Google Pixel 9a hands-on: This cheap phone just surpassed the iPhone 16e

A good phone doesn’t always need to be a pricey flagship model. That's why I'm always looking for the best cheap phones that prioritize value. And you know what? The Pixel 9a embodies this philosophy.

Everyone thought that iPhone 16e would bring Apple back into the conversation around cheap phones, including myself. But the iPhone 16e's surprising $599 cost makes it less of a viable option despite delivering a strong performance. In my iPhone 16e review, in fact, I mentioned how I would gladly pay the extra to get the iPhone 16 instead.

Google Pixel 9a Hands-On: New Design, Same Awesome Price - YouTube

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I mention this because Google clearly has a better understanding of what it takes to be a budget phone, even when newcomers like the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro squarely take aim at the Pixel line. Th#ere’s a fresh new look for the Pixel 9a that I’m still on the fence about, but I will say that it could make me forget about the iPhone 16e completely.

Google Pixel 9a specifications

Same price with better color options

This is arguably the most alluring thing about the Pixel 9a, unlike the iPhone 16e. Google keeps the price of its budget phone firmly at $499 for the base model with 128GB of storage, which is the same starting cost as the Pixel 8a.

Not only am I ecstatic that the price remains the same, but it really undercuts the $599 iPhone 16e in the process.

In addition, Google offers a 256GB option as well and the Pixel 9a is available in four colors: obsidian, porcelain, peony, and iris. The latter’s a new color option, which I think is just as polarizing as peony.

Google's actually not offer preorders for the Pixel 9a, but it will be released sometime in April, with Google providing a more concrete date later on. I cannot stress enough how big a deal the 9a's price is, especially when you factor in all the new upgrades this phone is packing — which you’ll read more about below.

A debatable redesign

If there’s one thing in my brief hands-on time with the Pixel 9a that stands out the most, it has to be the new design. Since the Pixel 6a, Google’s gone with a distinct design language that consists of a camera bar on the back of the phone. That’s now gone, replaced with a more subdued looking pill-shaped cutout — which is actually flush.

While this change makes the Pixel 9a look less like a premium phone, I can’t discount how it brings back the flush camera designs of years past. Phone makers have seemingly moved past this, opting for bigger, more prominent camera bumps. Aside from that, the Pixel 9a does borrow the flat edge and rounded corner design of the current Pixel 9 lineup.

Thankfully, the phone feels solidly constructed, and I admit that I’m digging two of the color options: peony and iris. Most budget phones only come in black and white, so having these extra choices are a nice treat. And if that’s not enough, the Pixel 9a features an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, topping the Pixel 8a's IP67 rating.

Larger, brighter screen

Side-by-side, it’s almost hard to tell the size difference between the new phone and the Pixel 8 that came before it. But the Pixel 9a gets a larger 6.3-inch Actua display.

This pOLED display has the same rich qualities as before, like wide viewing angles and deep colors, but Google says it’s 35% brighter than before with a peak brightness output of 2,700 nits.

Few phones I’ve tested top 2,000 nits, so I’m a bit skeptical about Google’s claim here. Still, I didn’t have much trouble seeing the screen outdoors during my brief time with the phone.

The Pixel 9a display has a 60 - 120Hz display refresh rate, which makes scrolling look fluid across the home screen. I didn’t get the chance to watch proper HDR videos to really see if it makes a difference, but I still think it’s important to note how the 9a's refresh rate beats the iPhone 16e’s dated-looking 60Hz one.

Night Sight and astrophotography finally arrives

Aside from the redesign of the camera compartment, Google swaps the 64MP main camera of the previous Pixel 8a for a 48MP main one with the Pixel 9a. There’s no need for alarm because this new 48MP main sensor has a wider f/1.7 aperture, versus the f/1.89 of the Pixel 8a. This means that the Pixel 9a should deliver sharper photos, especially under low light conditions.

That main camera is paired with a 13MP ultrawide camera that inherently gives it a leg up over the single-lens iPhone 16e, by offering wider captures for landscape or group shots. This is one of the biggest reasons why I consider the Pixel 9a to be a more suitable contender for the best camera phone list.

There are also other new camera features I’m happy to see this year with the Pixel 9a, like a new macro focus mode that leans on AI to better capture close-ups. I snapped a few macro shots during a hands-on session, and those shots appear to be captured by the main camera instead of the ultrawide. Despite this, the Pixel 9a managed to get really good details of this circuit board I photographed.

For the first time in the series, the Pixel 9a gets full access to Night Sight now that there's an astrophotography mode that will create a short time lapse, just like with the Pixel 9 series.

Similarly, the Pixel 9a also gets access to Add Me which uses AR guides and image stitching to add the photographer into the photo. I quickly tried Add Me out with my colleague, and it works like a charm. This complements all the other Google AI camera features found on the Pixel 9a, such as Audio Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Best Take, and more.

Over on the video side, the Pixel 9a still tops out at 4K 60fps — with slow motion video support up to 240fps

Flagship-caliber Tensor G4 chip

With a Tensor G4 under the hood, I really like how this ‘budget’ phone has a flagship-caliber chipset matching what's available in pricier Pixel 9 models.

Just as expected, the Pixel 9a handles every day tasks with ease. I only opened a few apps and loaded up a website, but everything's accompanied by the same fluidness I find with my Pixel 9 Pro XL.

While this is great, the benchmark tests we ran on Tensor G4-powered Pixel 9 flagships last fall didn't blow us away. Phones powered by Google's latest chip can't match the numbers posted by Apple’s A18 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon.

I personally don’t give benchmark scores as much weight because I’ve been using the Pixel 9 Pro XL for months now and it’s still one of the speediest phones around. We'll see how the Pixel 9a fares when we get a chance to properly test it.

Powerful Google AI features

Thanks to the Tensor G4 chip, the Pixel 9a gets access to the robust set of Google AI features found with the rest of the Pixel 9 series. Given how the 9a costs much less, I’m thrilled to know that the Pixel 9a experience isn’t a stripped-down version of Google’s flagships.

The new phone is running Android 15 just like its fellow Pixel 9 phones, but more importantly, it has the Google AI features I’ve come to rely on. This includes AI-assisted photo and editing features such as Magic Editor, Auto Frame, Reimagine, Photo Unblur, and Pixel Studio. With the latter, the ability to generate images from scratch featuring people is finally available through the latest Pixel Drop update..

Over on the productivity side, the Pixel 9a also has Call Screen that leans on Google Assistant to take phone calls for you, Circle to Search to look up stuff on your phone without switching apps, Pixel Screenshots to remember details for me by taking screenshots, and Gemini Live.

Speaking of Gemini, that Pixel drop update brings Gemini Live Video to allow users to interact with Gemini with the Pixel 9a’s camera. However, it’s only going to be available to Gemini Advanced subscribers. Unlike the Pixel 9 Pro phones that came with a year’s worth of Gemini Advanced, the Pixel 9a will only offer it for a month.

Despite this, the Pixel 9a has a very convincing experience powered by AI. Even though I have yet to try the versions added to Pixel 9a, I’ve had great results using many of these Google AI features on other phones. And best of all, the Pixel 9a gets the same seven years of software support as the main Pixel lineup.

Bigger battery for more endurance

Due to the larger display, there’s also a bigger 5,100 mAh battery under the hood. Paired with the power efficiency of the Tensor G4, that improvement could likely bring long battery life for the Pixel 9a.

I’ve already seen the year-over-year improvements with the rest of the Pixel 9 devices, so I think the Pixel 9a will easily eclipse the 11 hours and 21 minutes put up by the Pixel 8a in our battery test where phones surf the web until they run out of power.

Wired charging improves to 23W with the Pixel 9a, which is up from the Pixel 8a’s 18W wired charging. However, wireless charging still tops out at a slow 7.5W.

It's all about the value proposition

Google’s doing more right than wrong with the Pixel 9a. Even though I’m still torn about the new design, the rest of the phone seems like a substantial improvement over its predecessor — especially when the price is kept firm at $499. Knowing Google’s track record with the camera and battery performances of its Pixel A series phones, I’m optimistic about the Pixel 9a's prospect once the review process begins in full.

What’s even more impressive is the fact that the Pixel 9a gets the same set of AI features as other Pixel 9 models, which simply adds to its value. With a more expensive iPhone 16e, Apple missed the mark in my opinion for competing in this midrange space, while Google is clearly in cruise control.

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