ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Google Pixel 9a is the most recent midrange cellphone from the corporate and retails for $499.
- It incorporates a new Tensor G4 chip, useful AI instruments, an improved major digital camera, and the most important battery of any Pixel.
- You will need to accept some finances trade-offs, together with the dearth of a telephoto lens and slower charging speeds.
extra shopping for selections
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I am inclined to suppose that the parents behind the Google Pixel 9a are from the long run as a result of if there’s one factor that the cellphone will get proper, it is timing.
The most recent Pixel 9a retails for $499, making it a stellar cellphone funding in in the present day’s — and the foreseeable future’s — unpredictable economic system. In fact, the current tariff information I have been tiptoeing by way of has been in discussions since January.
Additionally: This Pixel 10 rumor simply gave Google an edge over Samsung and OnePlus
However with the most recent wave of bulletins, it is clear that the patron electronics market is about to enter a full-blown frenzy, as manufacturers brace for influence, 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 value — matter greater than ever. The timing alone makes the Pixel 9a probably the most important units of 2025, even when it wasn’t meant to be when first unveiled.
Macroeconomics 101 apart, here is what it’s essential to 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 will admit: initially, I wasn’t bought on the Pixel 9a’s new {hardware} and design. The bezels are noticeably thick by in the present day’s requirements – even when in comparison with equally priced units just like the $459 Nothing Telephone 3a Professional and $399 Samsung Galaxy A36 5G – and eradicating the Pixel-famous digital camera bar was a alternative.
The Google Pixel 9a (left) and Pixel 8a (proper).
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
In principle, stripping down the again of the cellphone makes the Pixel more durable to differentiate in a sea of glass sandwiches. In follow, this has two advantages: hand placement and diminished mud accumulation. Whereas I’d beforehand tuck my index finger beneath the digital camera bar to maintain the cellphone upheld, not having the bodily obstruction now means I can maintain the cellphone far more freely.
Additionally: I modified 8 settings on my Pixel cellphone to considerably enhance 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 facet you do not wish to restrict your self to.
That very same energy button prompts Gemini, which replaces Google Assistant on the Pixel 9a and may now fulfill extra advanced duties, together with multimodal, vision-based help.
Gemini Reside not too long ago obtained an replace that lets the AI pull in context from the cellphone’s digital camera. Simply level and ask.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
If there’s one factor we will all agree on, it is that Pixel telephones are infamous for gathering mud between the crevices of the digital camera bar. That is very true in case you have a case geared up, which additional traps particles and particles close to the digital camera 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.
Additionally: My Android Auto was having hassle connecting till I did this one factor
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 way of 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 shoppers will admire the practicality of such upgrades, and the Pixel 9a delivers in the case of consuming content material below 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 sequence fashions, together with the $1,099 Pixel 9 Professional XL and $1,799 Pixel 9 Professional Fold. Paired with 8GB of RAM, in the present day’s minimal quantity of reminiscence to run hybrid AI options, you are taking a look at a cellphone that handles most duties gracefully.
Google says switching to the Tensor G4 chip yields a 30% velocity bump in net looking over final 12 months’s Tensor G3, and I consider 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 quicker. Save a couple of seconds right here and there, and also you’re taking a look at 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 points raised by actual prospects. In Google’s protection, the corporate does not essentially market its units as multitasking powerhouses or ones that may spell the tip of gaming consoles. Regardless, I will be retaining tabs.
Additionally: Why you should not purchase a Google Pixel cellphone proper now – even if you happen to’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 further 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. The truth is, my battery checks — which encompass 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 velocity from the sluggish 23W score. Give me 65W! 45W! I will even take 30W.
(Whereas I am right here: the flush digital camera design of the Pixel 9a additionally makes it far more appropriate 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) – though the digital camera sensors are the identical.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
On paper, the brand new 48-megapixel major digital camera on the Pixel 9a seems like a downgrade from final 12 months’s 64MP shooter, however the bigger picture sensor on the previous does make a distinction.
Additionally: I attempted the controversial Android cellphone that is received the web buzzing – and left impressed
I principally observed the efficiency hole when evaluating nighttime pictures and in environments with less-than-usual lighting. Pinching into pictures reveals the Pixel 9a capturing extra element and vividness, naturally leading to higher distinction and coloration accuracy. The Pixel 9a additionally nails pores and skin tones, which could be very tough when your setting’s coloration temperature (learn: leaning extra orange or blue) is off.
What left me wanting extra was the zoom capabilities, as I felt the dearth 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 — though I sat just some sections away from the court docket. (A extra distant shot of the total enviornment, taken with the 13MP ultrawide and pictured above, regarded improbable.)
Related 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 matter 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 probably the most well-rounded cellphone you should buy for below $500, and the intrinsic worth that comes with it — the seven years of software program assist, the varied AI options which have trickled down from extra premium Pixel telephones, and so on. — makes it a extra cheap alternative than its flashier rivals.
Whether or not you worth an excellent show, dependable battery life, or a digital camera that will get the pictures you need (simply do not be too bold), the Pixel 9a will serve you effectively. It is one of many few greatest Android telephones I would advocate for its itemizing value and extra so if there is a provider deal that matches your plan.
However do you have to purchase one if you happen to’re utilizing a 1-2 year-old handset? Most likely not. As a substitute, I counsel ready for the subsequent massive gross sales occasion, because the $799 Pixel 9 will doubtless fall inside an analogous value vary — once more.
For those who 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 most suitable choice for many shoppers 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 assessment crew spends upwards of a 12 months testing the ins and outs of each main cellphone launch, evaluating the day-to-day efficiency, digital camera high quality, battery life and endurance, and particular options. This is a breakdown of each issue we think about earlier than we make suggestions:
- Design and ergonomics: How good a cellphone seems and feels performs a giant position in lots of customers’ shopping for journeys, so we think about these points closely when testing.
- Efficiency: A number of components have an effect on a cellphone’s efficiency, together with LTE/5G sign, battery life, and background duties. Subsequently, we sometimes start our evaluations with a totally charged handset, all background duties closed, and as secure a cell connection as doable.
- Digital camera high quality: ZDNET checks cellphone cameras by capturing tons of of pictures and movies of assorted topics and in varied lighting circumstances. We additionally evaluate the output to that of older fashions.
- Battery life and charging: It is also essential for us to guage how lengthy telephones final below mild, reasonable, 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 convey added worth to customers, not the alternative.
- Pricing and availability: Past finances concerns, we additionally notice if a cellphone is out there within the US or solely internationally.
For a extra in depth breakdown, try our complete cellphone testing methodology web page.
This text was initially revealed on April 10, 2025, and was up to date on August 16, 2025, to replicate the most recent retailer offers and upcoming launch of the Pixel 10 sequence.
