Google Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Biggest differences explained

In our experience, year-over-year gains between phone models are typically marginal at best. At the 2-year mark, though, making the case ofr an upgrade becomes a lot easier. That’s why we’re going to look at a Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a comparison to see if the new upgrades that Google has introduced are worth making the switch.

Both are clearly strong best cheap phone contenders, as they pack a lot of features at a modest price. But does the new model offer enough to make an upgrade worthwhile?

Even though it’s nearly been two years since its release, the Pixel 7a retains a lot of staying power. In our Pixel 7a review, we really loved how Google finally introduced wireless charging to the series. Meanwhile, we mention in our Pixel 9a hands-on preview that the new A-series phone packs more AI features than even before, all while keeping firm at the same $499 cost that the Pixel 7a offered at its debut.

Even though we need to run more testing on Google's new phone to make a definitive call, this Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a face-off could give you enough reason to make the upgrade.

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

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Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: specifications

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Price and availability

One thing everyone will be happy to know is that Google has kept the Pixel 9a at $499, the starting price that actually debuted with the Pixel 7a. (The Pixel 6a cost $449 when it hit the scene in 2022.)

Given how $499 is a fraction of the cost you’d pay for a flagship model, it's impressive that the Pixel A series price hasn't crept upward in the last two years.

Google kept the Pixel 7a available even after the Pixel 8a's launch, but as of this writing, the older phone is no longer available at Google's online store. Meanwhile we're waiting for a Pixel 9a release date — all Google has said is that the phone will go on sale this April.

It’s worth noting that both the Pixel 7a and Pixel 8a feature available with 128GB of storage, but there’s a 256GB option for the Pixel 9a for just $100 more at $599.

Both phones also come in four colors, but we will say that the new peony and iris colors of the Pixel 9a are much more vibrant in tone than the options with the Pixel 7a.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Design

Now this one’s a little tough because Google’s new redesign for the Pixel 9a could be seen as good or bad. For starters, it’s a bigger phone than the Pixel 7a — but it’s still easy enough to handle one-handed.

The bigger change, however, relates to the back of the phone where Google has ditched the camera bar design of the Pixel 7a in favor of a more subdued looking pill-shaped cutout for the cameras.

The rounded edges of the Pixel 7a have made way for flat ones with the Pixel 9a. Even though you could argue that this makes the newer phone less ergonomic to hold, we didn’t think it wasn’t tough to handle in our hands-on time. Both models lean on plastic and aluminum frames with their designs, but they still feel solidly constructed.

And finally, the Pixel 9a has the more water and dust resistant design thanks to its IP68 rating — whereas the Pixel 7a has an IP67 one. That means the Pixel 9a can be submersed deeper in water without an issue.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Display

Not only does the Pixel 9a have a larger 6.3-inch pOLED display, but Google claims it’s the brightest panel in an A-series phone with a peak brightness of 2,700 nits. In contrast, the Pixel 7a’s 6.1-inch OLED display reached 931 nits in our testing. Even though we’re skeptical about the Pixel 9a reaching Google’s claim — phones rarely hit their advertised peak brightness in our testing — we’re confident that the new phone will be much brighter.

The larger screen size of the Pixel 9a makes it more suitable for watching videos and playing games, but even more when it features an adaptive refresh rate of 60Hz to 120Hz. This makes scrolling and animations look much more fluid, especially when the Pixel 7a tops out at 90Hz.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Cameras

You really don’t want to get hung up on camera specs because they don’t always indicate the better camera phone. The Pixel 7a features a dual camera setup that pairs a 64MP main sensor with a 13MP ultrawide, while the Pixel 9a packs a 48MP main camera with a 13MP ultrawide.

What’s important to note here is that the Pixel 9a’s main camera has an aperture of f/1.7, which would allow it to soak up more light than the f/1.89 aperture of the Pixel 7a’s main shooter.

Up front, the two phones share similar 13MP (f/2.2) selfie cameras.

Until we perform a proper Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a camera shootout, we’ll just say that we’re optimistic about the Pixel 9a’s camera performance. In our 200-photo shootout with the Pixel 8a vs Pixel 7a, it was a unanimous win for the Pixel 8a — so we expect a wider divide between the Pixel 9a and 7a.

Interestingly, the video capabilities of both phones are very similar. They top out at 4K 60fps recording and a slow motion mode at 240fps.

There are more features added to the Pixel 9a that makes it the more compelling camera phone than its predecessor. For the first time ever in the series, a proper astrophotography mode arrives with the Pixel 9a and a macro mode to get closer to subjects.

Additionally, there are also the AI-assisted editing features that add more benefit to the Pixel 9a, like Add Me, Best Take, Audio Magic Eraser, and more.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Performance

As the newer phone, the Pixel 9a has the inherent advantage of being powered by Google’s latest chip — the Tensor G4, which is the same silicon that powers its flagship Pixel 9 Pro phones. We’ve benchmarked this chip and it easily beats the Tensor G2 chip of the Pixel 7a in many performance benchmark tests.

For example, the Tensor G4-equipped Pixel 9 achieves GeekBench single and multi-core scores of 1,758 and 4,594 respectively. Compared to the 1,018 and 3,065 scores of the Tensor G2, we’re confident that the Pixel 9a will also show the same marked improvements.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Software

On the surface, the visual aesthetics of the interface and the core experience don’t differ much from either phone because both phones are running Android 15. But the newer Pixel 9a benefits greatly from all the new Google AI features it packs. We can’t stress enough about how they add more value to the Pixel 9a.

We’ve already mentioned some of the photo and video editing features available to the Pixel 9a, but it’s also supplemented by other helpful features powered by generative AI — like Pixel Studio to generate custom images, Reimagine that can edit photos from a text prompt, and Audio Magic Eraser to remove unwanted background noise.

Over on the productivity side, the Pixel 9a has the more compelling package consisting of Call Screen that leans on Google Assistant to screen phone calls for you, and an AI-powered voice recorder that will take any audio file and summarize them.

There’s also Gemini. With the Pixel 9a, you’ll be able to access Gemini Live and have more natural conversations with the AI chatbot. More importantly, those with a Gemini Advanced subscription will eventually be able to tap into Gemini Live Video for more interaction with Gemini using the Pixel 9a’s camera.

And finally, Google pledges 7 years of software support for the Pixel 9a — which means it’ll get the latest version of Android up until 2032. Meanwhile, Google offered 5 years of software support for the Pixel 7a. Given that it was released in 2023, that means it’ll continue to get updates through 2028, when the Pixel 9a will still have four more years of software updates ahead of it.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Battery life

Due to its larger size, the Pixel 9a has a bigger 5,100 mAh battery. That should help it achieve a longer battery life than its predecessors, especially since the phone workswith a more power efficient Tensor G4 chip. In our testing, the 4,385 mAh battery of the Pixel 7a tapped out at 10 hours and 5 minutes, which is just about an average result for phones on our battery test.

Taking into consideration that the Pixel 8a got to 11 hours and 21 minutes running the same test, we suspect that the Pixel 9a will easily exceed what its two immediate predecessors did — so there should be a large gap between the Pixel 9a and Pixel 7a with battery life.

Another boost for the Pixel 9a is that it features faster 23W wired charging, versus 18W charging with the Pixel 7a. Both phones still top out at 7.5W wireless charging, though.

Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 7a: Outlook

Before we can claim a winner, we’ll need to put the Pixel 9a through our testing to confirm if it’s worth upgrading to from the Pixel 7a.

Based on what we know and have experienced in our Pixel 9a hands-on time, it looks like it’s going to be worth it, though. Not only does it feature big upgrades, like a larger screen and battery, but it’s amplified by all the AI features that you won’t get with the Pixel 7a. Throw in the fact that the Pixel 9a also gets 7 years of software support, it's hard to deny how it's the better phone overall.

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