Google’s new midrange phone isn’t a spec refresh; it’s a rerelease.
I’m not entirely sure why the Pixel 10A exists.
Google hasn’t upgraded the chipset, cameras, or battery, and the tweaks it’s made are minimal. The flatter camera island is good, I guess! The Pixel 9A was excellent and easily the best phone for $500 in the US. The new 10A is available at the same price ($499 for 128GB or $100 more for 256GB), but with the 9A dropping in price, there’s one big question: Why not just buy the 9A, which is almost the same phone, for $50 less?
The Good:
– The flush camera looks and feels great
– Seven years of software updates
– Satellite SOS support
The Bad:
– It’s the Pixel 9A again
– The Pixel 9A is cheaper
– You should just buy the Pixel 9A
When Google showed me the 10A, I struggled to sense what had changed, so I checked the spec sheets to note every hardware change, no matter how small:
– The 10A is 3g lighter than the 9A, and slightly shorter and slimmer, resulting in a slightly thinner bezel around the screen.
– The cameras are flush with the body, not just almost flush.
– The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i, compared to Gorilla Glass 3.
– The display is 300 nits brighter and higher contrast.
– The 10A has 30W wired and 10W wireless charging, up from 23W wired and 7.5W wireless.
– The 10A supports Bluetooth 6.0, compared to 5.3 on the 9A.
– The 10A supports Satellite SOS.
– It comes in new colors.
That’s not a lot, and none of these features feel like game-changers, except perhaps Satellite SOS, which allows contacting emergency services outside cell coverage. If that or the slightly faster charging sways you to the 10A, great! But you might be in the minority.
The exterior updates are subtle but welcome. The 9A replaced Google’s usual camera bar with a smaller camera that barely rose out. The 10A makes the phone slightly thicker so that the camera is flush with the body, slightly recessed inside.
The phone looks great, even if the design isn’t novel. It’s simple, sleek, and comfortable to hold. It’s larger than the $799 Pixel 10, despite a similar 6.3-inch display, but the 10A is lighter, making up for the extra size. The black model feels conservative, but the berry and lavender versions look fantastic for a pop of color.
The 10A has the same 5,100mAh battery as the 9A, though Google claims it lasts 20 hours more in Extreme Battery Mode. That’s likely due to software optimization, though Google didn’t comment on whether the 9A would get the same optimizations. Either way, it lasts one day, but not two, which is fine. The slightly faster charging speeds are welcome, though still slower than many alternatives — and Google didn’t extend the Pixel 10 line’s Qi2 magnets to the 10A, which would have been worthwhile.
The phone runs on the Tensor G4 chipset like last year’s 9A. It’s fast enough for everyday tasks, even if it falls short of the most powerful chipsets. Google not upgrading the chip feels a bit stingy but likely only affects those seeking a gaming phone or planning to use it for the seven-year update period, by which point the G4 will feel old.
The cameras are the same, which was inevitable: The Pixel 10 has the same 48-megapixel main and 13-megapixel ultrawide cameras as the 9A. These cameras are good enough in the 10, but for a $499 phone, they’re acceptable. Google’s natural processing, especially at night, is a highlight. The small sensors have limits in low light, with noisy details and blown-out lights, especially on the ultrawide. Few cameras beat it at this price, and none in the US, where you’d need to spend more for a meaningful upgrade.
The camera is where you’ll find the two software features on the 10A not found on the 9A: Camera Coach and Auto Best Take. Camera Coach offers AI instructions on photo framing, often suggesting “zoom in on the subject.” It mostly doesn’t work when I try. Auto Best Take is an automatic version of Best Take, merging group photos for the best expression. Neither is a reason to choose the 10A over the 9A, and Google wouldn’t confirm if they’ll remain exclusive or come to the 9A in