The Pixel 9a is not excellent, and these 5 flaws show it

Mid-range Android telephones have improved considerably over the previous few years, to the purpose the place the road between flagship and mid-range units is beginning to blur. The

OnePlus 13R
is a improbable instance of this, providing flagship-level specs and options for lower than half the worth of

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra
.

Google has taken a special strategy with its A-series, constantly bringing key Pixel options to a budget-friendly value level. This 12 months, the corporate continued the development with the Pixel 9a, delivering a brand new design, the most important battery ever in a Pixel cellphone, and an AI-loaded Pixel expertise — all for a similar $499 price ticket as final 12 months’s Pixel 8a.

Nevertheless, the

Pixel 9a
will not be excellent, and in case you are contemplating choosing one up, listed below are 5 the reason why you would possibly wish to skip Google’s newest mid-ranger​​​​​​.

5

The bezels make the Pixel 9a look outdated

Chunky borders aren’t nice in 2025

Google switched up the design with the Pixel 9a, shifting away from the digicam visor fashion that many people had come to like. Whereas design is subjective, the Pixel 9a does look good in particular person, primarily due to its simplicity, and nowadays, it’s uncommon to seek out an Android smartphone with out a big, wobbling digicam module. Nevertheless, flip the cellphone round, and a few disappointment awaits.

Whereas Google upgraded the show expertise on the Pixel 9a, making the display screen tremendous vibrant and simply seen open air, the cellphone has giant borders across the show. These are a few of the largest bezels I’ve seen on an Android smartphone in a very long time. As I discussed when comparing the Pixel 9a with the OnePlus 13R, watching movies on the Pixel 9a seems like utilizing a cellphone from a decade in the past.

For those who respect small bezels and a contemporary, edge-to-edge display screen expertise, the Pixel 9a’s entrance design will doubtless depart you dissatisfied.

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4

The older mobile modem is an actual letdown

You may not get the very best 5G expertise

Much like how the Pixel 8a featured the identical chipset as the remainder of the Pixel 8 collection, Google has adopted the identical components once more by upgrading the Pixel 9a to the Tensor G4, the identical processor used within the Pixel 9 collection. Nevertheless, one vital factor Google didn’t carry over is the brand new Exynos 5400 modem.

As an alternative, the Pixel 9a ships with the older Exynos 5300 modem, the identical one discovered within the Pixel 8a. This can be a actual concern as a result of the Exynos 5300 has been closely criticized (and sometimes discussed on Reddit) for inconsistent reception and excessive battery drain. It additionally means the Pixel 9a misses out on satellite tv for pc connectivity assist, a characteristic that pricier Pixel 9 fashions get pleasure from.

In consequence, the Pixel 9a suffers from the identical points that plagued the Pixel 8 collection: poor 5G speeds, unreliable alerts, and spotty connections. Having used the Pixel 9a for over two weeks now, I can affirm that the cellphone struggles with weaker sign reception in comparison with different units.

It’s not instantly noticeable always, however contemplating that Google needs this cellphone to final over seven years with software program updates, it’s disappointing that it’s already beginning with outdated community {hardware}.

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3

Sluggish charging speeds are onerous to miss

Large battery, however gradual charging is a letdown

The Google Pixel 9a ships with the most important battery ever in a Pixel cellphone at 5,100 mAh, even greater than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which has a barely smaller 5,060 mAh cell. Nevertheless, one factor Google forgot to correctly improve — or moderately, solely half-upgraded — is the charging velocity.

The Pixel 9a helps 23W USB-C wired charging, which is definitely higher than the 18W charging on its predecessor, however it’s nonetheless frustratingly gradual for a battery this massive. In follow, this implies the Pixel 9a takes almost two hours to cost from 0-100%.

That’s fairly gradual, even by Google’s personal requirements. In the meantime, finances telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy A36, which prices $100 lower than the Pixel 9a, supply 45W quick charging with an analogous battery dimension. Whereas the Pixel 9a delivers strong battery life because of its giant battery, the charging expertise undoubtedly is not nice and is one thing Google actually wants to enhance with the subsequent Pixel A-series mannequin.

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2

No devoted telephoto lens makes the digicam really feel restricted

You may miss it if you happen to like zoom pictures

For the reason that Pixel 4a 5G launch in September 2020, Google has caught with a dual-camera setup on its A-series telephones. Every mannequin has shipped with a wide-angle digicam lens and an ultra-wide sensor. Over time, the corporate has upgraded each sensors, however I hoped the Pixel 9a would lastly convey a telephoto lens to the finances lineup — however that did not occur.

The Pixel 9a ships with a 48-megapixel major sensor and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens, however no telephoto lens. As somebody who loves taking zoomed-in pictures, particularly at concert events and sports activities occasions, the dearth of a devoted zoom lens is an actual letdown. Positive, the primary lens affords an optical 2x zoom, however a real telephoto lens would have made a giant distinction, particularly when different telephones on this phase — just like the OnePlus 13R — supply it.

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1

Different mid-range telephones simply supply extra

You will get extra for a similar value, or much less

There was a time when Google’s Pixel A-series telephones felt like true “worth for cash” units. Nevertheless, that feeling has began to fade with the Pixel 9a. There are just too many compromises now, making the Pixel 9a’s flaws tougher to disregard. Fortunately, there are many options in the identical value phase that supply higher specs and options.

Take the OnePlus 13R for instance. It ships with a flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which could not be absolutely the newest however is identical highly effective chip utilized in final 12 months’s Galaxy S24 Extremely. The OnePlus 13R additionally affords a bigger battery than the Pixel 9a, a lot quicker 80W charging, and a improbable OLED show with slimmer bezels. On the entire, the OnePlus 13R seems like a greater deal for the worth you’re paying.

OnePlus 13R

If you’d like flagship-level energy with out a flagship value, the OnePlus 13R is a strong alternative. It includes a vibrant 6.7-inch AMOLED show, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with loads of RAM and storage, and an enormous 6,000 mAh battery with 80W quick charging assist. 

The Pixel 9a nonetheless holds its floor properly

That mentioned, the Pixel 9a remains to be among the best units you will get for the worth. For those who worth quick Android updates with long-term assist, a clear Google expertise filled with AI options like Add Me within the Digicam app, Circle to Search, and Name Notes, and a dependable digicam setup that performs properly in nearly any lighting situation, the Pixel 9a stays a tough machine to beat.

Pixel 9a

Google’s mid-range Pixel 9a affords spectacular high-end options like a 48-megapixel most important shooter, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide digicam with macro, the Google Tensor G4 chip, 8GB of RAM, and the most important battery of all Google Pixel telephones all in a cheap $500 package deal.