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The gap between Google's flagship phones and their A-series devices is getting smaller and smaller.
The Google Pixel 9a, Google's budget series Android phone, is the most feature-packed since the A-calibre devices were introduced.
We've been hands-on with the Pixel 9a for the past few weeks and are ready to share our thoughts: spoiler - it really is difficult to find criticisms of this excellent Android smartphone.
Pros
- Comfortable size
- Unbelievable battery life
- AI bells and whistles
Cons
- Uneven weight distribution
- Buttons are VERY clicky
- Cramped typing
Review Context
Before we dive too deep, when you're reading any online review, it's helpful to know a person's familiarity with the product.
In the case of Pixel phones in general and the complete 9 line-up, this is something I know quite a bit about. I was hands-on with the Pixel 9, 9 Pro XL, 9 Pro Fold, and 9 Pro all before they launched.
Before using the 9a, the most recent Pixel that was my daily driver was the Pixel 9 XL (so I went from a big screen "pro" device to Google's most basic offering in the Pixel line-up).
Generally, I have two devices on the go at all times: an iPhone and an Android phone. My default Android phone is a Pixel of some kind (though I gotta say since the launch of the OnePlus 13 and 13R , those devices are now much more frequently making their way into my pocket).
But all-in-all, Pixel is my standard Android device and what I compare the experience of all other Android smartphones to.
Pixel 9a: Introduction and Overview
The Pixel 9a is a great smartphone for anyone who has been yearning for the slick AI photo editing features and general performance of one of the flagship Pixel 9s, but didn't make the upgrade, possibly due to price.
I'm in Canada, and the Pixel 9a goes for $679, a savings of $420 over the base Pixel 9.
While you'd think that a savings of more than $400 would result in some desirable features being stripped from the phone, that's really not the case with the Pixel 9a.
- Display: 6.3-inch 60-120Hz refresh rate
- Battery Life: 30+ hours with normal use
- Charging: Fast charging and wireless charging supported
- Memory: 8 GB
- Storage: 128 GB or 256
- Processor: Tensor G4
- Cameras: 13MP front (selfie), 48 MP rear wide, 13 MP rear ultrawide
If the above list just reads like a bunch of jargon to you, the short version is this: for this price point, this is a spectacular collection of hardware. With normal use scenarios (snapping food and pet pics, browsing online, streaming games and movies, etc.), you won't feel limited compared to the experience on the standard Pixel 9.
Hands-on with Pixel 9a
There's a lot to like with the Pixel 9a, so I'll try and keep it brief/limited to first impressions/most surprising.
Look and feel
You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but maybe you CAN judge a phone by its colour.
The 9a is available in four different colors. I have the hue called Peony (pink), and I've gotta say, I really like the bold punch of colour. The back of the phone is vibrant, while the sides have a matte shine that complements the main hue.
This model also comes in three other shades: Obsidian (a familiar black option), Porcelain (a clean, off-white offering), and Iris (which rocks some serious blue-purple vibes).
Coming off the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, I noticed a great comfort shift wielding a smaller and lighter phone.
It's not much smaller, but it's noticeable in a good way. I can slide it into my pocket without any problems, whereas the 9 Pro XL tends to catch on my pocket or my shirt hem when I'm tucking it away or trying to retrieve it.
Screen
The screen size on the 9a (6.3 inches) is muchsmaller than the 9 Pro XL (6.8 inches) and the same as the Pixel 9 (also 6.3 inches).
I didn't notice a difference in screen real estate when browsing, watching movies, or even gaming (gaming is less noticeable because I generally use a smartphone controller instead of on-screen controls). Where I did notice an impact with the smaller screen was while typing.
I've had to relearn typing on the 9a keyboard since switching over from the 9 Pro XL.
That may sound silly, but it took several days to get as fluid as I was on the 9 Pro XL. The size difference is just enough to make the keyboard feel cramped, which leads to some far-off spellings that even auto-correct can't figure out (and that's now coming with an AI assist, so that says a lot).
But I feel like I'm almost back up to my previous typing level of ease. So, don't be discouraged if it takes you a few days to embrace the new keyboard parameters.
Audio quality
The quality of audio for phone calls sounds good through both the speaker and while on speaker phone.
Songs and audiobooks also sound nice, there's no noticeable loss there, even though you're on the cheaper version of the phone.
This section is short because I'm mostly using this with Pixel Buds Pro 2; however, for the occasional times the built-in speaker is working, it's working well enough.
What's noticeably different between the 9 Pro XL and the 9a?
Will you be swapping from a pro series phone to the Pixel 9a? If it's been a couple years since you last bought your Pro phone, and you're used to needing to buy a Pro phone to get all the features, you might want to take a second look at the Pixel 9a. While the 9 Pro and Pro XL have extras compared to the 9a, they're not extras that are going to make you have FOMO.
Since I did the A/B shift from the Pixel 9 Pro XL to the Pixel 9a, I'll share some thoughts on that change.
Clicky buttons
One thing I noticed almost immediately between the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the 9a is that the buttons on the 9a are very tactile and clicky.
Some people might feel the audible clicks when pressing the buttons on the side of the phone border on too loud, but that might just be a person-to-person thing. You're not hitting the volume/power buttons often, but when you do, you hear it!
Some phone cases slightly muffle the sound of your phone's buttons when you press them down, which would be nice in this case, but I didn't really notice the case making a difference on that front.
Pixel 9a case
Speaking of cases, I'm using the official case from Google, and it's much more slippery than its counterpart for the 9 Pro XL. It seems like an odd thing that the silicon cases would have different texture, but I kept almost dropping it in the beginning while getting used to this new device.
If you type with both hands, it's not a huge deal, but if you like to send a quick text or email with a flurry of one-handed typing, you lose a bit of confidence that you won't drop the phone in the process.
If you opt to go case-free, things feel a little more secure for those scenarios.
Screen brightness
I am definitely not a snob when it comes to phone displays. My first smartphone was a BlackBerry 8320, so to me, all phones nowadays are big and look great.
However, with that A/B comparison I did notice something different. While the Pixel 9a has 1800 nits brightness (HDR) and 2700 nits peak brightness, and on paper that shouldn't make a big difference, I did have the sense something was "off" with the display.
First turning on the device, there was nothing noticeable, but once I started actually doing things (typing in a Google Doc or browsing a web page), you may notice a slight downgrade in visual quality.
It's almost imperceptible, but if you jump right from the 9 Pro XL to the 9a, like I did, you'll feel like something's off about the screen.
It took a minute to put my finger on it, but ultimately I concluded it must be the sum of the difference between the device's contrast ratio (Pixel 9a is 1,000,000:1, whereas the Pro is double that) and peak brightness (an extra 200-300 nits HDR to peak).
This is a super picky observation, and I don't think many people would even notice unless they were using both devices side by side. But since there's very little criticism to share about the Pixel 9a, I had to mention something.
Pixel 9a camera comparison
The biggest compromise between the Pixel 9a and the Pro series phones is the change in camera module.
This is an expensive feature of a phone, so to offer a device for hundreds of dollars cheaper, this is a sensible place to make some cuts.
However, since the big differentiator of the Pixel 9 is the AI functions powered by the Tensor G4 processor (the same processor that's in the Pixel 9a), you still get the most cool stuff that the Pixel 9 phones can do.
Photography and AI capabilities
The coolest part of the Pixel 9 line-up is the AI photography features.
Admittedly, AI has become such an over-used buzz word by every brand. So, please, just bear with me for a moment. While most of the AI features are not NEED to have on a device, with the Pixel 9a, so many of them are NICE to have.
Let's start with Magic Editor. This is the suite of AI photo editing tools you can access on your Pixel 9a with one tap to improve the look of your photos, or do some fantastic reimagining.
For example, if you take a horizontal photo and then regret not taking a vertical version, you can use the 9a's Auto Frame in Magic Editor to reframe the photo and change the aspect from horizontal to vertical and vice-versa, with it filling in the empty space appropriately to match what's in the existing photo. As you'll see between the examples below, the first photo was snapped vertically and the AI did a great job matching the tones and surroundings to reframe for the second photo.
You can also get weird with the AI editing. Reimagine is another function in Magic Editor that lets you use text prompts to generate photo elements. It can be practical for changing backgrounds ("make this a sunny day with blue skies and puffy clouds) or very bizarre (make it look like my cat is staring at a peaceful pond).
Additional Pixel 9 AI photo editing features like Add Me are also available on this device.
I will add that, for the original photo I took, I used the Magic Eraser tool to remove the reflection of my arm, hand, and phone as I got my pet's attention to take the close-up image of his eye. That's the tool that's been around since the Pixel 6 Pro that every other phone manufacturer has copied.
The AI photo editor can also generate images based on prompts, so, naturally, I asked it to show me a picture of a dinosaur riding a bicycle.
When it delivered this almost instantly, I refined my prompt request to have the dinosaur wearing a party hat, and this also proved to be no problem.
Also, macro photography is available for the first time on an A-series Pixel device. If you're into taking macro photos with incredible detail, the 9a is more than capable of capturing some impressive results. I took some pictures of my cat's nose, whiskers, and eyes, and the phone's camera didn't disappoint.
It did a great job of focusing on very fine details without having any trouble. Even in lower light, the whiskers and strands of fur were clear and precise.
I will say, however, that the camera struggles a little bit with darker/more complex lighting situations. Ones that aren't necessarily nighttime (so don't need Night Sight), but just are more shadowy.
While the 9a has a special mode for dimmer lighting (as does the 9 Pro XL), the 9 Pro XL, for example, can compensate a bit more than the 9a in its normal photo mode for those situations where there's softer lighting, thanks to its better camera sensor.
It's not a huge deal, it's just something I noticed when trying to capture a quick moment where I didn't have time to toggle on Night Side mode, so I wanted to mention it here. Is it worth hundreds of dollars to upgrade to a Pro series phone for better low-light photos? For the average person, I'm going to guess not.
Pixel 9a: The bottom line
My initial testing of the Pixel 9a has left me very impressed.
Physically, it's cool to see a phone that has a camera that's basically flush with the back, making it a sleek device. Plus, the Peony colour is hot!
Pixel Power
Google Pixel 9a
Geeking Out Shop
The Pixel 9a punches above its price when it comes to features and specs. WIth a 120hz display, 30-hour battery life, a 48MP primary camera, and the same Tensor G4 processor you'll find in the Pixel 9, this is a great phone at a great price.
To make a phone cheaper, device makers could save by using an inferior display, worse battery, removing wireless charging, and downgrading storage. Google did none of those things. They're delivering an extremely capable Android phone at a surprisingly low price.
For our top picks for accessories to help you get even more out of your Pixel 9a, see this article.
My best advice: If you're due for an Android phone upgrade and, by default, would never consider a "budget phone," you really should. 2025 has some of the absolute best budget-friendly smartphones to balance features for cost (while you're here for the Pixel 9a info, don't sleep on the OnePlus 13R while you're in shopping mode).
If you end up picking up a 9a, make sure to hit me up on Instagram and share your thoughts on your new phone!
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