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The design is familiar, yet new, with the Google Pixel 9a. It’s a slightly larger device, with a 6.3-inch display | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
Google’s “a”-series smartphones have always struck a fine balance between flagship flair and mid-range sensibility, and the new Pixel 9a promises to carry on that legacy. With a subtly refreshed design, brighter-than-ever display, and the promise of long-term software support, the Pixel 9a looks to offer a little bit of everything that makes a Pixel, well, a Pixel.
It’s not chasing trends with flashy hardware or gimmicks. Instead, it leans into Google’s strengths — photography, AI smarts, and clean Android — while keeping the price (relatively) grounded. But does it deliver enough to justify its ₹49,999 tag? I took it for a spin to find out.
The signature camera bar at the rear, though, is gone, and the lenses lie almost flush with the rear panel | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
The design is familiar, yet new, with the Google Pixel 9a. It’s a slightly larger device, with a 6.3-inch display. It weighs about 186 grams and feels compact to use. The signature camera bar at the rear, though, is gone, and the lenses lie almost flush with the rear panel. Do I miss it? Maybe. On the plus side, the smartphone doesn’t rest at an angle on the desk, if that kind of stuff is important to you. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass, and the annoyingly conspicuous bezels remain on screen. There are three colour options - Iris, Obsidian, and Porcelain — with the first being the loveliest of the lot.
The Pixel 9a features a 6.3-inch Actua display with up to 120 Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2700 nits, making it one of the brightest displays in its class. It’s easy to swipe through outdoors. I watched a couple of episodes of the zany cop comedy Seoul Busters on the device. The colours popped with the police station scenes shot in kindergarten classrooms. The stereo speakers on either side deliver fairly loud audio, but aren’t the most well-rounded in terms of acoustics. The Pixel 9 Pro, for example, features a deeper sound profile. Gaming is also good fun on the Pixel 9a because of its display and overall compact form factor.
The Google Pixel 9a has a dual-camera primary system, which includes a 48 MP main camera and a 13 MP fixed-focus ultra-wide camera. While it’s not exactly flagship-grade photography, the smartphone delivers some really crisp photos, rich colours and wide dynamic range across most well-lit situations. Daylight photos are always pleasing to the eye. Still remain sharp up to 2x zoom, beyond which they start losing detail. Even under bright sunlight, 5x photos turned out to be a bit noisy. Low-light photos were also decent, considering this is not a flagship device. Macro photos were surprisingly good, with appropriate focus and sharp details across close-up snaps.
The 13 MP selfie camera delivers decent results. I loved using it to join meetings and briefings on the go. Snaps are clear too, with Google’s computational photography doing its thing.
In terms of video, you can record in 4K up to 60 fps with the main camera. The ultra-wide and selfie cameras can only do 4K at up to 30 fps. The ‘Add Me’ feature, which debuted last year, makes its way to the Pixel 9a, as does the ‘Best Take’ feature. Post-processing features that Google has spearheaded in the market, such as Magic Eraser, along with Audio Magic Eraser, and Night Sight, find their space on the device as well.
Running on Google’s latest Tensor G4 chipset, the Google Pixel 9a comes in two storage variants—128 GB and 256GB, both paired with 8 GB RAM. It ships with Android 15 and promises up to seven major Android updates — a major plus for those without commitment issues.
While the overall experience of the UI is minimal and seamless, a few glitches remain despite the latest software update. A couple of apps closed and re-opened on their own, and brightness levels didn’t max out when I pushed the slider to the right extreme a couple of times. Hopefully, another update will fix these niggles. The AI features blend in seamlessly with the user experience, and you’re more likely to reach out for some AI-agony aunt sessions with Gemini on this device.
The smartphone packs a 5,100mAh battery, which drains impressively slowly. An hour-long Netflix session would see just about a 6-7 per cent drop in the battery percentage. The device supports 23 W fast charging, but doesn’t ship with a charger. It’s also compatible with 7.5 W wireless charging. The charging, though, takes some time and is best done overnight. It takes almost 1.5 hours to charge fully from zero, so a quick 10-minute plug-in will not suffice before you need to head out for errands.
At ₹49,999, the Google Pixel 9a makes a solid case for itself as the go-to Pixel for most people. You get a great display, reliable cameras, clean software, and the promise of long-term updates—wrapped in a design that’s more subtle than bold this time around. Sure, charging speeds are nothing to write home about, and there are a few UI kinks that need ironing out, but if you’re looking for a mid-ranger with a healthy dose of Google’s AI magic, the Pixel 9a is well worth a serious look.
Price - ₹49,999
Pros - Compact build, bright display, impressive camera, 7 years of OS upgrades
Cons - Noticeable bezel, slow charging speed, minor software bugs
Published on April 23, 2025
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