Google has mastered the art of creating budget Pixel phones with its A-series, with each iteration following a flagship Pixel launch. The Pixel A-series has earned the reputation of offering better value than the flagship Pixel, despite a pared-down camera configuration, because it usually has the same processor. The 2024 Pixel releases weren’t any different — except the Pixel 9a made some interesting compromises to achieve its $499 price point.

The midpoint has always been the toughest segment of the smartphone market because it’s where most people want to be when it comes to price — but it doesn’t always deliver in features. On the other hand, the low end of the market makes too many compromises and leaves most consumers disappointed. Hitting that perfect balance across quality, price, and performance is always a challenge — even for Google. Apple tried to satisfy this segment of the market with its iPhone SE, which was recently replaced by the much more expensive iPhone 16e (which I wrote about earlier this year).

The Pixel 9a Formula

The Pixel 9a follows a common formula from Google that many of its fans have come to know: take the flagship Pixel, find ways to reduce the cost, and keep the same Tensor SoC. This strategy enables developers to target a single SoC and performance profile for all Pixel devices of that generation.

This year, Google’s approach was a bit more generous than in previous years. The phone’s body (made with 100% recycled aluminum) retains a premium feel, featuring a satin metal frame and a composite matte back. It is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. Additionally, Google opted for a 6.3-inch pOLED with a 1080 x 2424 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. This is larger than the Pixel 8a’s 6.1-inch display (also with a 120Hz refresh rate).Google also significantly increased the Pixel 9a’s battery size with a 5100 mAh battery; this represents a big improvement in battery capacity over the Pixel 8a’s 4492 mAh battery. With the added move from Tensor G3 to Tensor G4 for the SoC, this should translate to considerably better battery life and marginally better performance. Google claims that the Pixel 9a has 30-plus-hour battery life, while the Pixel 8a has 24-plus-hour battery life. I believe that Pixel customers are much more concerned about battery life than they are about performance, so I think it makes a lot of sense for Google to target battery life as a key metric for improvement.

Some of the Pixel 9a’s features are consistent with those of the Pixel 8a. For memory and storage, Google stuck with the 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage formula. Google also continues to offer seven years of software updates on the Pixel 9a — just as it does with the 8a.

The Pixel 9a’s camera, however, shows mild capability reductions compared to the Pixel 8a’s camera. Google stuck with the same 13MP ultra-wide camera on the Pixel 9a as the 8a (and 7a) but went for a 48MP Quad PD Dual Pixel with OIS — compared to last generation’s 64MP Quad PD. The selfie camera remains a 13MP wide-angle camera for easier group selfies.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a is quite the downgrade when compared to the Pixel 9. The Pixel 9 has 12GB of RAM, compared to the Pixel 9a’s 8GB. The Pixel 9 supports 45-watt fast charging, while the Pixel 9a only offers 23-watt wired fast charging. The Pixel 9 has Wi-Fi 7, while the Pixel 9a has Wi-Fi 6E. The Pixel 9 supports satellite messaging and services, while the 9a does not. And the Pixel 9 supports 4K60 video recording, while the Pixel 9a supports only 4K30.

The Pixel 9 Pro has even better cameras and more RAM than the Pixel 9 has — but the Pixel 9 Pro costs double the price of the Pixel 9a, so it’s in an entirely different price category.

Living With the Pixel 9a

The Pixel 9a is my recommendation for most people looking for a long-lasting battery. This phone astounded me with both its overall battery life and its build quality.

I can’t say the same for its camera functionality, however. The Pixel 9a’s camera configuration is not the same as that of the Pixel 9 or the Pixel 8a, and it shows. I found that daylight photos looked a little less sharp than with many of the other Pixel phones I had used before. Additionally, Night Sight photos, which have been a major benefit for Pixel users in low light, took longer to process than I was used to. I wasn’t expecting this to happen because the Pixel 9a and the Pixel 9 have the same SoC, but clearly there is a difference in image-processing capabilities. One of my biggest tests of a camera’s quality and performance is taking pictures of babies; lucky for me, I have one at home, and she’s extremely difficult to capture. While Portrait mode on the Pixel 9a still looks great, at times it was no match for her speed or curly hair. Lots of images simply lacked the sharpness that I would have expected from a Pixel. The best shots were all in broad daylight with overcast skies, which are ideal conditions for any camera.

The Pixel 9a’s design is also quite a departure from the rest of the Pixel 9 series in that it looks flatter. I loved the Pixel 9 series’ visor-like camera bump and ultra-premium materials. It made me think that I was holding an iPhone, which I had never experienced with a Pixel before. The 9a continues to build on this premium feel, but I think that it sacrifices some camera performance for that experience. The Pixel 9a feels like a phone for people who want the bare-bones Android experience with minimal bloat, want a long-lasting battery, and don’t care as much about the camera. This is somewhat similar to the iPhone 16e, which targets longer battery life over performance in Apple’s least expensive member of the iPhone 16 family.

Google’s A-Series Continues to Deliver

While there’s no doubt that I would love for the Pixel 9a’s camera performance and quality to be closer to those of the Pixel 9, I don’t think Google’s core audience for this phone cares that much. Google is mostly competing with Motorola and Samsung in this price category, and most of the relevant customers tend to gravitate towards Google. Google’s market share is improving thanks to the Pixel A-Series because it offers such great value. Google has to balance the specs of the A-Series against its $499 price point, and I believe Google’s Tensor enables some of this price control. This segment of the market continues to be competitive, what with Apple, Google, Motorola, and Samsung in the mix — and I think these companies are doing a good job of keeping each other honest.

That said, the U.S. market would probably be a lot more competitive in this price tier if Chinese OEMs were allowed to compete. The Xiaomis, Oppos, and Vivos of the world could offer some real competition for this category — but, alas, they are not permitted, so this is the market we have.

Google does a good job with the Pixel A-Series, including the Pixel 9a, but I believe that it’s time for Google to upgrade the camera hardware — because that’s truly the weakest point of this device.