ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Google Pixel 9a is the most recent midrange telephone from the corporate and retails for $499.
- It includes a new Tensor G4 chip, useful AI instruments, an improved most important digicam, and the most important battery of any Pixel.
- You will should accept some finances trade-offs, together with the shortage of a telephoto lens and slower charging speeds.
extra shopping for decisions
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I am inclined to assume that the parents behind the Google Pixel 9a are from the longer term as a result of if there’s one factor that the telephone will get proper, it is timing.
The newest Pixel 9a retails for $499, making it a stellar telephone funding in right now’s — and the foreseeable future’s — unpredictable economic system. In fact, the recent tariff news I have been tiptoeing by has been in discussions since January.
Additionally: This Pixel 10 rumor just gave Google an edge over Samsung and OnePlus
However with the most recent wave of bulletins, it is clear that the buyer electronics market is about to enter a full-blown frenzy, as manufacturers brace for impression, costs teeter on the sting, and customers rush to lock in worth earlier than the storm really hits.
Which means units just like the Pixel 9a — ones that promise long-term advantages at a comparatively reasonably priced worth — matter greater than ever. The timing alone makes the Pixel 9a probably the most vital units of 2025, even when it wasn’t meant to be when first unveiled.
Macroeconomics 101 apart, here is what that you must know in regards to the Pixel 9a I have been driving day by day for a couple of months now, together with who should purchase it and what makes it value upgrading to.
I am going to admit: initially, I wasn’t offered on the Pixel 9a’s new {hardware} and design. The bezels are noticeably thick by right now’s requirements – even when in comparison with equally priced units just like the $459 Nothing Phone 3a Pro and $399 Samsung Galaxy A36 5G – and eradicating the Pixel-famous digicam bar was a selection.
The Google Pixel 9a (left) and Pixel 8a (proper).
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
In idea, stripping down the again of the telephone makes the Pixel more durable to differentiate in a sea of glass sandwiches. In apply, this has two advantages: hand placement and decreased mud accumulation. Whereas I’d beforehand tuck my index finger beneath the digicam bar to maintain the telephone upheld, not having the bodily obstruction now means I can maintain the telephone way more freely.
Additionally: I changed 8 settings on my Pixel phone to significantly improve the battery life
Why is that this tech nerd geeking out about ergonomics? As a result of the Pixel 9a’s energy button is pretty excessive, hand placement is one side you do not need to restrict your self to.
That very same energy button prompts Gemini, which replaces Google Assistant on the Pixel 9a and might now fulfill extra complicated duties, together with multimodal, vision-based help.
Gemini Dwell not too long ago acquired an replace that lets the AI pull in context from the telephone’s digicam. Simply level and ask.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
If there’s one factor we will all agree on, it is that Pixel phones are infamous for amassing mud between the crevices of the digicam bar. That is very true when you’ve got a case outfitted, which additional traps particles and particles close to the digicam bar.
The Pixel 9a has none of these issues, sustaining a clear aesthetic after virtually a month of going out and in of jean pockets, my backpack, and a gadget-filled shoulder bag.
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I am additionally a fan of the brighter show, which now ramps as much as 2,700 nits of peak brightness versus the Pixel 8a’s 2,000 nits. The improved luminance was noticeable after I put the 2 Pixel telephones by my notorious torture check — aka studying text-heavy webpages from the window seat of a bridge-crossing commuter bus. Very scientific, I do know.
However most finish customers will respect the practicality of such upgrades, and the Pixel 9a delivers on the subject of consuming content material underneath the springtime solar.
The day-to-day advantages prolong to the processing energy of the Pixel 9a, which options the identical Tensor G4 chipset because the soon-to-be-outdated Pixel 9 collection fashions, together with the $1,099 Pixel 9 Pro XL and $1,799 Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Paired with 8GB of RAM, right now’s minimal quantity of reminiscence to run hybrid AI options, you are a telephone that handles most duties gracefully.
Google says switching to the Tensor G4 chip yields a 30% pace bump in net looking over final 12 months’s Tensor G3, and I imagine it. With the Pixel 9a and Pixel 8a in hand (and on the identical Wi-Fi community), the previous loaded up the varied picture carousels, net hyperlinks, and the story river on ZDNET’s homepage a couple of seconds sooner. Save a couple of seconds right here and there, and also you’re an accumulatively snappier looking expertise.
The massive query is how the Tensor G4 holds up over time. By that, I imply mobile efficiency, energy effectivity, and reminiscence administration after 1-2 years, as these have all been issues raised by real customers. In Google’s protection, the corporate would not essentially market its units as multitasking powerhouses or ones that may spell the top of gaming consoles. Regardless, I will be holding tabs.
Additionally: Why you shouldn’t buy a Google Pixel phone right now – even if you’re a superfan
I am extra hopeful in regards to the Pixel 9a’s future due to its battery and endurance. Unsurprisingly, this is likely one of the longest-lasting Pixel telephones I’ve examined, with a 5,100mAh capability that units a brand new file for Google.
The 1-2 additional hours I’ve squeezed out of the Pixel 9a in comparison with the Pixel 8a (4,492mAh) have been admirable, particularly with my camera-heavy workflow. In actual fact, my battery assessments — which include 45 minutes of steady utilization, from looking social media feeds to streaming movies to creating calls — put the Pixel 9a in pole place above the Pixel 9 Professional XL. Now, if solely Google might enhance the wired charging pace from the sluggish 23W ranking. Give me 65W! 45W! I am going to even take 30W.
(Whereas I am right here: the flush digicam design of the Pixel 9a additionally makes it way more suitable with varied wi-fi charging docks.)
Oddly, the Pixel 8a (left) has a smaller punch gap design on the entrance than the Pixel 9a (proper) – although the digicam sensors are the identical.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
On paper, the brand new 48-megapixel major digicam on the Pixel 9a seems to be like a downgrade from final 12 months’s 64MP shooter, however the bigger picture sensor on the previous does make a distinction.
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I principally seen the efficiency hole when evaluating nighttime photographs and in environments with less-than-usual lighting. Pinching into photographs reveals the Pixel 9a capturing extra element and vividness, naturally leading to higher distinction and colour accuracy. The Pixel 9a additionally nails pores and skin tones, which could be very troublesome when your atmosphere’s colour temperature (learn: leaning extra orange or blue) is off.
What left me wanting extra was the zoom capabilities, as I felt the shortage of a devoted telephoto lens after I attended a New York Knicks recreation again in April and could not seize a top quality shot of the tip-off with the 8x (max) optical zoom — although I sat just some sections away from the courtroom. (A extra distant shot of the complete area, taken with the 13MP ultrawide and pictured above, regarded incredible.)
Comparable feelings have been felt after I tried to seize the unshakable aura of turkeys crossing a avenue on Staten Island. The curiosity killed me, and one step nearer meant the birds bolting away.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Cash is a delicate subject now greater than ever, so here is my shopping for recommendation after testing the Google Pixel 9a and each different A-series system since 2019.
That is essentially the most well-rounded telephone you should buy for underneath $500, and the intrinsic worth that comes with it — the seven years of software program help, the varied AI options which have trickled down from extra premium Pixel telephones, and so on. — makes it a extra affordable selection than its flashier rivals.
Whether or not you worth a superb show, dependable battery life, or a digicam that will get the photographs you need (simply do not be too formidable), the Pixel 9a will serve you nicely. It is one of many few best Android phones I might advocate for its itemizing worth and extra so if there is a provider deal that matches your plan.
However do you have to purchase one should you’re utilizing a 1-2 year-old handset? Most likely not. As an alternative, I recommend ready for the following huge gross sales occasion, because the $799 Pixel 9 will probably fall inside an identical worth vary — again.
Should you can wait it out, the Pixel 9, for round $50-$100 extra, is the higher smartphone deal, and it is a system we think about the best option for most consumers proper now, together with energy customers and enterprise professionals. Regardless, your choices within the midrange market are promising proper now, and the timing could not be higher.
ZDNET’s overview group spends upwards of a 12 months testing the ins and outs of each main telephone launch, evaluating the day-to-day efficiency, digicam high quality, battery life and endurance, and particular options. Here is a breakdown of each issue we think about earlier than we make suggestions:
- Design and ergonomics: How good a telephone seems to be and feels performs an enormous position in lots of customers’ shopping for journeys, so we think about these features closely when testing.
- Efficiency: A number of components have an effect on a telephone’s efficiency, together with LTE/5G sign, battery life, and background duties. Subsequently, we sometimes start our evaluations with a completely charged handset, all background duties closed, and as secure a cell connection as attainable.
- Digicam high quality: ZDNET assessments telephone cameras by capturing tons of of photographs and movies of assorted topics and in varied lighting situations. We additionally evaluate the output to that of older fashions.
- Battery life and charging: It is also vital for us to judge how lengthy telephones final underneath mild, average, and heavy utilization, how lengthy they take to recharge, and the way they do it (wired, wi-fi, or each).
- Particular options: These options distinguish examined units from a bustling smartphone market and hopefully deliver added worth to customers, not the other.
- Pricing and availability: Past finances issues, we additionally word if a telephone is on the market within the US or solely internationally.
For a extra in depth breakdown, try our complete phone testing methodology page.
This text was initially revealed on April 10, 2025, and was up to date on August 16, 2025, to mirror the most recent retailer offers and upcoming launch of the Pixel 10 collection.
