Beyond the alphabet
Beyond the alphabet is a weekly chronicle which focuses on the world of technology inside and outside the limits of Mountain View.
I am what some would call a “snob of specifications”. This means that I want the most recent, largest and powerful device on which I can put my hand. After years to examine the phones and devices that no one should use but everyone bought, I (mainly) decided that it was enough. It also does not help that when I made this personal decision, I got my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
So when I saw that Google announced the Pixel 9a, I just read the big titles and made it move. It was only when I read the excellent practices of Michael Hicks from Android central that I started to be a little more deeply in what the 9a had to offer.
To eliminate this, I don’t like Google’s decision to delete the camera bar. It was a basic food in the Pixel range from Pixel 6, and even if I did not say it out loud, I was also disappointed when it was removed from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Now, despite the colors, the pixel 9a simply blends into the rectangles sea that everyone uses.
Anyway, on paper, the Pixel 9a is practically the perfect phone for the majority of people. Do you need a day’s battery life? The 9a offers a 5,100 mAh battery, associated with a larger steam room for better cooling, which, in turn, should mean that the Tensor G4 has a little more space to breathe. Oh, and by the way, Google claims that these two changes are the reasons why the camera bar has been cut.
Speaking of performance, the G4 tensor is in the cockpit, with 8 GB of LPDDR5X hunting rifle. It sounds great, right? In fact, yes, I think it seems damn good. What is this? You do not get pixel screenshots or call notes? Too bad.
Apparently, this is due to the fact that Google uses an additional nano gemini model. According to Ars TechnicaGoogle confirmed that this model had other limits, such as “the lack of multimodality – Gemini Nano 1.0 XXS is in text only. “”
Normally, I would put my Jerry hat and I am irritated that Google has not found a way to include features that should be staples all over the range. So why am I sitting here by feeling the complete opposite?
Because this is the exact problem that Google needed to solve.
Flashback at the release of Pixel 8a from last year, and you would find it difficult to convince me that the Pixel 8 was actually the best phone. With the exception of camera equipment and camera features, the Pixel 8A offered practically the same experience while costing $ 200 less.
With the Pixel 9a, there are a lot of differences, but Google has managed to abandon the least important features while providing solid reasoning on the why.
Pixel 9a always allows you to enjoy the fruits of Gemini work, but it may not be as fast and cannot manage something other than text. It is not equipped with the best camera that Google offers, but the main objective of 48 MP always seems very good, and you do not lose the image processing of Google.
Of course, he has a larger screen and a bigger battery than his brothers, but the camera bar has disappeared and the glasses are massive. In addition to that, the Pixel 9 has an ultrasonic digital fingerprint reader, but some would say that an optical sensor is better anyway. Personally, I just think Google needs to integrate it into the power button, but what do I know?
So, instead of obtaining 95% of what the most expensive version has, you get something closer to 85% or perhaps 90%. While paying $ 200 less and coming from the $ 500 $ 500 in the sand to dollars.
But what about the iPhone 16th? Yeah? And that? Apple may have beaten Google and Samsung in punch with a new mid-range phone, but the iPhone 16th also costs $ 100 more and no longer makes any way.
If you don’t believe me, just check:
Thus, today, Google has launched the Pixel 9a, and it continues to show how embarrassed the iPhone 16th.March 19, 2025
What reminds me, if you feel sour or betrayed by Google leaving aside certain gemini features, do not forget that Siri I can’t even tell you what month it’s. No, I’m not kidding.
For years, if someone asked me to recommend the best phone for $ 500, I would probably have told them to wait for an agreement or simply get an iPhone. Even if it meant to get the latest generation iPhone SE, which always had the physical button. This is no longer the case, because Apple continues to trip and fall harder and harder while Google continues to make fun. As such, if you were asking me that same question today, I would tell you to stop talking to me and already pre -order one.
There is just something in the Pixel 9a that feels comfortable, and it comes from someone who has not yet used it. Not only that, but the Pixel 9a could be the first Android phone that I would feel well to give to an older family member. The tranquility of mind to be able to give someone a phone and to absolve yourself to be the dedicated technological support representative means that the Pixel 9a is worth every penny and probably more.
The solution
Google has solved a major problem with the Pixel 9a, and even if we have to wait a little longer before its release, the wait will be worth it. Instead of the series A making the non-Pro pixel useless, each phone in the Google range has its place.
