Why I recommend this $400 Google Pixel over competing models from Samsung and OnePlus

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Google Pixel 9a is the most recent midrange telephone from the corporate and retails for $499.
• It includes a new Tensor G4 chip, useful AI instruments, an improved fundamental digital camera, and the biggest battery of any Pixel.
• You will must accept some funds trade-offs, together with the shortage of a telephoto lens and slower charging speeds.

extra shopping for selections

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I am inclined to suppose that the oldsters behind the Google Pixel 9a are from the longer term as a result of if there’s one factor that the telephone will get proper, it is timing.

The newest Pixel 9a retails for $499, making it a stellar telephone funding in immediately’s — and the foreseeable future’s — unpredictable economic system. In fact, the latest tariff information I have been tiptoeing via 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 gadgets just like the Pixel 9a — ones that promise long-term advantages at a comparatively reasonably priced worth — matter greater than ever. The timing alone makes the Pixel 9a one of the crucial important gadgets of 2025, even when it wasn’t meant to be when first unveiled.

Macroeconomics 101 apart, here is what you could know in regards to the Pixel 9a I have been driving every day for just a few months now, together with who can purchase it and what makes it value upgrading to. 

I am going to admit: initially, I wasn’t offered on the Pixel 9a’s new {hardware} and design. The bezels are noticeably thick by immediately’s requirements – even when in comparison with equally priced gadgets just like the $459 Nothing Telephone 3a Professional and $399 Samsung Galaxy A36 5G – and eradicating the Pixel-famous digital camera bar was a selection.

In principle, stripping down the again of the telephone makes the Pixel more durable to tell apart in a sea of glass sandwiches. In observe, this has two advantages: hand placement and lowered mud accumulation. Whereas I might beforehand tuck my index finger beneath the digital camera bar to maintain the telephone upheld, not having the bodily obstruction now means I can maintain the telephone far more freely.

Additionally: I modified 8 settings on my Pixel telephone 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 side you do not need to restrict your self to.

That very same energy button prompts Gemini, which replaces Google Assistant on the Pixel 9a and might now fulfill extra advanced duties, together with multimodal, vision-based help.

If there’s one factor we will all agree on, it is that Pixel telephones are infamous for accumulating mud between the crevices of the digital camera bar. That is very true when you’ve got 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 nearly 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 once I put the 2 Pixel telephones via 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 respect the practicality of such upgrades, and the Pixel 9a delivers in the case of consuming content material beneath 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 collection fashions, together with the $1,099 Pixel 9 Professional XL and $1,799 Pixel 9 Professional Fold. Paired with 8GB of RAM, immediately’s minimal quantity of reminiscence to run hybrid AI options, you are taking a look at a telephone that handles most duties gracefully.

Google says switching to the Tensor G4 chip yields a 30% velocity bump in net shopping 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 just a few seconds quicker. Save just a few seconds right here and there, and also you’re taking a look at an accumulatively snappier shopping 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 clients. In Google’s protection, the corporate would not essentially market its gadgets as multitasking powerhouses or ones that may spell the top of gaming consoles. Regardless, I will be retaining tabs.

Additionally: Why you should not purchase a Google Pixel telephone proper now – even for those who’re a superfan

I am extra hopeful in regards to the Pixel 9a’s future due to its battery and endurance. Unsurprisingly, this is without doubt one of the longest-lasting Pixel telephones I’ve examined, with a 5,100mAh capability that units a brand new document 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. In reality, my battery assessments — which include 45 minutes of steady utilization, from shopping 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 ranking. Give me 65W! 45W! I am going to 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.)

On paper, the brand new 48-megapixel major digital camera on the Pixel 9a appears 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 telephone that is acquired the web buzzing – and left impressed

I principally observed the efficiency hole when evaluating nighttime images and in environments with less-than-usual lighting. Pinching into images reveals the Pixel 9a capturing extra element and vividness, naturally leading to higher distinction and shade accuracy. The Pixel 9a additionally nails pores and skin tones, which will be very tough when your setting’s shade temperature (learn: leaning extra orange or blue) is off.

What left me wanting extra was the zoom capabilities, as I felt the shortage of a devoted telephoto lens once I attended a New York Knicks recreation again in April and could not seize a high quality shot of the tip-off with the 8x (max) optical zoom — despite the fact that I sat only a few sections away from the court docket. (A extra distant shot of the complete enviornment, taken with the 13MP ultrawide and pictured above, appeared unbelievable.) 

Comparable feelings have been felt once I tried to seize the unshakable aura of turkeys crossing a road 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 subject 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 telephone you should buy for beneath $500, and the intrinsic worth that comes with it — the seven years of software program help, the varied AI options which have trickled down from extra premium Pixel telephones, and so on. — makes it a extra cheap selection than its flashier rivals.

Whether or not you worth an excellent show, dependable battery life, or a digital camera that will get the photographs you need (simply do not be too bold), the Pixel 9a will serve you properly. It is one of many few greatest Android telephones I would suggest for its itemizing worth and extra so if there is a service deal that matches your plan.

However do you have to purchase one for those who’re utilizing a 1-2 year-old handset? Most likely not. As a substitute, I counsel ready for the subsequent large gross sales occasion, because the $799 Pixel 9 will seemingly fall inside an identical worth 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 contemplate the best 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.

This text was initially printed on April 10, 2025, and was up to date on August 16, 2025, to mirror the most recent retailer offers and upcoming launch of the Pixel 10 collection.