I had an idea of what to expect to enter my Google Pixel 9a practical in Mountain View, but his new “personality” has always taken me by surprise in person. This is the first hard and camera -free slices pixel that I have never seen, with the Pixel 4 2019 as the closest double to Google that I was able to find. And it takes a while to get used to it.
We have seen more and more Android phones take the route with flat edges and cut with machines in recent years, from Pixel 9 Pro and OnePlus 13R to the Galaxy S25. The Pixel 9a shares this style is not a surprise, but it is available in tandem with an flattened camera sensor which makes the whole whole whole minimalist.
Google explained why he cut the camera bar during his pre-creation: he prioritized the addition of a larger battery, which meant finding ways to clarify the design to prevent it from becoming too large. And the designers wanted to “give him his own personality”, but always “be part of this family of pixels”.
As a person whose first Google phone was Pixel 6 and who currently uses Pixel 9, I don’t have a small amount of nostalgia for the camera bar because it went from a solid rectangle to a daring oval cut. Despite the reasonable justification of Google, see the equivalent of the camera of the Display of the Pixel Smooshed Pixel Watch in the upper corner of the Pixel 9a was an adjustment!
Since Google asked us to keep any 9A software coverage or test until next week, I can only focus on prints at the surface level and officially shared specifications for this Pixel 9a. But there is already a lot of information to chew, in particular how the Pixel 9a has been improved on the 8A pixel.
Everything about garbage in this trunk
I could obviously not test the battery life in a short demo, but the new 5,100 mAh battery and the largest steam bedroom are known throughout the design of the 9a pixel. You might say that this is the upgrading of the signature!
Google managed to keep the 9a at the same thickness of 8.9 mm as the Pixel 8A, but only thanks to “optimization”. Google said they had to “shrink” the camera module in a thin ribbon and use a leaner potential display – the same type you see on most foldable phones.
Despite all these efforts, the Pixel 9a is approximately 0.5 to 1 mm thick that most of our favorite cheap Android phones. For what? Because these phones generally have much larger screens and dimensions, so they have more space to spread their batteries with 5,000 mAh.
That said, it is very Rare to see such a large battery with a screen of this little one. Weigh its capacity of 5,100 mAh against the iPhone 16 of 3,500 mAh, 4,000mAh Galaxy S25, 4,492mAh Pixel 8a, or 4700mAh Pixel 9; It puts this additional thickness in perspective.
Compared to the telephones in the series has passed, the 6.3 -inch pixel 9a is a lighter grams of grams than the 6.1 inch 7A and 8A pixel. For anyone used to this range, 9a could look Thicker because you no longer get these rounded sides, but it’s no longer the same.
If you are daring enough to become without box, you will appreciate that Google has kept the rounded corners of the 8A. While I was holding the 9a, I appreciated the sweetest sides in my palm compared to the hardest points of the 7a.
In hand, it does not seem particularly dense and the smallest width compared to your typical 6.8 -inch typical pocket computer makes it more comfortable in general.
An obvious improvement in quality of life, thanks to the missing camera bar? It is easier to slide the 9a pixel in your pocket than for any pixel from the Pixel 5A. No more problems and trial and error! (Don’t worry, I haven’t tried to get a 9a in my pocket.)
The new standard for series A
If the new pixel 9a camera cuts seem to be familiar, Google says it’s on purpose. Pixel’s product manager Soniya Jobanputra explained that they were “inspired by water droplets, similar to the design window on our pixel watch faces”.
After examining the Pixel Watch 3, I can see the resemblance, but they are more like cousins than brothers and sisters. The Pixel watch is large enough to make the comparison of the droplets obvious, while the objective 9a is a little too thin for the theme of the droplets to be also apparent.
One similarity between them is that the two make me anxious with regard to drops or falls. This exposed camera sensor takes out a ribbon, enough to gain the weight of a fall; I would certainly recommend using a 9a pixel case.
One thing that I quickly noticed with the camera sensors in person is that they tend to catch the dust and the gunk along the edge. This also applies to any pixel camera or S25 naked camera sensor, and it is less visible on models of porcelain, peony or iris than on the obsidian. But it is always worth noting it.
I cannot yet judge the quality of the camera, but Google has given Pixel 9A a new main sensor of 48 Mp which, according to Google, is “slightly different” from that of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold but has the same basic specifications; Check this exam for an overview of the quality to wait.
The 9a sensor beats 8A with a larger opening and a double pixel autofocus, but has a smaller resolution and image sensor.
I guess the G4 tensor will provide a little more post -processing punch – as well as new exclusives like Macro Focus and Astrophotography. In general, the A Pixel series has the reputation of photos of superb budgets thanks to Tensor, regardless of the quality of the sensor.
This narrowed sensor is at the heart of the “new flat design profile” of the Pixel 9a. JOBANPUTRA says they wanted to “distinguish it from other Pixel 9 phones while remaining faithful to the emblematic Pixel look”.
From this, I took that this hard and hard -controlled look could be the standard, while the camera bar will become a flagship advantage. However, if the Pixel 10 is believed to be disclosed, they suggest that the new generation will keep the bar of the camera.
Pixel 9a Specs: The equipment you expect (mainly)
|
Category |
Google Pixel 9a |
|---|---|
|
BONE |
Android 15, seven updates of the operating system to Android 22, seven years of security updates until 2032 |
|
Display |
6.3 -inch pole, aspect ratio 20: 9, 2,424 x 1,080 (422 ppi), 60–120Hz, up to 1800 nits (HDR) or 2,700 nits (brightness), Gorilla Glass 3, full depth 24 bit for 16 million colors |
|
Chipset |
Google Tensor G4 (4nm), Mali-G715, Titan M2 |
|
RAM |
8 GB LPDDR5X |
|
Storage |
128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.1 |
|
Rear camera 1 |
48MP Quad pd dual pixel, ƒ / 1.7, 82º, 1/2 “Image sensor, super res zoom up to 8x, ois, 4K at 60fps |
|
Rear camera 2 |
13MP UW, ƒ / 2.2, 120 ° FOV |
|
Front camera |
13MP, ƒ / 2.2, 96.1º |
|
Incoming protection |
IP68 Resist dust and water |
|
Connectivity |
5G, Wi-Fi 6th, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC bands |
|
Security |
Optical fingerprint sensor on screen, unlocking the face |
|
Audio |
USB Type-C 3.2, stereo speakers, 2 microphones |
|
Battery |
5100mAh, more than 30 hours of battery, 100 hours with an extreme battery |
|
Loading |
23W wired, 7.5W wireless certified Qi |
|
Dimensions |
154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm, 185.9g |
|
Colors |
Obsidian, porcelain, peony, iris |
Although I have to record my hardware and software opinions on the Pixel 9a until my opinion, the Google production team shared some information on its production which should help you know what to expect.
As mentioned above, the Pixel 9a has the “greatest battery life of any pixel available today”, larger than the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google says they wanted to “eliminate the anxiety of the battery” and that “this user segment was also very sensitive to the battery life”, which prompted them to make a priority.
As much as we loved the Pixel 8A, the battery life was undoubtedly a weak point compared to other budgetary phones. Now, the Pixel 9a capacity beats the G Power 2025 motorcycle, and although it can be too expensive for the real “budgetary” crowd, it could still attract more attention than before.
In the past, demons have shown that the A series uses a slightly different version of tensor chips than flagship products. A journalist asked during the briefing if it would be the case for the 9a, and replied that it was “the same chip as in the 9 and 9 pro”.
Everything that happens with the equipment, the Tensor G4 benchmarks are not phones fueled by Snapdragon, and the Pixel 9a will have 4 GB of RAM less than the Pixel 9.
Google has also slightly improved the charging speed of Pixel 9a to 23W, but it is always slower than speed 27W that our Pixel 9 criticism called “almost unbearably slow”. And personally, I would not care about the 7.5 W wireless load.
Regarding other upgrades to highlight, the Pixel 9a slightly improves its water resistance to IP68, and the display reaches the same brightness as the Pixel 9. But otherwise, you get the same memory, the same storage, the standards of connectivity, the ports, the cooling rate and the ultra-reproductive / selfie cameras.
In other words, the Pixel 9a could look As a paradigm shift for the series, but the guts have only changed predictable (and useful). Even the price is unchanged: it will cost you $ 499 when it was launched in April.
Beat battery and brightness
The Google Pixel 9a has lost its camera to keep a (relatively) thin profile, inspired by the Pixel watch for its cameras. But if you look beyond the overhaul, it is the same intermediate level material and AI tips supported by the tensor you expect from Google.
