I tested the Pixel 9a and only found one thing | Tech News

The largest grievance I have after testing the Google Pixel 9a is that the design is a little boring. That’s how good the firm’s newest mid-range Android cellphone is. Even then, my peony pink review pattern makes it stand out from the typical black glass slabs glowing into the faces of everybody round me.

No smartphone is ideal however it’s troublesome to search out fault with the Pixel 9a, a £499 cellphone that’s virtually similar to the £799 Pixel 9 launched in August 2024. Save for a plainer design, barely inferior cameras and a little much less RAM, the 9a is for all intents and functions the similar cellphone for £300 much less. I’m not fairly sure what Google was considering right here, nevertheless it’s good for you if you’re in the market for a new cellphone.

Google has made a cheaper A-series Pixel since 2019, normally launching it about six months after its more costly flagship Pixels. Corners should be cut to succeed in the decrease price, however the 9a has, on paper no less than, the similar glorious 6.3-inch OLED show as the Pixel 9, down to the similar 1080p decision, 120Hz refresh fee for easy scrolling and first rate brightness. It’s a noticeable enchancment over 2024’s Pixel 8a, and the fingerprint sensor works excellently regardless of utilizing older optical tech reasonably than the ultrasonic on the different Pixel 9s.

The bezel round the screen is kind of thick nevertheless it actually didn’t trouble me. The one thing I don’t love is the new search for the back of the cellphone, however the modifications make sense. Gone is the full-width bar that housed the twin cameras from the previous few years of Pixel A-series telephones. Instead, the lenses on the 9a barely stick out in any respect save for a very skinny ridge to guard the glass when set down. It makes a good change from most different telephones that wobble when positioned down as a result of of their digicam housing, however the design appears like a prototype and a little unfinished.

Paired with the matte plastic back and matt steel facet rails, this chunky utilitarian have a look at least hides fingerprints and is available in black, white, blue or pink, more vibrant choices than the black or white provided by Apple’s newest £599 iPhone 16e.

Inside is the similar Tensor G4 chipset as the different Pixel 9 telephones, again underlining the worth of the 9a. Performance is only a contact under these units as there may be only 8GB RAM on the 9a in comparison with 12GB, so this isn’t a cellphone to play graphically intense video games on.

The cellphone ships with Android 15 at launch, the newest model, and the software program behaves precisely because it does on different Pixel telephones, together with the £1,099 Pixel 9 Pro XL. You don’t lose any core software program options by spending lots of much less, so that you get the intelligent Add Me, Best Take and Magic Editor digicam instruments that may add you to a photograph, select the best smiles to composite an image from a number of taken, and change the look of the lighting or take away undesirable people and objects from photographs respectively.

Those photographs are taken by the Pixel 9a’s twin cameras, that are led by a 48MP sensor that has optical and electric image stabilisation. This leads to the crisp, clear, high distinction photographs the Pixel telephones have a repute for. The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro have a superior 50MP fundamental sensor that facet by facet takes higher photographs, however you actually must look to see the variations. The backside line is the digicam on the Pixel 9a is superb, with colors saturated excellent, shadows not too blown out and pores and skin colors nicely represented, all issues lesser cellphone cameras battle with.

Having reviewed a number of generations of Pixel, I do suppose Google has pared back its distinctive photograph fashion. I bear in mind being astounded by the dynamic vary of photographs from the Pixel 2 and 3, and the Pixel 6a additionally impressed me with its decrease price and top-tier digicam. These days, Pixel telephones take photographs nearer to the flatter and brightened photographs you’ll get from an iPhone. When testing, I normally most well-liked the 9a’s 1x photographs to these on my £799 iPhone 16.

Google actually hasn’t stripped a lot away from the expertise of capturing on a Pixel 9 or 9 Pro, with the similar precise app and helpful instruments comparable to a macro focus mode for the first time on an A-series Pixel to get sharp photographs of close-ups. You additionally get a 12MP ultra-wide, which isn’t nearly as good as the lens on the pricier Pixels, and the 9a lacks the third telephoto lens you’ll discover on the Pro.

If you need to zoom, you’re relying totally on digital zoom, and although Google says outcomes are first rate at up to 8x, I found something above 3x appears grainy. Selfies are additionally sharp and nicely produced through the 13MP front-facing digicam, which might deal with face unlock and app authentication.

Portrait mode on the Pixel can also be great, and video is bettering too. You can shoot in 4K and issues don’t judder an excessive amount of due to the stabilisation tech, plus there are software program smarts comparable to Audio Magic Eraser that may take away undesirable chatter, wind or street noise out of videos and consider, normally, voices as a substitute.

Google says the Pixel 9a can go for about 30 hours on a charge (with the largest battery ever in a Pixel at 5,100mAh) and I found that to be correct. This cellphone has great endurance and I by no means ran out of juice earlier than I acquired home after a day trip and about, although there may be no charger in the box, only a USB-C to -C cable. To eke this a lot longevity out whereas nonetheless utilizing the similar processor as the £1,000+ Pixel Pro fashions is spectacular, and there may be wi-fi charging compatibility, although it’s slower to high up this fashion than different Pixels.

Google guarantees seven years of software program updates, which suggests the 9a ought to nonetheless be totally supported by early 2032, plus this model is the first A-series with IP68 mud and water resistance, hopefully making certain it ought to survive a dunk.

I’ve left it this long to particularly point out artificial intelligence as a result of I don’t suppose it must be the main purpose to buy a cellphone. Google is pushing its AI exhausting, and the intelligent however superfluous digicam software program instruments comparable to Magic Eraser are technically AI. But Google’s insistence that Google Gemini is the be all and finish all of apps must be approached with warning, identical to Apple Intelligence and Samsung’s Galaxy AI.

Gemini has changed Google Assistant and can be utilized to, mainly, Google issues together with your voice. I admit the natural-sounding voice that chats back to you is spectacular, and the newer Gemini Live options the place you may snap a photograph and ask questions works nicely, whether or not you need data on the monument or portray in entrance of you or how to rearrange your front room successfully.

Much more annoying is Pixel Studio, a pointless app for creating photographs utilizing AI from photographs or prompts. The enjoyable issue is low, and you may’t uninstall it regardless of it taking up almost 1.5GB of space.

Time will inform if AI turns into indispensable and actually drives people to buy a Pixel cellphone as a substitute of one from Apple or Samsung. For now, the Pixel 9a is sweet enough to advocate with out all that, to the level that its simplicity is its largest asset. It has a wise design, great battery life, good screen and flagship-quality digicam and seven years of help all for £499. Not many telephones on the market can match it for that price, although its fundamental competitor is the Nothing Phone 3a, a cellphone with an outlandish design and inferior screen to the Pixel, however triple cameras and great software program for £329.

If you don’t need the newest handset, it’s additionally nicely value looking down the Pixel 8a. It’s normally on sale for £349 or much less and is a very related cellphone as the 9a save for its barely duller show.