Google has launched the Pixel 9a. The mid-range phone runs on Android 15 out of the box, with an update policy of 7 years of OS, security and Pixel drop updates.
As one might expect, the Pixel 9a ships with Gemini built-in, but it doesn’t include a subscription for Gemini Advanced.
The phone is powered by an in-house Google Tensor G4 processor, with 8 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of storage. It has a Titan M2 security coprocessor, an optical fingerprint scanner, to protect user data which is end-to-end encrypted locally.
There is no camera island across the device’s rear panel, the dual cameras are instead housed in a regular array. The primary lens is a 48 megapixels wide angle camera that supports Optical Image Stabilization, Electronic Image Stabilization, and can record 4k videos at 60 frames-per-second. The other camera is a 13 megapixels ultra-wide angle lens.
The Pixel 9a is capable of AI-powered photography features like Add Me which combines group photos), Best Take which blends facial expressions from multiple photos, and Magic Editor that can reframe your photo, suggest best crop, auto-expand the scene, add effects, etc. In addition to these the Pixel 9a also supports various editing features such as Magic Eraser, Audio Magic Eraser, Night Sight, Astrophotography, Panorama with Night Sight, Photo Unblur.
Moving to the front, the Pixel 9a has a 13 megapixels wide angle camera for selfies, which is housed at the top of the screen. As for the design, the phone has thick bezels running around the edges. The screen is a 6.3-inches Actua Display, and it supports 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Google has managed to fit in a chunky 5,100 mAh battery in the phone, which it says will offer 30+ hours of battery life. The handset is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. More interestingly, Google claims that the Pixel 9a has drop protection, which should make it durable.
Google Pixel 9a tech specs
- Processor: Google Tensor G4
- Security: Titan M2 security coprocessor, Fingerprint Unlock, Face Unlock
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Storage: 128 GB / 256 GB
- Screen: 6.3-inches Actua Display, 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, HDR, 2,700 nits brightness
- Operating System: Android 15
- Front Camera: 13 MP f/2.2 aperture, 96.1° FoV, 4k video @ 30 fps
- Rear Cameras: 48 MP Wide f/1.6 aperture, 82° FoV, OIS + EIS, 0.5x and 1x optical zoom, Super Res Zoom – up to 8x, 4K video capture @ 30/60 fps, 5x digital zoom + 13 MP Ultra-wide angle f/2.2 aperture, 120° FoV
- Battery: 5,100 mAh, Fast Charging, Qi Wireless Charging
- Port: USB Type-C 3.2
- Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 microphones
- Connectivity: Dual SIM (Single Nano SIM and eSIM), 4G LTE, 5G Sub 6GHz, Wi-Fi 6E with 2.4GHz+5GHz+6GHz, 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth v5.3, NFC, Google Cast, Dual Band GNSS, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS, NavIC
- Sensors: Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Magnetometer, Barometer
- Update policy: 7 years of OS, security and Pixel drop updates
- Rating: IP68 water and dust resistance
- Dimensions: 154.7 mm x 73.3 mm x 8.9 mm
- Weight: 185.9 g
Google Pixel 9a price and availability
The Pixel 9a starts at $499 for the 128 GB model, while the 256 GB version costs $599. The device will be available at the Google Store and retail partners beginning in April. The Pixel 9a comes in 3 colors: Obsidian, Porcelain and Iris.
No card slot while just 256GB RAM isn’t much these days with 4K video and even 8K on the horizon. Also, 7 years of OS updates will soak up quite a bit of that available space not to mention security updates.
With all the money Google has in its pockets you’d have thought they would have been a bit more innovative and offered a 512GB model as well.
The biggest problem this phone has is the word “Google” on the box.