The Pixel 9a, Google’s latest mid-range smartphone, uses the same winning formula as its predecessors. It’s the most affordable Pixel phone in the 9 series, and if you’re someone who loves to take photos, the 9a is a great option. There are a couple of changes this year in terms of design. Unlike last year’s Pixel 8a, which was rounded and resembled the Pixel 8, the new Pixel 9a looks significantly different. It has flat sides and the familiar Pixel camera bar, but it now sits flush against the rear.
Apart from the updated design, which is now more in sync with the Pixel 9 lineup, the 9a also gets a brighter and slightly bigger display, a newer chipset, upgraded cameras, faster charging, and the largest battery to be ever packed in a Pixel phone – 5,100mAh.
The matte finish rear panel attracts fingerprints and smudges
In India, the Pixel 9a is available with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, priced at Rs. 49,999. You can also choose between three colour options. We received the Obsidian variant for review. If you’re considering purchasing one but need help deciding, read on for our comprehensive review.
Google Pixel 9a Design: It’s gone flat!
- Dimensions – 154.7×73.3×8.9mm
- Weight – 186g
- Colours – Iris, Porcelain, Obsidian Ingress rating – IP68
The Pixel 9a features a refreshed design that’s noticeably flatter than its predecessors—and I quite like the change. As usual, Google has drawn design cues from its more premium Pixel 9 series. The phone now sports a flat frame, rounded corners, and a completely flat front display. You’ll see thick bezels all around, but at least they’re uniform now. There’s a camera cutout at the top centre, and you’ll find an optical under-display fingerprint sensor placed towards the bottom.
The Pixel 9a features a flat frame
The power button and volume rocker are placed on the right edge. The SIM tray is located at the bottom, but it has been swapped with the bottom loudspeaker grille. You’ll also find a USB Type-C port and a microphone at the bottom. The top of the phone houses a single microphone.
In terms of build, the frame is made of aluminium, while the back panel is made of plastic and features a matte finish. You could mistake it for glass, which is what happened to me. The matte finish gives the phone a premium look and feel, but can attract fingerprints and smudges, especially the Black (Obsidian) colour variant. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, which is disappointing as most phones in this price range offer much better and newer glass protection. However, the Pixel 9a now offers an IP68 ingress rating.
The bezels on the front are quite thick
There’s a major design shift when compared to older Pixel A phones, which becomes evident when you flip the phone over. Google has replaced its signature camera visor with a pill-shaped camera module that sits flush with the rear panel. While it still retains a distinct Pixel identity, it lacks the visual uniqueness that the older camera bar offered.
In terms of in-hand feel, the 9A is comfortable to hold and can be used one-handed without a case. It’s slightly larger than the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, but weighs less.
Google Pixel 9a Display: Big and bright
- Size and resolution – 6.3-inch POLED, full-HD+, 20.2:9 aspect ratio
- Refresh rate – 120Hz
- Screen protection – Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Google has included a slightly larger display on the Pixel 9a, compared to the 8a. You get a 6.3-inch POLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate, full-HD+ resolution (1080 x 2424 pixels), and a pixel density of 422ppi. The company claims that the display offers a peak brightness of 2,700 nits and approximately 1,800 nits in high-brightness mode. In my usage, I found the panel to be plenty bright both indoors and outdoors. The text is easy to read, even in direct sunlight.
Google offers two colour modes on the Pixel 9a
As always, the 120Hz refresh rate mode is disabled by default. You must head to Settings > Display and Touch to toggle Smooth display. The phone will then switch to 120Hz and decide when to use the full 120Hz for content. In terms of colours, the display has a very natural palette. There are two options available in Settings to adjust colour output – Adaptive and Natural. The former shows slightly saturated colours. The viewing angles on the panel are great, and you get support for HDR10+ and HLG. Streaming content in high resolution won’t be a problem as the phone offers an L1 Google Widevine DRM certification.
The 9a’s fingerprint scanner isn’t as fast as the ultrasonic sensor on the 9
The 9a features an under-display optical fingerprint scanner, which is placed in a suitable location. It’s fast and worked well during the review. The sensor occasionally struggled when my fingers were wet, but otherwise, I didn’t encounter any issues.
Google Pixel 9a Software: Clean and sprinkled with AI
- OS version – Android 15
- Latest security patch – July 5, 2025
- AI features – Pixel Studio, Add Me, Gemini AI
Like all Pixel smartphones, you’ll get the latest Android OS on the 9a. While it didn’t come pre-installed with Android 16, the update was available as soon as it was publicly released. Pixel phones will be among the first to receive the latest Android update, ensuring you always have the best software available from Google on your device. The Pixel 9a will get seven years of Android OS updates and security patches.
You will get 7 years of Android OS updates with the 9a
You’ll find a clean user interface and the most stock Android experience, but that doesn’t mean there’s no customisation. The UI offers AI wallpapers, icons, icon shapes, accent colours, different clock styles, lockscreen shortcuts, and widgets. There are a couple of Pixel-exclusive features, such as Now Playing and At a Glance. Google will also offer new features with Pixel Drops.
The Pixel 9a gets several new AI features, such as Add me in Camera and the Pixel Studio, which lets you create images based on your imagination. Google’s Gemini AI replaces the Assistant for all your search and other needs, and you also get Circle to Search. However, Google hasn’t included the Screenshot app that’s found on the other Pixel 9 phones.
Pixel Studio is fun to use and lets you create images via text
All of the AI features, including Add me and Pixel Studio, worked as advertised. The phone also features other AI camera capabilities, including Best Take and Magic Editor. You’ll be hard-pressed to find similar features baked into phones in the same price range. While the customisation options may be more limited than on some Android skins, the clean, minimal interface remains a key highlight of the Pixel experience. There’s also no bloatware, which is something you can’t say with other phones in the price bracket.
Google Pixel 9a Performance: Good enough
- Chipset – Google Tensor G4 (4nm)
- RAM – 8GB
- Storage – 256GB UFS 3.1
The Pixel 9a is equipped with the same Tensor G4 that’s found in the other Pixel 9 series phones. You are limited to a maximum of 8GB RAM, which can be somewhat restrictive when multitasking or running certain AI features. In India, we have a single 256GB storage variant, and there’s no expandable storage option. The Tensor G4 is comparatively slower on paper when compared to chipsets such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Exynos 2400e, MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra or the Dimensity 8350. However, that’s not really an issue in real-world usage. I rarely noticed any stutter or lag when navigating the UI.
| Benchmark | Google Pixel 9a | OnePlus 13R | Oppo Reno 13 Pro | iPhone 16e | Poco X7 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu v10 | 9,97,063 | 19,14,550 | 13,73,029 | 13,86,440 | 16,02,933 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 12,713 | 15,043 | 12,032 | NA | 14,628 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 1,661 | 2,112 | 1,372 | 3,229 | 1,549 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 3,797 | 4,943 | 4,163 | 7,888 | 6,216 |
| GFXB T-rex | 120 | 60 | 93 | 59 | 120 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 118 | 60 | 120 | 59 | 118 |
| GFXB Car Chase | 83 | 60 | 120 | 59 | 89 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | NA | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | NA | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 9,425 | 19,178 | 11,518 | 13,146 | 13,102 |
Gaming on the Pixel 9a is also enjoyable, and most games I tried ran smoothly. I played BGMI and Asphalt Legends, both of which ran perfectly fine.
The phone also didn’t heat as much during gaming or when using the camera. However, it does tend to get warm when charging. To be honest, the phone performed better than the Pixel 9 in terms of thermal management. I also didn’t notice any thermal throttling, which was pretty evident on the 9.
The 9a can run any game with ease
The Pixel 9a features a dual hybrid speaker setup, with a dedicated loudspeaker positioned at the bottom and the earpiece serving as the second speaker. The phone has decent loudness, and the sound is clear with no crackling. However, it does lack bass.
The phone features Bluetooth 5.3 with LE, NFC, tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, and support for 5G Sub 6GHz and eSIM. During my review, I did not face any connectivity issues and found the microphone to be clear for calls.
Google Pixel 9a Cameras: Great for the price
- Main rear camera – 48-megapixel wide, f/1.7, OIS
- Secondary rear camera – 13-megapixel ultrawide, f/2.2, 120-degree FoV
- Front camera – 13-megapixel ultrawide, f/2.2
This year, Google hasn’t made any major changes to the camera setup on its A-series Pixel phone. The primary rear sensor is new and features a wider aperture than last year’s, allowing it to capture more light. Meanwhile, the ultra-wide and front camera sensors are the same as last year. Google has also removed HDR video capture on the 9a, which is unusual since it was available on the 8a. However, you still do get Ultra HDR support for photos and RAW image capture.
The 9a gets a new primary rear camera
The user interface of the camera app is simple, with access to all modes and settings available below the capture button. You can switch between Photo and Video modes with a quick tap on the toggle at the bottom.
In terms of image quality, the photos taken from the primary rear camera are impressive in daylight conditions. The images have plenty of details, natural colours, well-balanced exposure, and excellent dynamic range. Eight out of ten photos taken from the camera will leave you very satisfied.
Daytime photos shot with the primary rear camera at 1x [Tap to expand]
It’s the same story with the ultra-wide camera, which takes detailed and colour-accurate shots in daylight conditions. Photos from the ultra-wide also colour match with the primary camera, but you will notice fewer details around the edges.
Daylight photos shot using the ultrawide camera [Tap to expand]
The Portrait mode on the phone is pretty good, and you get to choose between 1.5x and 2x. You get detailed shots that offer accurate skin colour and good edge detection with pretty realistic bokeh.
Portrait shots: Top at 1.5x, bottom at 2x [Tap to expand]
Pixel 9a also features Macro focus, which lets you take close-up shots of subjects. The phone will automatically enable the macro mode, denoted by a flower icon on the top left corner, when you get close to a subject. In daylight conditions, the macro photos offer plenty of detail and depth of field.
When the sun goes down, the primary rear camera continues to perform well with and without Night Sight. The photos offer a good amount of detail with almost no noise and accurate colour reproduction. The Night Sight mode can automatically activate when the phone detects low light levels. You can also manually enable it, and Night Sight photos are sharper with higher levels of detail.
Lowlight photos with the main rear camera [Tap to expand]
However, the ultra-wide camera doesn’t perform as well as the primary sensor in low-light conditions. You’ll notice some noise and soft details that are mostly blurry.
Ultrawide samples [Tap to expand]
You get 2x digital zoom, and the results are quite good in daylight conditions. I wouldn’t recommend using the 2x zoom in low-light conditions, as the images can appear noisy and soft.
Selfies taken with the Pixel 9a are particularly good during the day or when there’s ample light. Although there’s no autofocus, the images offer plenty of detail, accurate skin tones, and good colours. Lowlight selfies are also decent, provided there’s good lighting. You will see natural skin tones, but also notice that the images can be blurry and lack detail.
The video quality from the main rear camera is good, but not particularly impressive. You can shoot 4K 60fps videos from the primary sensor, as well as 4K 30fps or 1080p 60fps using the ultra-wide and front cameras. Stabilisation is good with three options available – Standard, Locked, and Active. Lowlight video quality is decent from the primary camera.
The ultrawide video performance is average in daylight conditions, with the output being soft and noisy. It gets noisier and softer as the light disappears.
Google Pixel 9a Battery: Pretty good
- Capacity – 5,100mAh
- Charging – 23W wired, 7.5W wireless, Bypass
The 9a has the largest capacity battery of any Pixel phone ever. The phone can easily last a day or even longer with moderate usage. I consistently got around 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time. My usage included texting, voice calls, browsing, streaming on YouTube and Netflix, and about half an hour to 45 minutes of gaming.
In the PC Mark Work 3.0 battery life test that measures the battery life from 100 to 20 percent, the phone lasted 17 hours and 55 minutes, which is pretty good.
The Pixel 9a offers wireless charging support
As for charging, the phone supports 23W wired charging, which is not particularly impressive. The phone takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to fully charge from 0 to 100 percent, with a 30-minute charge delivering about 45 percent charge. I used a 30W Google adapter for charging the phone, and you’ll need to get one as the phone doesn’t come with a charger.
Google Pixel 9a Verdict
One of the biggest rivals for the Google Pixel 9a is the iPhone 16e (Review), and I’d easily recommend this over the Apple phone, especially if you’re after a versatile camera setup, a better display with a higher refresh rate, and don’t really care about the ecosystem. However, on the Android side, there are some worthy alternatives, such as the Poco X7 Pro (Review), Oppo Reno 13R (Review), Nothing Phone 3a Pro (Review), and the OnePlus 13R (Review).
The Pixel 9a is definitely not a ‘Value for money’ smartphone, but if you want the cleanest Android OS experience and timely updates, a good display, solid cameras, an IP68 rating, and good battery life, then you will not go wrong with what Google has to offer. The phone is a really good buy.
