Why Is Google's Pixel 9a The New Template For A Successful Smartphone?
Google's Pixel 9a
Ewan Spence
Google's Pixel 9a is picking up critical acclaim, with many noting that offering the phone at $499 marks the 9a as one of the leading mid-range smartphones. While the Pixel 9a will be seen as a win for consumers, it will also be seen as Google's next play in defining what it means to be a smartphone.
In this role, the Pixel 9a builds on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro smartphones. So, what does the 9a tell us about Google's choices for the Pixel 9a and how they fit in the wider smartphone world? I've spent time with the Pixel 9a to find out how well its performance, photography, and AI impact today's consumer.
Google's Pixel 9a
Ewan Spence
Since revamping the Pixel line with 2021's Pixel 6, Google has stepped away from offering a phone built around the most powerful chip of the day—generally seen as that year's Snapdragon 8 series from Qualcomm. Instead, it moved to its own design of chips, namely the mobile Tensor.
The Pixel 9a sports the Tensor G4. This is the same chipset that drives the other current Pixel handsets (namely the Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold). The performance differential between the 9a and comparable phones at the $499 price point is less than that between the Pixel 9 Pro and other manufacturers' flagship handsets; online benchmarking shows the 9a closely matches Samsung's Galaxy A56.
Google's Pixel 9a
Ewan Spence
Artificial Intelligence is the new yardstick for smartphones, which puts the Pixel 9a in a bind. While it does offer AI (and I do not doubt that the 9a/AI combination will be heavily marketed), memory is the limiting factor in the specifications. The Pixel 9a is the first of the Pixel 9 family to come with just 8 GB of memory; even with the hardware boost provided by the Tensor G4, the Pixel 9a's ability to use the growing suite of AI tools has to be restricted.
While you might not grieve for the loss of Pixel Screenshots, Call Notes or AI Weather summaries, the 9a shows the technological limits of the current flavours of AI. If you want a full suite of AI, you will need to step beyond this phone.
When I think of the AI features I want to see on a smartphone, it's clear that the Pixel 9a offers the experience you would expect. You have Google's widely advertised Magic Eraser to remove unwanted objects, pets, and people from a photograph; you have Best Take, which lets you pick the best facial expression for multiple pictures from the same moment; and you have Add Me, which composites two pictures so the person taking the photo can add themselves in.
The Pixel 9a also has Google's Gemini Nano model, which runs the 'personal assistant' features, Circle to Search to query what's on your screen, and Magic Studio to help create images and text from natural language prompts.
The core AI toolset, supported by services in the cloud, works as advertised. While the extra bells and whistles may not be available, Google is demonstrating the AI prowess a $499 phone can deliver.
Google's Pixel 9a
Ewan Spence
It will come as no surprise to anyone that lowering the camera specs is one of the measures taken to get the cost of the Pixel 9a to stay at the $499 entry-level point. Google has retained a dual-lens format for the rear camera. The main lens is down from last year's Pixel 8a 64 megapixel sensor to 48 megapixel (which matches the main lens of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold). Ålongside that, you have the saw 13-megapixel ultrawide as the 8a.
This is certainly a downgrade on the actual numbers, although, in practice, there's not a tremendous amount of difference between the 8a and 9a. That comes down to Google's investment in AI-assisted image processing, which carries over from the 8a and the Pixel 9 family.
The macro mode is one addition to the Pixel 9a camera suite this year. This unusually uses the main camera lens and an assist from AI to capture focused images from 5 cm. As Google Product Manager Isaac Reynolds explained, consumers were already using portrait mode to take close-up pictures of food and objects, so why not ensure they had the best option possible in the Pixel 9a?
Google's Pixel 9a
Ewan Spence
The new generation of the Pixel family (once again, from the Pixel 6) has carried a strong sense of brand identity. Like many manufacturers, the design and branding focuses on two areas. The first is the operating system and the UI. With the Pixel representing Google's view of Android, there's not much identity on offer here.
The second area is the rear of the phone. Instead of an isolated raised island, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro saw a horizontal bar that stretched across the length of the smartphone. With that choice, the Pixel range became clearly identifiable by consumers, and the phone had an identity.
The camera bar is no longer on the Pixel 9a. Instead, we have the complete opposite with an almost featureless flat back. There is a tiny raised lip around the camera lenses (functionally great to help prevent scratches on the lens) and an inlaid 'G'; otherwise, there is no style or substance. The Pixel 9a is far from iconic and is the most non-descript smartphone from a mainline manufacturer in years.
The Pixel 9a is essentially a flat block. The corners are curved, and there's a slight chamfer to the edges so they are comfortable in the hand. The screen comes with bezels, yet the 4mm bezels around the display is are the stand-out feature, but not in a good way. Switching to a dark theme helps hide this, but there's no getting away from the larger size compared to others in the mid-range.
Who wins out from all this? Google's manufacturing partners. Phones from the likes of Samsung, OnePlus, Honor, Xiaomi, and more have identifiable features that people look for. The Pixel 9a simply doesn't stand out in the mid-range. If you are looking for 'a brand', you will end up elsewhere.
Google's Pixel 9a
Ewan Spence
I'd expect to see the Pixel 9a feature heavily in discussions around "the best mid-priced phone'. It's a phone that manages to hit 'above average' in every department. That message will come through to customers.
The Pixel 9a's ability to highlight the potential of artificial intelligence on lower specification devices, the ability to deliver a new camera experience through software, and the bland design that leaves room for innovation and styling will all be noted by Google's manufacturing partners.
The Pixel 9a is a critical success, but the real success may be in the signpost it offers the whole Android community.
Now read about a UI innovation that Google could add to a Pixel 9a successor…
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
40 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
Windows parental controls are crashing Chrome — here's the workaround
Windows 11's Family Safety feature is supposed to block certain websites from children, but apparently it's also been causing issues with Google's Chrome browser, a (vastly more popular) competitor to Microsoft's own Edge. The problem first surfaced on Windows on June 3, per The Verge, when several users started noticing they couldn't open Chrome or their browser would crash randomly. Restarting their computer or reinstalling Chrome didn't fix the issue, and other browsers like Firefox and Opera appeared unaffected. On Monday, a Google spokesperson posted in the company's community forum that it had investigated these reports and found the issues were linked to Microsoft's new Windows Family Safety feature. This optional feature is primarily used by parents and schools to manage children's screen time, filter their web browsing, and monitor their online activity. Curiously, the bug has been going on for weeks now, and Microsoft still hasn't issued a patch. 'We've not heard anything from Microsoft about a fix being rolled out,' wrote a Chromium engineer in a bug tracking thread on June 10. 'They have provided guidance to users who contact them about how to get Chrome working again, but I wouldn't think that would have a large effect.' While this issue could be an innocent bug, Microsoft has a history of placing annoying hurdles between Edge and Chrome to entice users to stick with its browser. So anytime a technical snafu makes Chrome run worse on Windows PCs, Microsoft understandably gets some serious side eye. Thankfully, there seem to be two ways to get around this bug while we wait for Microsoft to issue a fix, and they're both fairly simple. The most straightforward is to turn off the "Filter Inappropriate Websites" setting. Head to the Family Safety mobile app or Family Safety web portal, select a user's account, and choose to disable "Filter inappropriate websites" under the Edge tab. However, that'll remove the guardrails on Chrome and let your child access any website, including the ones you were trying to block in the first place. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. If you want to keep the guardrails on and still use Chrome, some users reported that altering the name in your Chrome folder (to something like Chrome1, for example), got the browser to work again even with the Family Safety feature enabled.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Adaptive Power in iOS 26 Could Save the iPhone 17 Air From This Major Pitfall
There's one feature Apple unveiled during WWDC on Monday that didn't get the attention I think it deserves: Adaptive Power. This AI-powered feature can help your iPhone battery last longer by lowering your display's brightness and making "small performance adjustments" like "allowing some activities to take a little longer," according to Apple. It'll also turn on Low Power Mode automatically when your battery drops to 20% to limit background activities and further extend battery life. Adaptive Power can come in clutch no matter what phone you have (as long as it can run iOS 26), but where it really has the potential to be a game-changer is with the rumored iPhone 17 Air. Apple's thinner iPhone is expected to debut in the fall, though the company has yet to confirm reports about its imminent arrival. A skinny iPhone would join the ranks of other slim phones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge and the Oppo Find N5, which both came out earlier this year. And on Monday, hot on the heels of WWDC, Samsung also shared a teaser about its upcoming Galaxy Z foldable series, calling it "the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet." Thin phones can come across as gimmicky (who asked for them, really?), but they're undoubtedly having a moment as companies look for new ways to lure your dollars. After using devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge and Oppo Find N5, I can attest that holding a slim, lightweight phone is quite refreshing, and I'm eager to see what Apple has in store. But there's also a major downside to building a phone with such a slim profile, as I experienced recently with the S25 Edge: Battery life takes a hit. A thinner phone also means a smaller battery, which means shorter battery life. The S25 Edge, for instance, definitely needs a recharge at the end of the day -- no excess battery there. If Apple can find a way to make the iPhone 17 Air last beyond that bare minimum amount, that could really help its slim offering stand out. Adaptive Power may be the superpower Apple needs to appeal to anyone who won't sacrifice battery life for a thinner phone. But whether this feature truly is a breakthrough is up in the air -- along with the reality of the iPhone 17 Air itself. See also: Dear Apple, Please Steal These Galaxy S25 Edge Features for a Thin iPhone
The Verge
3 hours ago
- The Verge
Samsung's entry-level Galaxy Watch 7 has returned to its best price to date
I jumped on the smartwatch bandwagon a bit late, but now I can't go a day without mine. Beyond delivering helpful notifications, it's perfect for setting timers, tracking workouts, and monitoring my sleeping habits (which are terrible). If you haven't yet joined the smartwatch party or you're looking to upgrade, Samsung's Galaxy Watch 7 is down to $199.99 ($100 off) in the 40mm / Bluetooth configuration at Amazon and Walmart. If you prefer a larger display, the 44mm model is on sale at Amazon starting at $229.99 ($100 off). The Galaxy Watch 7 adds a faster processor and a new 3-in-1 BioActive sensor. It's an iterative update, but it's more comfortable for sleep tracking than the Galaxy Watch Ultra. While the Galaxy Watch 7 isn't as flashy as other Samsung wearables, its more simplistic approach is part of its charm. It retains the signature circular design and slim profile of prior models, which remains a stark contrast to the adventure-ready Galaxy Watch Ultra. It's comfortable to wear while sleeping and working out — as our own Victoria Song noted in her review last year — and it comes with a selection of welcome features, including heart rate tracking, an Energy Score for gauging recovery, and FDA-approved sleep apnea detection. One of the new marquee tools of the Watch 7 is its AI-powered wellness insights, which provide personalized suggestions to help you hit your health and fitness goals. There's also a 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor that can measure metabolic health thanks to an experimental advanced glycation end products (AGEs) metric, though both features were rather hit or miss in our testing. Of course, the wearable also offers a range of basic smartwatch features, such as the ability to stream music, send texts, and take calls when your phone is nearby. Despite its slimmer design, the Watch 7 offers around 24 hours of battery life with the always-on display enabled, though if you upgrade to the 44mm Watch 7, you can eke out a few additional hours. Samsung's wearable also runs Wear OS 5, as of now, though we're expecting the Gemini-powered Wear OS 6 to arrive via an update later this year. All that being said, the timing of these deals could indicate that a Galaxy Watch 8 is on the horizon. Samsung typically holds an Unpacked event in mid-July, and this year it may introduce a refreshed lineup of foldable and wearable devices. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox weekly.
