The Pixel 9a is an unsung hero, but the Pixel 10a may end up a flop

The Google Pixel 9a was one of the unsung hero phones of 2025. It arrived early on, received high praise, but was then unceremoniously swept aside when the Pixel 10 series arrived.

The Pixel 9a’s time in the spotlight was too short, and consequently it was forgotten too early.

We shouldn’t let the same thing happen to the newly announced Pixel 10a, but it doesn’t look like Google will make it easy.

Why I love the Pixel 9a

It’s just right

If the Goldilocks fairy tale was updated, and the family of bears were each given a smartphone, Baby Bear would have the Pixel 9a.

Goldilocks would have tried and dismissed the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro, but arrived at the Pixel 9a and declared it “just right,” just like Baby Bear’s porridge.

It’s a superb overall package. The screen is really bright, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, and is sensibly sized.

The Google Tensor G4 is the same chip as the Pixel 9 series and perfectly adequate, the battery has wireless charging, and there’s seven years of major software updates included.

Best of all is the shape and low weight.

A flat camera module is a rarity, but so welcome on a modern phone, and paired with the 186 gram weight makes the phone pocketable, and there’s no fatigue as it avoids the top-heavy nature of the more camera-focused models.

Every time I’ve revisited the Pixel 9a over the last months, I’ve enjoyed it because it’s not only quite compact (it’s not dissimilar to the Asus Zenfone 10 I returned to recently in this respect), but because it’s so wonderfully polished.

From the slickness of Android 16 to the lovely haptics, the Pixel 9a is a fun and friendly phone to use, and combined with the good specification, modern conveniences, and reasonable price, it’s just right.

Where did it go?

Forgotten too soon

If the Pixel 9a is so good, why does it seem like it was forgotten?

I’m as guilty as the next person for getting my head turned by the latest-and-greatest, and simply, 2025 was an excellent year for new smartphones at all prices.

Google certainly didn’t help with the Pixel 10 series, its most well-rounded and desirable range of smartphones in several years.

Despite the price gap between the $799 Pixel 10 and $499 Pixel 9a, it was tough to recommend an “old” phone to someone with a little extra money in their pocket.

That said, I recommended a Pixel 9a to a friend who had been switching between low-cost Xiaomi, Realme, and Motorola phones for a few years.

When I saw him a few months later, he sang the praises of the little phone for a while, particularly on the software side. He isn’t a tech nerd, but someone who appreciates value, which the Pixel 9a has in spades.

From the OnePlus 15R and the Apple iPhone SE (2022) to deals on the Galaxy S24 FE and the unusual Nothing Phone 3a Pro, the circa-$500 range is not only competitive, but brighter and more vibrant than spec-heavy flagships.

The slightly ordinary-looking Pixel 9a had to shout and wave to capture attention.

The Pixel 10a is coming

More of the same?

The Pixel 9a’s time in the spotlight has been shorter than expected too, as Google will announce the Pixel 10a on February 18, only 10 months after the Pixel 9a’s release.

Is this an admission the Pixel 9a didn’t have the impact Google wanted, or expected? Possibly, but if so, rumors suggest it’s not going to make it very easy for us to think about the Pixel 10a positively.

In early 2025, the Pixel 9a’s specification did a good job of keeping up with Google’s own hardware and the competition.

Rumors about the Pixel 10a’s spec suggest it won’t change much from the 9a, and won’t fall in-line with the Pixel 10 series use of the Tensor G5 processor.

Keeping the old Tensor G4, 5,100mAh battery capacity, and 48-megapixel main camera will erode what made the Pixel 9a so easy to love and recommend: its value.

Specs matter at all levels, but more so in the hyper-competitive mid-range.

If the Pixel 9a struggled to get noticed, a Pixel 10a a year later with the same specs will find it even harder.

Don’t forget the Pixel 9a again

The bargain it should have always been

Such crucial headline specs can’t be so far behind Google’s Pixel 10 series, and so similar to the Pixel 9a, if Google wants the Pixel 10a wants to be taken seriously.

The Tensor G4 also comes with plenty of baggage, and while I never had a problem with it, others did. Carrying that into 2026 on a new phone seems like an unusual choice.

However, if the Tensor G4’s presence means Google cuts the price of the 10a to $400 from the Pixel 9a’s retail price of $500, its reputation could be rescued, but this doesn’t appear likely.

So what’s to be done? Plenty of people slept on the Pixel 9a, but there’s time to rectify that.

All Pixel 9a colors are available on Amazon for $400 right now, and the same deal can be had in Google’s own online store and other online retailers too.

If Google really is going to release a 2025 phone inside a 2026 body, then you may as well buy the 2025 model at a lower price today.