What you need to know
- Google Pixel 9a arrives with a new look, ditching the usual pill-shaped aluminum camera bar for a flat rear panel.
- The device comes with an extended battery life of up to 30 hours, faster charging, and two new colorways: Iris and Peony.
- Like the other Pixel 9 devices, this budget phone also gets Android 15 out of the box, the new Tensor G4 chip, and seven years of OS and security updates.
- The $499 phone comes with all the latest AI features, including Gemini Live, Best Take, Add Me, Magic Editor, and more.
Google has finally announced the budget phone to its Pixel 9 series— Pixel 9a arrives with all the latest AI tools you’d need to get through your day-to-day activities. Google seems to have dropped us a Pixel-sized surprise right before Google I/O 2025 and we aren’t complaining. However, there are some significant changes that the device came with this year so let’s get into it.
Right off the bat, you see the Pixel 9a sports an all-new look, ditching its usual “Pixel-like” appearance, for a sleek, flat, rear panel that houses the camera array within the phone. While the big pill-shaped camera bump seems to be all but gone, the phone has the same rounded aluminum side rails as its predecessors.
For its display, the Pixel 9a gets a slightly bigger 6.3-inch pOLED screen but has a 35% brighter than the Pixel 8a at 2700 nits — and a 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, that brings smoother navigation within the device. Google says the Pixel 9a, much like the 8a has an Actua display, meaning even though the screen measures 6.3 inches diagonally, the actual “viewable area is much less.” The screen gets its protection from Gorilla Glass 3, Full 24-bit depth just like its previous model.
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Getting to what lies at the heart of this budget model is Google’s Tensor G4 (4nm) chipset much like this year’s flagship models, that is said to power Gemini Nano and all the other AI features like Best Take, Add Me, Magic Editor and more.
Talking about power, the Pixel 9a arrives with a massive 5,100mAh, which is larger than the standard Pixel 9 model(4700mAh), giving it a boost in battery life. Google claims that the device will have over 30 hours of battery life with just one charge and can run for up to 100 hours on Extreme battery saver mode.
With the massive battery also comes faster charging speeds since you wouldn’t want to wait around for your phone to charge. The Pixel 9a trumps its predecessor with a 23W wired charging speed and supports 7.5W Qi-certified wireless chargers.
Getting to the phone’s camera system is now embedded into the back panel of the device, unlike any other Pixel phone to date. The device comes with a smaller 48MP primary lens, sticks to the 13MP ultra-wide lens from the Pixel 8a, and a 13MP selfie camera. All three lenses can capture 4K video, with 60fps for the rear cameras and 30fps for selfies.
Protecting all of these features is the IP68 dust and water resistance meaning the device can withstand submersion in water beyond 1 meter for more than 30 minutes, like most best-selling Android phones on the market. It is important to note that this resistance can wear over time, based on usage and other factors.
Lastly, coming to the software that powers it all. The phone is said to come with the latest Android 15 out-of-the-box. This will also help power all of Gemini’s latest features like Gemini Live, Circle to Search, and Pixel-specific features like Call Assist, Hold For Me, Direct My Call, and more. That said, the budget Pixel 9a is on par with the rest of the Pixel 9 series, getting seven years of OS updates up until Android 22 along with security updates through to 2032. The device comes with enhanced security features like Car Crash Detection and theft protection as well.
The Pixel 9a series starts at the same price point, $499, and comes in four colorways. Adding to the existing Obsidian and Porceline are two fun colorways— Peony and Iris. The device comes with two storage options like its predecessor: 128GB and 256GB storage along with 8GB of RAM. While we are yet to get the exact date for presales and in-store sales, Google says the Pixel 9a will be available for purchase as early as April.
Battery & brightness boost
The Google Pixel 9a shed its camera bar to keep a (relatively) slim profile, taking inspiration from the Pixel Watch for its cameras. But if you look past the redesign, this is the same mid-tier hardware and Tensor-backed AI tricks that you’ve come to expect from Google.