Google’s Aseries of smartphones has consistently offered the best value Android experience for at least the last three generations, and that hasn’t changed with the arrival of the Pixel 9a. It starts at £499, offers an improved camera, refreshed design, upgraded processor, bigger battery, better screen and improved durability.
Given that the most affordable current Apple rival, the iPhone 16e, starts at £599 (and has less versatile cameras and is missing display features), this is a great Android option for the price.
Google Pixel 9a: At a glance
Google Pixel 9a
Key specifications
| Display | 6.3inch OLED |
|---|---|
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB |
| Cameras | 48MP main, 13MP ultrawide, 13MP frontfacing |
| Weight | 186g |
What I like about the Google Pixel 9a
The first thing you’ll notice about the Pixel 9a is its striking design. It feels like the first phone in ages to not have a pronounced camera bump on the back, and its bold colour options are meant to turn heads.
I’ve been testing out the “Peony” pink colourway, and it also comes in Iris, Porcelain or Obsidian (to translate the Google branding, that’s purple, white, or black). The lack of camera bar is a bit of a departure from the typical Pixel design, but it grows on you quickly, and it’s great that you can set it down flat on a tabletop. It also has improved toughness, with an IP68 rating for dust and waterproofing.
There’s a lot to like about the Pixel 9a display. It’s bright, sharp, and colourful, and at 6.3 inches, the same size as the Pixel 9. It’s not only an OLED but one with a 120Hz refresh rate. This means scrolling and animations feel supersmooth and far more fluid than most iPhone models.
Photography remains a major strength in all Pixel phones, and this one’s no exception. You get a 48megapixel main camera and a 13megapixel ultrawide, plus a 13megapixel front camera. On test, I was impressed. It takes excellent photos in nearly all lighting conditions, with punchy colours that look great straight from the camera. It can also now take “macro” closeup photos, which were incredibly detailed.
Google Pixel 9a camera sample photos
Google’s latest AI enhancements are onboard here too, as the Pixel 9a includes most of the photo editing, image generation and Gemini voice assistant capabilities of the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup. You may or may not use the AI features, so I wouldn’t worry too much about them when it comes to making your decision. They’re there if you want them, but easily ignored if you don’t.
Something you will notice, though, is the great battery life. Google has put its biggestever battery into a Pixel phone, and it promises over 30 hours of life. I’ve found that you get to the end of a day of normal use with at least 30% battery left, which is comparable to other top phones right now.
It’s worth mentioning just how great Google’s simple version of Android is. If you’ve tried Android on other devices and found it confusing, this is much more intuitive. It’s probably just as userfriendly as Apple’s operating system now, so it’s great if you’re after a budget phone and aren’t sure about switching from one interface to another. Just check that your favourite apps are compatible and that you won’t have trouble moving things like contacts, files and photos between devices.
What I don’t like about the Google Pixel 9a
I personally don’t have any issues with the design of the Pixel 9a, but it’s not going to be for everyone. If you’re looking at the pictures of the phone in this review and around the internet and find yourself thinking that it’s not the most appealing, then it may not be the one for you!
Google has also cut some corners to keep this phone cheap, such as reducing the camera sensor sizes and not including autofocus on the front camera, something you’d need the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro to get. You may not consider the sensor size an issue unless you’re zooming into images or taking a lot of nighttime photos. It just means that these cameras won’t produce results that beat the Pixel 9 series and, in some cases, may not even match the performance of the Pixel 8a from 2024.
I’d also note that we’re now starting to see telephoto cameras included in sub£500 phones, like the Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. Of course, these aren’t to be expected. You actually need the Pixel 9 Pro for a third camera, and Apple isn’t in a rush to add extra cameras to its nonPro handsets. But it’s still clear that a longer zoom makes phones more capable for photo fans.
Depending on how much you notice different finishes, you might feel the difference between the plastic materials used for the back of Google’s Aseries phones compared to more premium glass. And while this uses strong “Gorilla Glass 3” on its screen, which is good for scratchresistance, it’s not the latest version. It may be worth adding a screen protector to protect against hairline scratches.
The Good Housekeeping verdict on the Google Pixel 9a
The best affordable phones are so good these days that many of us simply don’t need to spend extra on flagship models.
There isn’t a substantial difference between the Google Pixel 9a and the Google Pixel 9, and the extra features you do get with the Pixel 9 may not be the ones you’d notice.
I’d suggest going for the Pixel 9 if you’re sure you’re going to need better multitasking performance, even better cameras and an improved charging experience. But the Pixel 9a doesn’t feel like a budget phone in any of these areas, either. It’s great for taking photos and videos, its display is bright and vibrant, it has lots of battery life, its design is sleek and slim, and it has the same processor as the more expensive Pixel 9.
Overall, it’s a fantastic buy if you’re after a great phone for under £500.
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
