Google Pixel 10A Review: Stick with the 9A Instead

I’m a bit puzzled about the purpose of the Pixel 10A.

Google hasn’t made significant upgrades to the chipset, cameras, or battery in this new model, and the changes elsewhere are pretty minimal. The flatter camera island is a nice touch, I suppose! On one hand, this isn’t a huge issue since the Pixel 9A is already a fantastic device and was the top choice for a $500 phone in the US last year. The new 10A is now available for the same price ($499 for 128GB or $599 for 256GB), but with the 9A still on the market and dropping in price, a big question arises: Why not grab the 9A, which is nearly identical, for $50 less?

When I first got a look at the 10A, I had a hard time pinpointing what had actually changed, so I dove into the specs to outline every hardware tweak, no matter how minor. Here’s what I found:
* The 10A is 3g lighter than the 9A and slightly shorter and slimmer, resulting in a thinner bezel around the screen.
* The cameras are now completely flush with the body, rather than just nearly flush.
* The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i instead of Gorilla Glass 3.
* The display is 300 nits brighter at peak brightness and offers higher contrast.
* The 10A supports 30W wired and 10W wireless charging, up from 23W wired and 7.5W wireless.
* It features Bluetooth 6.0, compared to 5.3 on the 9A.
* The 10A includes Satellite SOS functionality.
* It comes in some new color options.

That’s not a lot of changes, and none of these features seem like game-changers, except maybe the Satellite SOS, which allows you to reach emergency services even without cell coverage. If that or the slightly faster charging sways you toward the 10A, great! But you might be in the minority.

The exterior updates are subtle yet appreciated. Last year’s 9A replaced Google’s typical camera bar with a smaller camera that barely protruded from the back. In the 10A, Google has refined this design further, making the phone just a tad thicker so that the camera is now flush and slightly recessed.

This design choice stands out against the bulging cameras of other phones that boast more advanced hardware. While those devices justify their designs with cutting-edge camera tech, Google has opted for older, smaller sensors and focused on software for photography. I commend the decision to create the least obtrusive camera design on any smartphone currently available.

Overall, the phone looks great, even if the design isn’t groundbreaking. It’s simple, sleek, and comfortable to hold with one hand. It’s slightly larger than the $799 Pixel 10, despite sharing a similar 6.3-inch display, but the 10A is noticeably lighter, which compensates for the extra size. My black model—sorry, obsidian—feels a bit conservative, but the berry and lavender options are vibrant if you’re looking for a splash of color.

The 10A shares the same 5,100mAh battery as the 9A, although Google claims it can last an additional 20 hours in Extreme Battery Mode. This is likely due to software optimization, but during a press briefing, Google didn’t clarify whether the 9A would receive these optimizations. Regardless, this battery is sufficient for a day’s use, but not two, which is generally acceptable. The faster charging speeds are a nice addition, though they still lag behind many Android competitors. Plus, Google didn’t extend the Pixel 10 line’s Qi2 magnets to the 10A, which would have felt like a worthwhile upgrade.

The phone runs on the same Tensor G4 chipset as the 9A. It’s fast enough for everyday tasks, even if it doesn’t match the most powerful chipsets out there. Google’s choice not to upgrade the chip this year feels a bit stingy, but it’s only likely to be an issue if you’re looking for a gaming powerhouse (which this isn’t) or plan to keep it for the full seven years of OS updates, by which time the G4 will be nine years old and starting to feel outdated.

The cameras are identical to those on the 9A, which was expected: the Pixel 10 has the same 48-megapixel main and 13-megapixel ultrawide cameras as the 9A, and the 10A gets them too. These cameras performed adequately on the 10, but for a $499 phone, I can’t complain too much. I appreciate Google’s natural processing, especially in low light, where it avoids over-brightening. However, the small sensors do have limitations in low light, leading to noisy details and blown-out highlights, particularly on the ultrawide. There aren’t many better cameras at this price point, and none in the US, where you’d need to spend several hundred dollars more for a significant upgrade.

The camera also introduces two software features exclusive to the 10A: Camera Coach and Auto Best Take. Camera Coach is an AI tool that provides step-by-step instructions for framing a photo, mostly boiling down to “zoom in to focus on the subject.” Unfortunately, it often throws up an error message and doesn’t work when I try it. Auto Best Take is essentially an automatic version of the existing Best Take feature, merging group photos to capture the best expressions from everyone. Neither feature is a compelling reason to choose the 10A over the 9A, and during a press briefing, Google didn’t confirm whether they would remain exclusive or be rolled out to the 9A in a future update.

We’ve seen a few very iterative phone updates lately: Samsung’s Galaxy S26 feels like a routine spec refresh, and Apple’s iPhone 17E mostly adds MagSafe and more storage. But both of those releases outshine the Pixel 10A—at least they made some changes.

Ironically, the Pixel 10A is still the best midrange phone in the US right now and one of the better options globally, which speaks volumes about the current state of the industry at this price point. In six months, when the Pixel 9A sells out, the 10A will be the best way to spend $500 on a phone. But as long as last year’s model is still available, Google’s biggest competitor is Google.