Google Pixel 9a will have to fix one crucial thing to hold off its low-cost rivals

The Google Pixel 9a is arriving at some point this spring, possibly this month if you believe some of the rumors about the midrange phone's potential release date. And when it does show up, expect a lot of attention to be devoted to the phone's cameras and AI capabilities, as those have been two traditional areas of strength for Google's Pixel A models.

Me, I'll be focusing on something else — an area where recent Pixel A releases haven't fared so well. And that's because the Pixel 9a has a good chance to put an end to that, based on rumors we've been hearing about the phone.

I'm talking about battery life, one of the few areas where Pixel phones have traditionally lagged behind the competition. With other phones increasingly lasting longer on a charge, the pressure is on Google to up its game. Here's a look at why that is and why the Pixel 9a may be well-positioned to make a big leap forward for Google phones in terms of battery life.

Past Pixel performance

Every phone we review goes through a battery test in which we have the device surf the web over cellular until it runs out of power. We time the results and the phones that last the longest land on our best phone battery life list.

I handle curating that list for Tom's Guide, and it's been a long time since a Google phone's threatened to land among any of the long-lasting devices we've tested — certainly not since Google switched to its own Tensor chips to power its phones. Tensor silicon has many advantages, chiefly the AI features enabled by its Tensor engine, but longevity has not been one of those benefits.

That said, the Pixel 8a took a step in the right direction when it came out nearly a year ago. We recorded a time of 11 hours and 21 minutes on our battery test, which puts the Pixel 8a ahead of the average smartphone's result by a little bit more than an hour.

The trouble is, other phones in the Pixel 8a's price range outperform it. The Nothing Phone 3a and Nothing Phone 3a Pro finished on either end of the 15-hour mark — the standard 3a had the better time at 15 hours and 24 minutes while the 3a Pro was closer to 14.5 hours. At respective prices of $379 and $359, both those phones are actually cheaper than the $499 Pixel 8a.

Likewise, Apple's just-released iPhone 16e finished at 12 hours and 41 minutes, beating out the Pixel 8a result by an hour and 20 minutes. With the Pixel 9a likely to invite comparisons to the iPhone 16e — both phones put an emphasis on AI features and superior low-cost cameras — you can bet Google would like its upcoming phone to get the better of Apple's offering when it comes to battery life.

Google Pixel 9a battery rumors

If rumors about Google's Pixel 9a plans are accurate, the new phone could be in a strong position to close the battery life gap with some of its low-cost rivals — if not blow past it entirely.

Back in December, a report claimed that the Pixel 9a would use a 5,100 mAh battery. That's nearly 14% larger than the 4,492 mAh power pack inside the Pixel 8a, and it would be the largest battery ever used by a Pixel A series phone by far.

Certainly, there's more to a phone's longevity than just the size of its battery. But having a cell that tops 5,000 mAh would certainly help any handset last longer between charges.

The other factor that could play a role in improved battery life for the Pixel 9a involves the chipset the phone is likely to use. We'd expect the Pixel 9a to follow the lead of previous A series models and use the system-on-chip found in current Google flagships. That's the Tensor G4, which bodes well for the new phone's power management features.

Because all of the Pixel 9 models released last fall use a Tensor G4, we've got a pretty good idea of how long they can last on a charge. Three of those Pixel 9 models all lasted more than 12.5 hours, with the Pixel 9 Pro putting up the best time with a 13.5-hour result. (I'm excluding the Pixel 9 Pro Fold from this comparison, as foldable phones have different power requirements than phones with more conventional form factors.)

More significantly, those Pixel 9 battery test results marked big improvements over the numbers turned in by the Pixel 8 flagships, both of which struggled to keep up with average smartphone.

Yes, the Pixel 9 offerings benefitted from larger battery sizes compared to their predecessors, but the Tensor G4 clearly runs more efficiently than the Tensor G3 found in the Pixel 8 series. You'd expect the combination of bigger battery and Tensor G4 efficiency to benefit the Pixel 9a as well.

Why battery life matters

With the Pixel 9a likely to pick up the Tensor G4-powered AI features introduced last fall on the Pixel 9 flagships, the new phone should deliver when it comes to artificial intelligence. Similarly, Pixel 9a camera rumors have me convinced that Google's phone is poised to keep its place among the best camera phones under $500.

But battery is a big missing piece of the Pixel A puzzle. If Google really nails that element, it's hard to see any phone challenging the Pixel 9a as the best cheap phone available.

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