The Google Pixel 9a is getting a lot of praise, with many saying that at $499, it’s one of the best mid-range smartphones. While the Pixel 9a is a win for customers, it also represents Google’s attempt to shape what a smartphone should be.

The Pixel 9a builds on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. But what does the Pixel 9a tell us about Google’s choices for this phone and how it fits into the larger smartphone market? I spent time using the Pixel 9a to see how its performance, photography, and AI features impact consumers today.

The Pixel 9a Specifications

Since changing the Pixel line with the Pixel 6 in 2021, Google has moved away from using the most powerful chip each year, like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series. Instead, they now use their own chip, called Tensor.

The Pixel 9a has the Tensor G4 chip, which is also used in other Pixel phones (like the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold). The performance difference between the 9a and other phones in the $499 range is smaller compared to the difference between the Pixel 9 Pro and high-end flagship phones. Benchmarks show that the 9a is very close to Samsung’s Galaxy A56 in terms of performance.

The Pixel 9a and AI

Artificial Intelligence is now a major feature for smartphones, which puts the Pixel 9a in a tricky position. While the 9a does have AI features, the phone has limited memory. It’s the first Pixel 9 phone to only have 8 GB of memory. Even with the Tensor G4 chip, the 9a can’t fully take advantage of all the growing AI features.

If you want all the AI features, you’ll need to choose a different phone. But if you don’t mind missing some features, the 9a still offers the AI experiences you’d expect. For example, it includes Google’s Magic Eraser to remove unwanted objects, pets, and people from photos; Best Take, which lets you choose the best facial expression from a set of pictures; and Add Me, which lets the photographer add themselves into a photo.

The Pixel 9a also has Google’s Gemini Nano model, which helps with the personal assistant features, Circle to Search to ask questions about what’s on your screen, and Magic Studio for creating images and text from natural language.

The core AI features, supported by Google’s cloud services, work as expected. While some extra features are missing, Google is showing what a $499 phone can do with AI.

The Pixel 9a and Photography

To keep the Pixel 9a at a $499 price, Google has lowered the camera specs. The rear camera still has two lenses. The main lens is now 48 megapixels, down from the 64 megapixels on the Pixel 8a (but it’s the same as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s main lens). The 9a also has a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens, the same as the 8a.

Although the specs have been reduced, there’s not a big difference in the actual performance. This is because Google uses AI to improve image quality, a feature carried over from the Pixel 8a and the Pixel 9 family.

A new feature on the Pixel 9a is macro mode. This uses the main camera and AI to take sharp pictures from just 5 cm away. Google Product Manager Isaac Reynolds explained that many people already used portrait mode to take close-up pictures of food and objects, so they added this feature to make those photos better.

The Pixel 9a and Design

The Pixel phones have had a strong design identity since the Pixel 6. Most manufacturers focus on two things: the operating system and the design. For Pixel, the operating system (Android) is important, but there’s not much special about it.

The design focus has been on the back of the phone. Instead of just a raised camera island, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro had a horizontal bar across the back, making them easy to recognize.

But on the Pixel 9a, the camera is not part of a bar. The back is mostly flat, with a small raised lip around the camera lenses to help avoid scratches, and a small “G” logo. The Pixel 9a doesn’t stand out in terms of style; it’s very simple and forgettable.

The Pixel 9a is shaped like a flat block with curved corners and slightly beveled edges, so it’s comfortable to hold. It has 4mm bezels around the screen, which make the phone look bigger compared to other mid-range phones. You can hide the bezels with a dark theme, but they’re still noticeable.

What does this mean? Other brands, like Samsung, OnePlus, Honor, and Xiaomi, have more recognizable features. The Pixel 9a doesn’t stand out in the mid-range phone market. If you want a phone with a strong brand identity, you might look elsewhere.

Pixel 9a’s Place in the Market

The Pixel 9a will likely be part of the conversation when people talk about “the best mid-priced phone.” It’s a phone that does well in all areas, and customers will notice that.

The Pixel 9a shows how artificial intelligence can work well on phones with lower specs. It also introduces a new camera experience through software, and its plain design leaves room for future innovation. Google’s partners will take note of this.

The Pixel 9a is a success in some ways, but its true success might be in how it points the way forward for Android phones.

Published: 16th April 2025

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