5 reasons why I recommend the Pixel 9a over the Pixel 9 to most people

Google has been on a roll lately when it comes to releasing smartphone hardware. Last year’s flagship Pixel 9 series received glowing reviews from fans and reviewers alike, and the line is reportedly outpacing previous generation Pixels from a sales perspective. Most recently, the company launched a new mid-range handset in the form of the $500 Pixel 9a.

In many ways, the new Pixel 9a is a great value proposition. Costing $300 less than its Pixel 9 base model flagship counterpart, the 9a packs a ton of tech into a palatable price point. While it lacks some of the bells and whistles found on more expensive Android devices, it makes up for this by honing in on what actually matters: a pleasant end-user experience.

Here are five reasons why I gravitate towards recommending the Pixel 9a over the Pixel 9 for most people.

• Pixel 9a

  Google’s mid-range Pixel 9a offers impressive high-end features like a 48-megapixel main shooter, a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera with macro, its Tensor G4 chip, and 8GB of RAM, all in a cost-effective $500 package.

• 

  Pixel 9

  Pixel 9 features a 6.3-inch display and a familiar design. It supports the addition of a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens to its rear camera array alongside Google Gemini and AI features.

1 Better bang for your buck

Much of the same smartphone experience for $300 less

Pocket-lint / Google

At $500, the Google Pixel 9a costs a full $300 less than the standard Pixel 9. While some corners were cut to achieve this mid-range price point, the 9a is still a rock-solid offering. It’s powered by the same Tensor G4 chipset as its more expensive sibling, and both models ship with the same display panel, too: a 6.3-inch OLED screen that can achieve a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits.

Even though the 9a isn’t a flagship Android phone, it still maintains the high-end Pixel aesthetic we’ve come to know and love in recent years. As an added bonus, the frame is machined out of aluminum. Google’s focus on a smooth and pleasant user experience also pays dividends — the Pixel software experience is as full-featured on the 9a as it is on the 9, complete with advanced AI features, the clean and lightweight Pixel Launcher, and silky-smooth animations.

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2 No camera hump

The Pixel 9a’s lack of a camera protrusion is a rare sighting

Pocket-lint / Google

In a surprising twist, Google opted to engineer the Pixel 9a such that it lacks a camera protrusion altogether. The device’s 48-megapixel wide-angle camera and 13-megapixel ultra-wide shooter sit flush with the rear panel, making for a clean aesthetic that we don’t often see in modern smartphones.

I think Google has successfully balanced the subtlety of the 9a’s camera design while maintaining a distinctive ‘Pixel’ look and feel. It took me some time to get used to the lack of a full-width camera bar, but the smaller pill shape still comes across as deliberate and aesthetically pleasing.

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3 Lighter build

The Pixel 9a is more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time

Pocket-lint / Google

Both the Pixel 9a and the Pixel 9 share roughly similar footprints and sets of external dimensions. Where the 9a one-ups the 9 is in terms of its weight (or lack thereof). The 9a tips the scales at 6.56 oz (186g), in contrast to the 9’s 6.98 oz (198g).

On paper, this difference may not seem like much, but every gram counts. The difference in total mass is noticeable enough to make the 9a a more comfortable phone to hold for long periods of time. If you’ve ever experienced handset-induced arm strain, or have had a device land on your face while scrolling in bed, then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

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4 Larger battery

The 9a has the largest battery ever put into a Pixel phone

Pocket-lint / Google

Google has outfitted the Pixel 9a with a 5,100mAh battery pack, which is a relatively large capacity for a phone in the 6.3-inch display class. In fact, as it turns out, the 9a ships with the biggest battery ever housed in a Pixel phone. By contrast, the standard Pixel 9 offers a 4,700mAh power pack — not small per se, but not as spacious as the one in the 9a, either.

More battery capacity is always a good thing when it comes to smartphones, and I’m glad to see Google tackle the issue of phone longevity head on in this manner. It’s not yet clear how the Pixel 9a will perform in the real world from a stamina perspective, but I expect it’ll outlast the 9 by a non-insignificant margin.

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5 Shatterproof rear panel

Plastic isn’t an inherent buzzkill

Pocket-lint / Google

Within the context of smartphone build materials, plastic is often thought of as cheap or second-rate. While it’s true that glass is a more premium rear panel material, it comes with the drawback of being prone to shattering. The Pixel 9a, with its plastic rear, is physically incapable of cracking — a huge bonus from a durability standpoint.

The standard Pixel 9’s rear glass isn’t best-in-class, either: it uses Corning’s much older Gorilla Glass 3 solution, which is less resilient than the tempered glass maker’s newer Victus or Armor formulations. The panel isn’t etched or matted either, making the phone a slip-prone fingerprint magnet. With all this in mind, the Pixel 9a’s use of silky plastic is less of a drawback, and more of a benefit.

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