Google Pixel 9a Review: Simply Great Save One Drab Devolution

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The Pixel a-series of phones is always highly-anticipated by prospective new users because it's Google's one and only midrange offering for its phones. Despite the lower-than-standard-Pixel-price cost, you still get a lot of what make Pixel phones great to begin with. That includes (but is not limited to) the latest generation of processor, the latest Android build, and the "Pixel Feature Drops" that continuously make the phone's software better.

Until this year, you also got that same iconic look of the Pixel, but in a slightly watered down form. Specifically, the Pixel a-series (like the Google Pixel 8a we reviewed last year, for example, kept the Geordi LaForge camera visor across the back that stands as a defining characteristic of Pixel phones. This year, that changes — the design is distinctly different, for better or worse.

But the rest of the goodies remain. The Pixel is a really nice phone that I have always enjoyed testing, and this generation is no exception. I've been using the Pixel 9a on T-Mobile's network in my home area of suburban Chicago for a little under a week, and this is my full review.

Let's get this part out of the way right from the jump. I do not like the look of the back of the Pixel 9a. Google took a chance with the Pixel 9a to give the series its own design identity, which is totally fine if you want that identity to be "boring."

Simply put, this phone got its own design identity by losing its design identity. You can't remove a signature element, not replace it with anything else, and say that. About the only thing that's unique about the phone is the power button above the volume rocker element that Google simply refuses to put in the correct order, but even that is shared by every other Pixel. Maybe I'm harping at this point. Sorry, not sorry.

One element that may turn out to be refreshing is, Google finally did what all the commenters on every article and video about a phone with a camera bump has made. "Why not give the phone a flat back and fill out the space with more battery?" To its credit, Google did that, stuffing a very large 5,100 mAh battery into this frame, but the back of the phone is still not perfectly flat. The camera dome sticks up by about a millimeter, which is negligible, but it's still worth mentioning.

Meanwhile underneath that bland exterior, you'll get all the things that make the Pixel 9a series desirable, starting with the Tensor G4 processor, 8GB of RAM (which is pretty standard these days for midrange phones) and 128 GB of storage, which is admittedly getting to be a tad paltry these days. But again, this is a midrange phone, so you can't complain.

The display on the front is a 6.3-inch Actua display with the other main undesirable trait — bezels around the edge that you can park a small car on. The display itself is great, and vibrant, but the gutters around the edge are a tad off putting — if you're used to devices with significantly smaller spaces between the display and the edge of the device, of course.

Another upgrade from the Pixel 8a comes in the form of IP68 water and dust resistance which is a nice upgrade. The camera in the meantime is a "redesigned" camera that on the spec sheet is a step down to 48 megapixels, but we'll get more into that later.

Meanwhile, arguably the main reason you buy a Pixel phone is for the software which is simply delightful. Force me to pick a single software experience, I would probably put the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro at the top of my list, but an extremely close second would have to be Pixel software. It's just so good.

The whole Pixel interface is built around a clean experience everywhere you go, and of course the fact that everything defaults to Google apps rather than some bolted-on additional Calendar or Clock app is refreshing. There is basically no bloatware, unless you count the half of Google services you don't use (I'm looking at you Google Podcasts).

The other benefit to the Pixel software experience comes in the form of seven years of operating system and security updates, along with Google's mostly-quarterly Pixel Feature Drops which add and/or fine tune the software experience as your Pixel ages. Many other phone makers are stepping up to match that timeline, but some haven't yet (I'm looking at you, Motorola).

The Pixel is also one of the phones that can use its front-facing camera, or a fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, which is great to have when you're wearing gloves or you're unlocking in the rain. That also works for password managers like 1Password which is great.

The Tensor G4 processor isn't a top performer when compared to the likes of the A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro nor the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – which is actually the fastest phone you can buy in the U.S. (as of tests run in Q1 2025). But it is the same processor that ships in Google's flagship series of phones including the Pixel 9 Pro. That means it's got some chutzpah, and it's arguably one of the fastest processor you can buy in the $500 price range, which is definitely not nothing.

Geekbench clocks this phone with 1,678 and 4,216 single and multi-core scores. Those are respectable, again, especially for a midrange phone. Games like "Call of Duty: Mobile" and "Asphalt Legends" perform very well, with no lag or stutter. 

As for battery, I've been using the phone for less than a week, so it's hard to say with any certainty, but this phone performs very well, easily lasting two days on a charge, and that included a decent amount of time off of Wi-Fi on Day 1 and some photo and video shooting as well. If you're looking for a Pixel that can stay off the charger for as long as possible, this may be your winner.

Pixels have always been known for their cameras, and the on-paper downgrade from a 64-megapixel sensor in the Pixel 8a to a 48-megapixel sensor in the Pixel 9a felt concerning at first, but I can assure you there's no reason to fear. During the day, the camera is exceptional capturing all sorts of subjects, moving and otherwise with a great deal of clarity and color reproduction. Even subjects on the move (like a 8-year-old running as only 8-year-olds can run) are captured with great detail. Video capture is much the same, even when walking without a subject in frame.

Adam Doud/SlashGear

Macro shots and portrait photos are great as well. Macro shots capture extremely fine detail was break bokeh in the background. Meanwhile portrait shots capture the outlines of a subject without losing the wisps of hair that plague hippies like me. Overall, I have no complaints about the camera set during the day.

Even at night, when you expect a lot of midrange cameras to fall apart, the Pixel 9a holds its own. There is a fair amount of grain in darker areas which is off-putting at a 100% crop, but when reduced to the size of a phone screen, or even a computer screen, it's far less noticeable. Moving subjects become blurry blobs, so make sure everyone stays very still for photos, but other subjects and landscapes are quite good.

Adam Doud/SlashGear

When you switch to the ultrawide lens, it handles light sources oddly — turning them into cat's eyes with lasers shooting up and down. Also, at night, there's still a bit of judder when walking, but when there's a subject in frame it's minimal, and without a subject it's still as good as many flagships.

Overall, there is little to complain about with this camera set, except for my perpetual complaint of a lack of telephoto. Even mid-range phones have those these days, so it's time for the lower-end Pixels to have them too.

The Pixel 9a checks in at a solid midrange price point — $499. It can be purchased at Google's Play store and in the Google Store on Amazon. It will launch first in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. on April 10, with other countries rolling out on the 14th and 16th respectively. Speaking of on shelf dates, if you've been paying attention, you will have heard about Google delaying the launch of the Pixel 9a. I asked Google about that, and here is the company's official response:

"Rumors and speculation regarding this delay are false. A passive component in Pixel 9a didn't meet our rigorous quality standards for device longevity and rather than ship it, we made the difficult decision to delay the on shelf and take corrective action on the small number of affected units."

For my part, I experienced no trouble with this phone. Overall, I adore this little phone. My main hang-up is in the design which feels lackluster and a bit too 2015-ish for my taste. If Google wants to give this phone series its own style, I'm all for that, but "no style" doesn't really feel like a style, and this is coming from a guy who wears pocket pants and plain t-shirts literally every day.

Beyond the design, if you can embrace the look and the lack of telephoto camera (typically a deal-breaker for me) this is a very good phone for the money. But it's also important to remember that the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro exists, and if you don't mind cutting through a bit of red tape, you can ship that to the U.S. and it's $40 cheaper, and fixes both of my problems with this phone. But if you just want a phone that does a lot of what Google's flagships do, without the hefty price tag, this is the phone to buy.