I think the Google Pixel 9a is brilliant, but it makes me question more than ever
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Google’s pixel range consists of part of the Best phones At the moment at the moment, but it is with the A -series that the Phonemaker really shines. Year after year, the company has produced one of the best affordable premium smartphones, beat competitors about price and at the same time offers exceptional performance where it matters. In 2025, however, I feel less energetic about the beloved handset.
Don’t get me wrong – the Google Pixel 9a Is a phenomenal phone and there are legitimate good reasons to buy it. It is undoubtedly better than the iPhone 16th where it is the most and more accessible than the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
However, it is only a little higher than the Pixel 8A and introduces a new design that looks more iPhone-like than something else.
The Tensor G4 -Chip found in the Pixel 9a Only offers soft performance improvements compared to the G3 in the Pixel 8a. The larger battery is only good for about two extra hours of battery life in our stress test – worthy of note and praise, but not enough to compensate for the habit of the tensor to be a power pig.
And so when collecting my thoughts on Pixel 9A, a phone that I used in the past month, I was really pushed back to the Pixel 8a – a phone that I really loved, but reprimanded for a price bump that he received in Australia (where I live) about the 7a. If we weigh the differences, it is difficult for me to recommend the Pixel 9a as the phone to buy, when the previous model is now cheaper and technically comparable. After all, the most important focus of the A -series device is accessible -so I am of course for the cheaper device.
Old vs new
The Pixel 8a is almost the same beast as the Pixel 9a, but in honesty I think there are legitimate reasons for someone to upgrade. Looking at benchmarks that have passed through Geekbench and 3DMark, there is not much of a performance argument that needs to be done here, but there are strange functions that perhaps want the newer device, such as the new processing tools and the higher brightness.
I’m just going to be efficient. Below I mentioned the areas where the phones Actually differences. I do not mention the price, because they both had exactly the same starting costs, although retailers now offer the Pixel 8a cheaper.
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|
Specification |
Google Pixel 9a |
Google Pixel 8a |
|---|---|---|
|
Size / design |
154.7 LX 73.3 WX 8.9 D mm / quadratic design with flat back (no camera bar) |
152.1 L x 72.7 W x 8.9 D mm / rounded design with curved back (camera bar) |
|
Cameras |
48MP (wide) / 13MP (Ultrawide) / 13MP (Selfie) |
64MP (wide) / 13MP (Ultrawide) / 13MP (selfie) |
|
Display / brightness |
6.3-inch P-Oleed / 1080 x 2424 /2700 Nits Peak brightness |
6.1-inch OLED / 1080 x 2400/2000 NIE PEAK brightness |
|
Battery (capacity) |
5,100mAh |
4,492 MAH |
|
Battery (future laboratories -drain test) |
13 hours and eight minutes |
11 am |
|
Loading |
23w Wired / 7.5W Wireless |
18W Wired / 7.5W Wireless |
|
Loading times |
50%: 30 minutes 100%: 94 minutes |
50%: 32 minutes 100%: 100 minutes |
|
IP -Assessment |
IP68 |
IP67 |
|
Years of support |
Seven years old |
Seven years (six over) |
|
CPU |
Tensor G4 |
Tensor G3 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Test |
9213 (Maximum) |
8500 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Test |
2617 |
2430 |
|
Geekbench single core test |
1697 |
1373 |
|
Geekbench Multi Core test |
4333 |
4306 |
In addition, the Pixel 9A also contains various processing functions that were previously found on the more expensive Pixel 9 devices, such as ADD Me, Macro Focus, Auto Frame, Reimagine and Macro Focus Video. The above loading time figures were observed by the good people Android Authority.
With retailers who still offer the Pixel 8A, and often for a steep discount price, there is not really much improvement here, which would like the Pixel 9a instead. The screen is more beautiful and slightly larger, but not as big as the one in the similar priced Nothing phone 3a pro – A phone that I personally prefer Pixel 9AAlso.
The Pixel 9a has perceptibly better gaming performance, but I would claim that if gaming is a priority for you, you would be better off with the iPhone 16 Plus Or, the hell, the Pixel 9 Pro XL – Although these are clearly not cheap, and if you are in order with a smaller display, the 9a might be good.
The battery may be larger in the Pixel 9a than in the Pixel 8a, but that has not really translated into a meaningful difference when testing (or in my daily use). The same can be said of loading times, despite a capacity increase with 5 W.
The cameras are brilliant on both devices and I am not willing to say that one is better than the other – Google’s really good In this specific thing and you get a brilliant snapper anyway.
Finally, it is constant support on the subject that telephone companies are starting to support their devices for seven years. However, I would claim that even if you were to shop for an affordable all -rounder such as the Pixel 9a, you will probably upgrade within that time. Both seeing the quality and the battery degrades and you will probably be looking for the next that within three years within three years – but even if you want to keep your phone around for a while, six years of remaining support is not bad at all.
Where is it worth to upgrade?
Don’t take me as pessimistic – there are legitimate reasons to get the Pixel 9a instead of the 8a.
The brighter screen is good. The 700 Nits difference in favor of the Pixel 9a is perceptible, although the 2,000 Nits performance of the Pixel 8a still leaves many important competitors (looking at you, iPhone 16th) in the dark.
The stronger IP assessment of the Pixel 9a would give me more peace of mind that it would not be that easy to break through contact with water. The same applies to the greater lifespan of the battery – even if I can claim in the previous section that this is not That A big difference, you can personally go shopping for the largest battery that is possible, and I cannot argue against that.
There are also those aforementioned camera and editing tools that the Pixel 9a has one might be taken mainly by some of them (adding is very cool), and although I don’t think one of them is more worth more than a saving, you might prefer a more function-rich hand set.
Finally the phone looks great! I actually love the design – Google’s removal of the camera bar originally worried me, but I don’t mind what they have done with a more neutral form. It is more iPhone-like and can generally be preferred among some shoppers.
Search for a sale
It is a safe gamble that the Pixel 8a is increasingly discounted as time passes, and I would encourage you to jump on when the price fits. The Pixel 9A will probably also see a discount from some retailers somewhere in 2025 (probably including Google itself Pixel 10 season), but we will have to wait.
I would really like Google to reform its reach around the A -series – it’s a phenomenal device, but I can’t help it, but I feel they can make it more attractive. A cheaper variant is at the top of my list, but also a model with a larger screen would be nice -one that brings the fight to other Android phones that can offer larger displays, but miss all other great Google functions.
For the time being, however, although I am usually under the heels for new phones, I have long believed that the pixel range of Google is just one bit More accessible, given a few price increases in the past five years. I would certainly like the Pixel A cheaper, and it is a shame that we cannot call the Pixel 9a budget. With price decreases, however, the Pixel 8a looks increasingly attractive.
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