Google has officially unveiled the Pixel 9a, its latest addition to the A-series and the successor to the Pixel 8a, which launched in 2024.
Just like Samsung's Galaxy A56 5G and the iPhone 16e, the A-series costs significantly less than a flagship. It's unsurprising that the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro pack much better camera specs, however, if last year's Pixel 8a is anything to go by, we're expecting Google's trademark balanced photo processing to save the day.
Priced at $499 / AU$849, and packing many of the same internals as the pricier Pixel 9, it's looking like a solid value option out of the gate, but specs are only half the Pixel 9a story.
Pixel 9a: AI and software
One of the biggest selling points of the Pixel 9a isn’t the camera but the Google Tensor G4 chip powering it. While on the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, it was underpowered compared to competing flagships, on the 9a, it’s a fantastic chipset for the phone's price.
The Tensor G4’s real strength is its AI performance, and Google states we can expect water-tight integration with Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, with upgraded visual recognition integrated into the camera so that you can share video and screen content with it in real-time and it can help you pick an outfit, choose what color to paint your walls, and identify items.
Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 9a supports Google’s Circle to Search, which allows instant searches of whatever’s on your screen, and Pixel Studio for custom image and sticker creation.
Google’s also committing to seven years of OS updates, security patches, and feature drops, so the Pixel 9a is hands-down one of the most future-proofed phones at its price, and is crammed with Pixel 9 and 9 Pro value-adds, including a built-in VPN, car crash and theft detection, and Google’s excellent call screening.
Pixel 9a: camera upgrade or downgrade?
The Pixel 9a switches up its dual camera, sticking with the same setup of one wide and one ultra-wide but swapping out from a 64MP wide camera on the 8a to a 48MP main camera on the Pixel 9a. While the resolution drop doesn’t raise any eyebrows, the fact it’s a smaller sensor is surprising.
The main camera captures 12MP photos with the 48MP, 1/2-inch sensor, has 4-in-1 pixel binning, and an f/1.7 lens with OIS. By contrast, the Pixel 8a captures 16MP photos with a larger 64MP, 1/1.73-inch sensor and a slower f/1.9 lens.
The Pixel 9a’s ultra-wide camera spec remains unchanged on paper, with a 13MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. Other camera highlights include macro focus – a first for the series – and Google's photo features, including Add Me, Best Take, Magic Editor and Reimagine.
Pixel 9a: design, screen and battery
The Pixel 9a’s style steps away from the bulbous, playful design of the 8a in favour of a more generic smartphone-by-numbers aesthetic. It has a flat profile with rounded edges, similar to the pricier Pixel 9. However, that's matched with a much more subtle camera bump.
The Pixel 9a’s 6.3-inch screen gets nice and bright at up to 2700 nits, has a smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
A standout aspect of Pixels is their colors, and the 9a's colors are no exception, with Iris, Peony, Porcelain, and Obsidian available, each with a metal frame and a back cover made from 81% recycled plastic. With IP68 water and dust resistance, it matches the ruggedness of flagships.
The 5100mAh battery – much higher capacity than we were expecting, with the Pixel 8a's battery being 4492mAh – promises over 30 hours of use, and it supports 23W wired charging and Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W.
The Pixel 9a is available for pre-order now, with general availability starting March 26th, costing $499/£499/AU$849, and while it can't best the competition on camera hardware – Nothing's Phone (3a) Pro probably tops that chart – we're still expecting it to be one of the best midrange camera phones of 2025.
