Pressure for the latest, largest and most feature -filled gadgets is often so stressful that buying anything can make it feel like suicide. And while Pixel 9A is a technically a new device, its chip is six months old. The same is the case for its design, which is almost carbon copy of his old siblings. This phone means to be more affordable in the Pixel phone family, which feels like a death sentence for everyone who cares to live with Jonas (or just the latest sunglasses). But do you know what? That’s right, because from starting to $ 500, Pixel 9A offers the best price of any Android phone today.
Design and Display: Easy but strong
Pixel 9A looks so similar to the standard model – especially from the front – that it is difficult to separate them until you keep them with them. Once you will, you will see a slightly thick bells in the features of 9A. But in addition, there are no tonnes of differences. You still get a relatively compact 6.3 -inch OLED display, which has a 120 -he feet refresh rate and top glow of 2,700 nits, just like a regular Pixel 9. It’s fast, it’s colorful and it is just a great display in this price range.
If you choose both of them, you may also find that 9A is also a touch lighter (6.56 ounces vs. 6.98 ounces). Due to this contradiction, Google has been left in favor of Gorlala Glass 3 in favor of a recycled polycarbonate (alias plastic) for the back panel. That said, you still get a strong aluminum frame (also made of recycled materials) and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
The biggest departure of the 9A so far is that unlike every other pixel that meets Pixel 6, it does not have a large bar or a viser’s camera. Instead, you find a small tear -shaped spread that contains important and very wide shooters. The module is so shallow that practically flush against the phone, which makes one of the few hand sets in recent memory that actually sits flat on a table. By the way, this is a really minor design adaptation, but as someone who doesn’t like cases, I think it’s a good touch.
Performance: Fast enough
Sam Ruder Ford for Enjat
Just like the rest of the pixel 9 family, 9A Google’s Tancer G4 chip is powered. The biggest change is that instead of the 12GB of Ram, you only get 8 GB. That said, as long as you often switch between apps or work more severe like gaming or video editing, you are not really making much difference. In Gack Bench 6, both phones published very similar results with a multi -core score of 4,294 for 9A and a multi -core score of 4,360 for standard pixel 9. The biggest potential effect for most people is that you won’t be able to run more apps in the background, and if you can’t switch between them often, you can just reload some extra time.
Pixel 9A also supports almost all AI -powered tools of Google, which includes helpful things like car crash detection and call assist. You also have access to more advanced tools such as Gemini Live (including camera and screen sharing) and Pixel Studio (now with the ability to create people’s images), which can be a fun way to make stupid custom images to trolley your friends. Well, at least for that I use it.
Sam Ruder Ford for Enjat
However, software support is not the same as you get on more expensive models. The reason is that an app that I liked has liked a recent pixel – Google’s screenshots app – is not available on Pixel 9A. This is definitely a boomer, because I have found the ability to use AI to find all these screen caps quickly that I have taken is better than manually. I am not fully convinced why some of the other features based on machine learning are not considered. But when asked, a Google representative told me that “to maintain the price of $ 499, the company had to make some commercial bonds. As a result, some (standard Pixel 9) features will not be available on Pixel 9A.”
Camera: Better photo quality doubled from the phone
Sam Ruder Ford for Enjat
When the first announcement was made, Google claimed that the best phone cameras in 9A would be less than $ 500. And after considering the prescription of the Best Image Quality L -Pixel Family, I raised the phone’s 48 MP main camera and 13 MP ultra -wide cam against the Samsung Galaxy S25 ultra to give it a real challenge. And despite the $ 800 less cost, he acquitted himself with Apolomb.
In the photo of a comfortable coffee shop day, Pixel 9A saved more details and created a better -looking picture from a similar image taken by S25U (though a part of it is due to the trend of Samsung’s overshipe). But perhaps this was even better example when I took pictures of the crochet. Not only did the Pixel 9A shot look more accurate, but it also had better colors and was generally hungry. And in low light, I have got similar results with a good work with white balance with 9A, while occupying fast, detailed images despite the harsh conditions.
Although Pixel 9A does not have a telephoto lens, Google tries to make up with a super race zoom, which uses AI to support up to 8x digital zoom. In the upper part, the phone has macro -focus mode. That said, you will not find a special setting for it in the camera app, because whenever you really get closer to something, it automatically becomes mobilized. You will know that it’s working when you see a small flower icon popup in the corner of the screen. I found that this mode gives you a way to get a little more detail, but the focus of the nail can be slightly degraded. Finding the camera’s sweet space, I often had to adjust the phone from a small front or back.
Battery Life: The best of any pixel from any pixel
Sam Ruder Ford for Enjat
Google’s phones equipped with the highest scope of the battery, equipped with 5,100 mAh power pack, Pixel 9A only barely defeats its oldest siblings – Pixel 9 Pro XL (5,060 mAh). Moreover, the company claims that 9A has the best run time for any handets, which is based on my test, not just hot air. On our standard local video roundown test, Pixel 9A lasted for more than 28 hours on the same charge (28:04). It’s half an hour better I received from Pixel 9 regularly.
The negative aspect is that the charging speed of the phone has not improved since last year, so you also get a reduction rate when using wired (23 watts) or Qi Wireless (7.5 watts) power adapters. This is a bit slower than you get from standard pixel 9 (27 watts wired and 15 wireless), which is probably a very compelling reason in which you want to upgrade to the more expensive siblings of 9A. Improve the phone’s affordable charging speed, I put it on a compatible pad on a 25 % battery and after 10 minutes, it suck only 5 % extra. On 9A, wireless charging is certainly something that you use more to convenience at speed.
Wrap
Sam Ruder Ford for Enjat
See, Pixel 9A may not be full of fancy properties and its raw spinach is not very impressive. I would love to see Google to add a real telephone lens and improve its charging speed (both wired and wireless). But Google, Google, Google’s highest budget friendly phone covers all bases and then some.
9A’s camera quality can hang with its price twice with the flagship and has a lot of performance in addition to the most performing gamers or multi -tasters. When you add to Google’s almost all software such as the recorder app, Pixel Studio and more, you get a really great package. In addition, lack of big camera collision means that this thing is amazingly sleek. If my children were old enough to need a cell phone, I would buy it. For everyone who says all they want is a simple, solid handset that has a good screen that can take high quality images, this is basic in all the best ways.
This article was originally published on Enoget
