After a slight delay following its announcement last month, the new Google Pixel 9a is finally here and available. For those who haven't been following along, after its announcement, Google ultimately delayed the delivery of its loan units for the press, for no particular reason. And so it was finally last week, with a slight two-week delay, that we were finally able to start testing the Google Pixel 9a.
As was the case with its big brothers, the Pixel 9 (See our reviews HERE), it's ahead of schedule. Indeed, last year the Pixel 9a's predecessor was made official at Google I/O 2024. This year, Google has moved everything forward, probably because all the competitors have also moved up their release schedules. And despite an announcement relatively early in the year, the new Google Pixel 9a is already facing very strong competition from Samsung, Poco, Nothing and Apple. Unsurprisingly, and if Google will make some concessions to justify the differences in range and price, the Google Pixel 9a broadly follows what the Pixel 9 Series offers.
As a reminder, the “a” range from Google represents a more accessible range from the American manufacturer. And as with the Pixel 9, the Google Pixel 9a represents Google’s vision of the smartphone market but in a different segment, the mid-range. More accessible and still as attractive, we have already spent more than a week with this new smartphone and here is our opinion on the Google Pixel 9a.
The Features of the Google Pixel 9a
As a reminder of the features, the Google Pixel 9a offers:
| Google Pixel 9a | |
|---|---|
| Screen | - 6.3" pOLED Actua Display screen - Full HD+ definition (1080x2424) - Density of 422ppp - Gorilla Glass 3 - HDR certification - Smooth Display 60-120Hz - Always-On mode with Preview and Now Playing features - 20:9 format - Max brightness 1800 nits (2700 nits Peak) |
| SoC and GPU | - Google Tensor G4 - Titan M2 Security Module |
| Memory | - 8GB of RAM - 128GB or 256GB of internal memory - No memory expansion |
| Colors | - Obsidian - Porcelain - Iris - Peony - Polycarbonate back - Aluminum surround recycled - IP68 - Anti-fingerprint coating |
| Camera | - Dual rear cameras: - Main camera: 48 Megapixels, 82°, F1.7, Quad PD, OIS, EIS - LDAF Laser Autofocus - Ultra Wide-angle camera: 13 Megapixels, 120°, F2.2, Lens Correction - Spectral and Flicker Sensor - Magic Retouch - Better Shot - Ultra HDR - Live HDR+ - Real Tone - Top Shot - Night Vision - Anti-Blur - Clear Face - Portrait Mode - Portrait Lighting - Frequent Faces - AstroPhotography - Dual Exposure Controls - Super ResZoom up to 8x - Video recording up to Ultra HD 2160p at 30fps or 60fps - Slow Motion Mode at 240fps - Audio Magic Eraser - Voice Enhancement - Audio Zoom - 10-bit HDR Video - Cinematic Blur - Cinematic Pan - Timelapse Astro Mode - 4K Cinematic Pan Video Stabilization - 4K Locked Video Stabilization - 1080p Action Mode - Ultra Wide Front Camera - 13 Megapixels - 96.1°, F2.2 - Electronic Stabilization (EIS) - Front video recording up to 4K at 30fps |
| Audio | - Stereo speakers - 2 microphones - Noise cancellation - Spatial sound |
| Battery | - 5100mAh battery - 23W wired fast charging - Qi wireless charging |
| Connectivity | - Fingerprint sensor under the screen - Bluetooth 5.3 - WiFi 6E - 5G - 1x nano-SIM + 1x eSIM - A-GPS+GLONASS, DNLA, Miracast (WiFi Direct), Google Cast - NFC - USB Type-C 3.2 - Barometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer - Proximity and light sensor |
| Software | - Android 15 - Pixel Launcher - Gemini - 7 years of updates |
| Size and Weight | - 154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm - 185.9g |
| Launch Price | - 549 euros (128GB) - 609 euros (256GB) |
| Availability Date | - May 2025 |
As expected, we find classic gray boxes. Nothing surprising in itself since the box is similar in size to the smartphone. There is no USB charger or earphones, but the smartphone, instructions for getting started, and a USB-C cable are included.
Regarding the price, while the Pixel 9s have moved upmarket with a host of possible justifications, we note that the new Pixel 9a has also moved upmarket with a better finish. On the other hand, and this is perhaps the most surprising, Google has managed to keep a starting price around 550 euros. The same cannot be said for some direct competitors.
The Google Pixel 9a therefore starts at 549 euros. This is the same price as when its predecessor was launched, not an increase like the Pixel 9 Series when it was announced.
Design, Screen and Audio
Each year, the Pixels evolve smoothly but evolve enough to mark a difference between each generation. And it's no surprise to discover that this new Pixel 9a offers a design that aligns with that of its big brothers released last year. With a less provided photo block than the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9a is very similar to the Pixel 9. On the other hand, to mark a certain difference, the photo bar disappears on the back of the Pixel 9a to offer a pill-shaped photo block but above all integrated into the back. The rendering is of the best effect and allows the Pixel 9a to be able to rest flat on a table.
Last year, there was a small difference in size between the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8a in terms of screen size. This year, they have the same diagonals, the same definition and the same refresh rates. The only difference is the Gorilla Glass 3 coating for the Pixel 9a (Victus 2 for the Pixel 9), which theoretically makes it more fragile than its big brother. As mentioned above, on the back, the camera block is shaped like a pill and integrates two cameras like the Pixel 9. On the other hand, because the sensors are different but especially smaller on the Pixel 9a, Google has managed to integrate them into the back, which is not to displease us in terms of design. The Google Pixel 9a will be available in four colors: Iris, Peony Pink, Porcelain and Volcanic Black. The overall design remains quite sober with a full screen and its punch-hole at the top in the middle of the screen. We will also note that the screen edges remain thick but equal on the 4 edges, which we prefer compared to the more pronounced chin of last year's Pixel 8a. But as always, in use, we no longer pay attention to it.
Under the screen is an optical fingerprint sensor. Nothing revolutionary in itself, it's classic. The OLED screen offers a 6.3-inch diagonal with Full HD+ definition. The smartphone itself remains relatively compact, lightweight, and easy to use with one hand. We love it. As a little cherry on top, the Google Pixel 9a offers IP68 certification, which is rare enough for a mid-range smartphone to be worth mentioning and should protect the user from everyday hazards. The finish itself remains very good and we love the very soft texture of the polycarbonate back. If it's not glass, we still had the impression of having a frosted glass back. Finally, we find the volume buttons and the power and/or sleep button on the right edge, which frees up the left edge. However, as always, we would have preferred to have the sleep button at the bottom and not at the top of the volume buttons, like on other smartphones on the market.
Back to the screen, there are no bad surprises since the OLED panel is balanced and very bright for this price range. The contrasts remain excellent and the blacks deep. Android 15 still offers color modes just in case, but we had no complaints with the default settings. If you want a flatter colorimetry, you can always switch to another mode. The brightness is more than sufficient for this price range, and we didn't have any particular issues when using it in broad daylight, even in the sun. And of course, we appreciate the 120Hz refresh rate, even if it's not adaptive. And finally, we find stereo speakers that are pretty good overall. They're not market leaders either, but we'll have no trouble enjoying internet content without using headphones or earphones. Be careful at high volume, however, as the speakers can saturate. And as usual, for longer content, we will definitely favor headphones, an external speaker or earphones.
Android 15, Performance and Battery Life
While the Pixel 9 had to wait after their availability to move to Android 15, needless to say that it is indeed Android 15 that we find on the Pixel 91. No surprises there except that we once again find a top-notch optimization that only Google can provide on an Android smartphone. Also unsurprisingly, we find Gemini with this new smartphone from Google. On the menu, an AI that still works well and that offers to save time on a daily basis.
In terms of performance, the Google Pixel 9a has the same SoC as the Pixel 9, namely Google's fourth in-house SoC, the Tensor G4. As a reminder, because Google likes to point it out, if the Tensor G4 remains the in-house SoC for this year at the American manufacturer, the Tensor G4 is not intended to compete with a Snapdragon on raw performance. As has been the case since the first version, Google's goal is to offer the right compromise for a smooth user experience on a daily basis, regardless of the functions offered by Google and Gemini.
Google has therefore focused on optimization. Also, with the Tensor G4, it is even better energy management for unparalleled battery life. But that's not all, since the optimizations allow you to launch applications faster and surf faster too. But the most important thing is the optimization for uses around Google DeepMind and Gemini. This won't mean anything to everyone, but the Tensor G4 now has 45 tokens/second. And speaking of Gemini, we can almost consider that all Pixel 9s were created for Google's AI.
As we can see from the benchmarks, the figures are far from impressive and we end up with results equivalent to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is still three generations of difference! But in defense of the Mountain View firm, this was not felt on a daily basis. The Google experience remains disconcertingly fluid and this is where we see how important the synergy between hardware and software is. All Google functions launch super quickly and this is also the case for third-party applications. We tested some recent games like Fall Guys Mobile or Squad Busters and we didn't have any particular problems except for the occasional small stutter due to lack of optimization.
And finally for the battery life, we don't yet have feedback from our colleagues at 01Lab for precise tests but from our usage, we were quite surprised to see that we could once again last around two days without forcing ourselves. We couldn't measure it clearly, but we systematically had two days of battery life without any problems, which is impressive!
Photo and Video
We've known this for a while, but yes, if photography remains an important area, it's no longer necessarily the crux of the matter. Still, that's no reason to skip this part, especially since it's been one of the undeniable strengths of the Pixel for years and there's no good reason for that to change. And since we're talking about Google and its new Pixel 9a, we know that the Mountain View firm has nothing left to prove in this area. We find a camera block composed of two cameras for the Pixel 9a. We have the standard wide-angle and the ultra-wide-angle, but because we're not in the same price range, the sensors are somewhat different from those that equip the Pixel 9. If we won't see any notable difference on the main camera, we will see a certain difference on the ultra-wide-angle.
It's not for nothing that we have a high-end SoC in the guts of the Pixel 9a and we find AI functions that appeared with the Pixel 9 Series. For example, there is the "Add Me" function which combines shooting with Augmented Reality to take group photos, even with the photographer. We take a first shot and while we change photographer to include the first, the photo remains superimposed so that we can align everything. The Magic Editor always allows intelligent framing and coupled with AI, this allows for different photos. We can completely reimagine a photo with the Magic Editor and AI. Panoramas can be done with the Night Vision function. There is even an improved zoom function which allows us to crop and the AI optimizes everything to have a photo that is always detailed. In short, all this to say that the functions are legion and that Google almost allows you to create totally unreal photos!
We also find the functions introduced in previous years: Motion mode, sharp faces, Real Tone technology for more natural skin tones, Night Vision and AF Tracking that videographers will love. Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 9a offers rather impressive photos. The colors remain warmer than in previous years and are consistent with what the other Pixel 9s offer. For us, the Pixel 9a is one of those super reliable smartphones that is really difficult to find fault with on a daily basis. We can really pull out the Pixel 9a and trust it 100%.
Here are some sample photos to get a better idea:
On the video side, Google continues to make progress. And if we haven't noticed any detail issues, we will note a somewhat capricious autofocus in video. Afterwards, we appreciate everything that Google now offers in video, such as the magic audio eraser that allows you to remove all the unwanted sounds from your videos in post. As for selfies, nothing special in itself, except that the Pixel 9a does the job, as they say. We still appreciate a very wide angle, which is always practical for selfies.
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