Surveys show the Pixel 9a is a very polarizing release from Google

Google recently launched the Pixel 9a, and it tentatively looks like a great mid-range phone. Between the Tensor G4 processor, big battery, wireless charging support, and seven-year update policy, there’s a lot to like on paper.

What do readers think, though? We asked people across our website, Twitter account, and YouTube community whether the Pixel 9a was hot or not. Well, the results are in.

Is the Pixel 9a hot or not?

It’s worth noting that two out of our three polls came out in favor of Google’s new mid-range handset. Starting with our website poll, 62% of respondents felt that the Pixel 9a was hot versus 38% who said it wasn’t. Meanwhile, the YouTube poll saw a slimmer margin in the Pixel’s favor (54% hot, 46% not).

“The price is right vs the 16e,” said YouTube follower @panos3607. It’s hard to argue there, as Apple’s new iPhone starts at $600 versus the Pixel’s $499 price tag.

This sentiment was also echoed by follower @rosaria8384:

Against the 16e, the 9A is more appealing for a decent wallet (sic).

“Hot. The Pixel A is not meant to be a powerhouse nor a flagship, Google has other Pixels that are that,” said Twitter user @GreenShades9.

Unfortunately for Google, the Twitter poll was a loss for the Pixel 9a. Just 44.4% of respondents voted for “hot” versus the 55.6% of respondents who voted “not.”

“Not with that horrible design and the thick bezels lol Even my 200€ Huawei from 2023 has thinner bezels,” noted Twitter user @lostliano, who wasn’t the only one taking issue with the phone’s bezels.

“No Qi2 Magnets, no physical dual SIM, BLAND look, next,” says YouTuber follower @IAmJe. I personally don’t care for Qi 2 support on a mid-range phone (even flagship Android phones miss this option), but I can see why people might be disappointed with the design.

“I had to change my vote from Hot to Not when I remembered they went with the modem from the Pixel 6 family. I had a P6 and that modem was legit awful,” said YouTube user @justthisguyyouknow42. For what it’s worth, a previous poll found that just over 75% of respondents expressed some level of concern with the Pixel 9a’s choice of modem.

In any event, it’s clear that the Pixel 9a seems to be a polarizing release for Google, at least among tech enthusiasts. Nevertheless, you’ll have to wait for our review to hear what we think of Google’s latest handset.