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The Google Pixel 9a was announced just last week after we leaked just about every detail about the device. The only surprise left, was actually when it would go on sale. Originally, it was set to go on sale last week and start shipping this week. But due to a component’s quality control issues, that has now been moved back to April – in fact we don’t even have a review unit yet.
So, that gives potential Pixel 9a buyers more time to decide on whether they want it or not. When it does go on sale next month, it’ll simply go on sale – no pre-orders. We’ve rounded up a few reasons to buy the Pixel 9a, and also a couple of reasons why you should skip it.
Bigger Battery
The Google Pixel 9a sports the biggest battery ever in a Pixel device. That’s no small feat since the Pixel 9a is still rather small (compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL). We’re looking at a 6.3-inch display here, with a 5,100mAh capacity battery. For reference, that is larger than the Galaxy S25 Ultra which costs $1,300.
While we can’t say definitively yet, as we have not gotten our hands on the Pixel 9a, we do believe that this phone will offer the best battery life among all Pixel devices. Google does say that it will get 30+ hours of battery life, while other Pixel devices get 24+ hours. The only downside is that the Pixel 9a is using an older modem (not the same modem from the rest of the Pixel 9 series) which was a terrible modem. And was somewhat responsible for the Tensor G3 overheating so often, and draining battery life. Pixel 9a does get the Tensor G4 which fixed a lot of issues, but that older modem is likely going to be an issue too.
7 years of Software Updates
This is a feature that is still unheard of for phones that are under $500, but the Pixel 9a will be getting 7 years of updates. That means that the Pixel 9a which launched with Android 15, will get all the way to Android 22, if not a bit longer. Which means that this phone could last quite a long time in your pocket.
Additionally, you will also get Pixel Feature Drops, which typically happen quarterly and bring in new features all the time. To get an idea of these features, check out our Pixel Feature Drop list of features. It’s quite long already.
It’s still $499
In a time where everything costs more, Google was able to keep the Pixel 9a at $499. That’s the same as the Pixel 8a, which did get a price increase last year from $449. However, it’s not entirely true that there’s no price increase. You see the 256GB model did move to $599, after being $559 last year.
This is a change that we’ve seen from Google starting with its Pixel 9 series last year. Where they are now charging $100 more for each storage tier, instead of $60. So the 256GB model is $100 more on each Pixel 9 series device.
However, at $499, this is still quite the value. Is it the perfect smartphone? Of course not. But for those who are not heavy users, this is the perfect smartphone to pick up. And you get great features like Call Screening and Direct My Call.
Bye Bye, Camera Bump
Google listened to all of us, asking for a thicker phone with a flat back in favor of more battery. Google did give us a flat back for the Pixel 9a, however, it’s actually not thicker, despite having a much larger battery. This is probably thanks to Google sticking a larger display on the Pixel 9a (and huge bezels too).
Despite doing what everyone has been begging companies to do, many still believe that this is an ugly phone. And well, that’s subjective. But I know one thing, it won’t wobble on the table when I’m using it.
Google’s the best with AI
The Google Pixel 9a does get all of the Google AI features that are available right now, and likely more in the future. Say what you will about AI, Google is still leading the way when it comes to AI – at least on phones. Apple Intelligence is so far behind, it might never catch up. Samsung’s Galaxy AI is mostly built on Google’s own AI features, and then you have chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude, which are great, but are limited on phones.
Gemini has proven to be very helpful on the Pixel 9 Pro which I’ve been dailying off and on since last August. However, Gemini Live is a feature that I have not used very often, I will admit. Google is planning to get rid of the Assistant in favor of Gemini, which I think is a bad idea, right now. Hopefully Google will add more features to Gemini before this change takes place.
Now, I do have to wonder how the Pixel 9a will hold up in a couple of years with AI, seeing as it does only have 8GB of RAM. Remember, the Pixel 9a does get 7 years of updates, and AI is included in that. The rest of the Pixel 9 lineup has at least 12GB.
Charging is still painfully slow
An issue with a lot of phones available in the US is the lack of fast charging. Companies like Google and Samsung will call it “Fast Charging”, in fact Samsung calls it “Super Fast Charging” which isn’t true. The Pixel 9a does get faster charging speeds this year, but it’s still fairly slow. It will max out at 23W, which is still slower than most of Samsung’s phones – including their Galaxy A series. It’s also about a quarter the speed of the OnePlus 13R, which is only $100 more.
The really strange thing with Google is, that every single Pixel 9 device has a different max charging speed. Pixel 9a maxes out at 23W, Pixel 9 is 27W, Pixel 9 Pro is also 27W, Pixel 9 Pro XL goes up to 37W, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the slowest at 21W. So at least the Pixel 9a can charge faster than Google’s $1800 foldable?
Cameras look to be a downgrade this year
On paper, the Pixel 9a appears to have a pretty major downgrade with the cameras. The main camera on the Pixel 9a this year is a 48-megapixel 1/2.0″ sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. That is a smaller sensor, with less resolution but with a larger aperture for more light. The ultrawide remains the same once again.
Now, as I said, this is on paper. We haven’t had the chance to really test out the camera just yet. And we all know that Google can do some crazy things with its computational photography, so the final verdict isn’t available yet. But do keep that in mind, as the sensor can only do so much.
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