australia, the Pixel 9a doesn’t quite fall into the budget category with its $849 price. However, for anyone looking for an affordable (sub $1000) smartphone with a cracking camera and plenty of features, the Pixel 9a is the best option on the market.
Review unit supplied by manufacturer
Click here for more information on WellPlayed’s review policy and ethics
