Google Pixel 9a review: the $500 AI phone that rivals Apple's iPhone 16e
For yet another year, if you have $500 to spend on your next smartphone, you should spend it on Google's latest Pixel A-series phone
š Review score: 4.5/5
ā
Pros
š± OLED screen that gets really bright
šļø Tensor G4 delivers solid performance
šø Reliable cameras with plenty of AI chops
š All-day battery life
7ļøā£ Seven years of software updates
ā Cons
š Charging speed is still slow
š Design is more generic this year
š¾ Storage might not be enough for some people
The Shortcut review
Last year, we called the Pixel 8a one of the best phones you could get for under $500, and the easiest way to get access to Googleās AI features. It was the AI phone to buy if you were shopping on a budget, and now, that honor goes to the Pixel 9a.
Googleās latest mid-range smartphone changes its wrapper with a new camera-bar-less design and itās also a little faster. But on the inside, the Pixel 9a largely feels the same as the 8a when youāre using it. Thatās not a bad thing since the 8a was already a great phone. On the other hand, thereās nothing here that helps the Pixel 9a stand out, other than the fact itās a far better value than the $599 iPhone 16e.
If you have $500 to spend on your next phone and want the most bang for your buck, get the Pixel 9a. From the performance and cameras to the battery life and AI features, it packs a lot into the 6.1-inch design. Iāve used nothing in 2025 that can compare (at least so far).
Full review
Design
š Bye-bye, camera bar. This is the first Google Pixel smartphone not to ship with a camera bar since the Pixel 5 in 2020. Since then, every phone Google has shipped has come with a huge bump on the back, housing the cameras and LED flash. This time around, the cameras are flush with the Pixel 9aās plastic back. And you know what? Iām not mad about it. Sure, itās a lot more boring than the other members of the Pixel 9 series, but itās also not jarring in the slightest. Itās the least jarring phone since the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S10 made camera bumps popular, which could appeal to those who want something that looks a bit normal.
š§ Smooth aluminum. The entire phone feels smooth, thanks to the matte finish on the plastic back and the aluminum frame on the sides. Compared to my Pixel 9, it feels softer and less silky, which I consider an advantage since itās easier to grip. Oddly enough, it reminds me a lot of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plusā design, minus the iPhoneās glass backplate.
š A solid size. The inclusion of a 6.3-inch screen makes the Pixel 9a easy to use one-handed. You can reach all the way across it to type or reach an icon, and the display is still big enough to watch a movie on. Itās not exactly a small phone, but by todayās standards, itās pretty compact.
š¦ Ready for water. The Pixel 9a is IP68 certified, so itās safe against dirt and being submerged in water. Itās the same certification that the rest of the Pixel 9 devices (and most flagship phones) have, so you lose any durability if you opt for Googleās cheaper phone.
š Decent color pallet. The color options for the 9a are pretty good. Thereās Iris, a new light purple that comes off more saturated in person, and the Pixel 9ās Peony pink. You also have Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (white) to pick from. I asked for the Porcelain model for my review since the two other colors didnāt appeal to me, but they all look nice in real life and can add a pop of color to your daily fit.
Display
šŗ Good quality, great refresh rate. The Pixel 9a comes with a 6.3-inch Actua display, the same screen found on the regular Pixel 9. Itās a good-looking OLED screen; Google packs in a Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and solid color reproduction. It includes an always-on display like every other Pixel phone (which also means Now Playing is still here), and it has a small hole-punch cutout at the top. The refresh rate is my personal favorite feature since itās twice as fast as the iPhone 16e, making animations and scrolling look far smoother than on Appleās device.
āļø Super bright for $500. What youāll probably find more helpful than the 120Hz refresh rate is the displayās brightness. The Pixel 9a can crank all the way up to 2,700 nits when in direct sunlight and playing HDR content. Thatās more than double the iPhone 16eās 1,200 nits of peak brightness, giving the 9a a ton of headroom whenever itās bright outside. Thisāll come in handy when the weather is warmer, and weāre all hitting the beach. I know Iāll appreciate this when Iām out on my kayak this summer.
Camera
šø Ideal mid-range shooters. The Pixel 9aās camera system is similar to past Pixel A-series phones in that it delivers solid results for under $500. Compared to the iPhone 16e, theyāre a lot more capable, and they produce better quality photos and videos than Samsungās Galaxy A series phones.
š· Main: The primary 48MP camera is about as capable as the Pixel 8aās 64MP sensor despite having fewer megapixels. It performs best during the day; Google still leans on its signature āPixel lookā with each photo, which basically means they come with a contrasty appearance thatās well-balanced and focuses on preserving shadows when necessary. At night, Googleās algorithm can pull a lot of detail from the sensor and kick out good-looking pictures, which canāt be said for a lot of phones in this price range.
ā°ļø Ultra-wide: The second rear camera is a 13MP ultra-wide with a 120-degree field of view. Itās a decent shooter during the day, producing photos that are similar to those from the main camera. But at night, it struggles to collect the same amount of light. Itās fine for group photos in the dark, but not ideal. That being said, for $500, itās not awful.
š¤³ Selfie camera: The 13MP selfie camera is serviceable in most lighting conditions. You wonāt get a super wide field of view for groupies, but it gets the job done for 2-3 people. It isnāt the best selfie camera Iāve ever seen, although Iāve certainly seen worse.
š„ Video: You can record video at 4K 60 fps on the Pixel 9a, which is sufficient for basically everyone. No, it wonāt replace a film camera anytime soon, but you can record solid videos with the device with minimal artifacts. Good colors, contrast, and light are found throughout the videos Iāve recorded, and the mic quality is solid.
š± Special features: There are a lot of special features spread around the camera experience on the Pixel 9a. On the photo side, you get features like Face Unblur, Long Exposure, Real Tone for capturing accurate skin tones, Top Shot, and Frequent Faces. Thereās also Cinematic Pan, Night Sight timelapse, Active stabilization, and 240 fps slow-motion support for videos. All of these features work as well as they do on the rest of the Pixel 9 series.
(Credit: Max Buondonno / The Shortcut) š¤ Plenty of AI: As is the case with most Pixel phones, thereās no shortage of AI features on the Pixel 9a. Things like Magic Eraser for photos and Audio Magic Eraser for videos work surprisingly well. The phone also works with our favorite feature, Add Me, which lets you take individual photos of yourself and your friends and combine them into a group photo. Googleās AI camera chops get better with every new Pixel phone, and for $500, itās by far the best AI camera experience on the market.
Specs and performance
šļø Good at $1,000, even better at $500. The Pixel 9a uses the same Tensor G4 processor as Googleās Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. Those devices cost a lot more and are comparable to Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered phones, which is noticeably faster than Googleās silicon. But compared to other $500, itās hard to find a chip that can perform as reliably well as the Tensor G4. Sure, Appleās A18 in the iPhone 16e can easily smoke it, but if you want an Android phone, the performance on the Pixel 9a wonāt disappoint.
š¾ Enough RAM and storage for most. You get 8GB of RAM on the Pixel 9a, perfect for quickly flipping through apps and handling AI tasks. For storage, you can choose between 128GB or 256GB. Iāll admit, 128GB is starting to feel a bit cramped nowadays with apps, files, photos, and videos all growing in size, but at least you have the upgrade option.
Battery life
š All day and then some. Iāve had no issues with battery life on the Pixel 9a. It comes with a big 5,100mAh cell (even bigger than whatās in the Pixel 9 Pro XL) which is quoted for 30 hours of usage on a full charge. In my testing, I found the battery can easily make it through a full 16-hour day of usage, with around 40 percent left over. Thatās enough to start the next day with if I wanted, especially since stand-by time is so good (I left the 9a overnight at 40 percent once and it only dipped to 38 percent by the time I woke up).
ā”ļø Charging needs a boost. The Pixel 9a supports 23W wired charging which, by todayās standards, isnāt very fast. Phones like the Moto G Stylus and OnePlus 13R charge more than twice as fast, while companies like Google and Apple continue to supply middling performance over USB-C. Iād love to see Google boost the speed to at least 35W with the next Pixel devices.
Software and AI
š¤ Gemini for $500 is very enticing. I was sifting through all of the new AI features on the Pixel 9a, and theyāre all the same features you can enjoy on Googleās more expensive Pixels. That includes the faster Gemini 2.0 model for even quicker responses, Gemini Live for having complex conversations with the AI assistant, improved image generation in Pixel Studio, Circle to Search, Call Assist, and more. Googleās suite of AI features is more robust and useful than Apple Intelligence or Galaxy AI, making the Pixel 9a the best AI phone you can get for under $500. (Keep in mind youāll need a Google One subscription to access all of Googleās Gemini advanced features, which costs $20 per month.).
š± Pixel software is still simple and responsive. The rest of the Pixel 9aās software experience is delightful. Iāve been a fan of Googleās software for many years, and the simplistic, at-home aesthetic it uses is my favorite across the entire Android smartphone market. You get Android 15 out of the box with all the latest features and security patches, a simplistic UI thatās reliably responsive, all sorts of customization options, and no annoying distractions or ads. In a nutshell? You can always count on a Pixel phone to deliver a great software experience.
7ļøā£ Seven years. Like the rest of the Pixel 9 series, Google is promising to support the Pixel 9a for seven years after its release with software updates. That means you can use this device until 2032 and still get the latest version of Android, plus security patches. A lot of companies have been committing to longer software update promises over the past couple of years, and itās great to see Google continuing its 7-year commitment with the 9a.
Should you buy the Pixel 9a?
Yes, ifā¦
ā Your budget is $500
ā You prefer clean software
ā You need good cameras
ā Youāre ready to dive head-first into AI
ā You need all-day battery life
ā You plan to use your phone for the next few years
No, ifā¦
ā You want a bolder design (get the Pixel 9)
ā You want a telephoto camera (get the Pixel 9 Pro)
ā You want the best mid-range performance (get the iPhone 16e)
ā You want faster charging (get the OnePlus 13R)
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.