Google Pixel 10a review: The sidegrade

Google also regularly releases new features through quarterly Pixel Drops, and while a lot of it is AI, there are also some useful security tools and features. Google isn’t promising that all phones will receive the same attention in Pixel Drops, but you should see new additions for at least a few years.

Budget Pixel Camera

Google isn’t pushing the envelope with the Pixel 10a, and in some ways the camera experience is why it can get away with it. There’s no other $500 phone that offers a comparable camera experience, and it’s not because the Pixel 10a is light years ahead in terms of hardware. The phone has some pretty modest sensors in this new, flatter module, but Google’s image processing is nothing short of excellent.

In 2026, Google’s budget Pixel still sports a 48 MP primary wide-angle camera, paired with a 13 MP ultra-wide. There is no telephoto lens on the back and the front selfie shooter is also 13 MP. Among these cameras, only the main lens has optical stabilization. Photos taken with all cameras are sharp, with vibrant colors and consistent lighting.

Google’s image processing does a great job bringing out detail in both light and dark areas of a frame, and Night Sight is great for situations where there just isn’t enough light for other phones to take a good photo. In average light, the Pixel 10a maintains shutter speeds fast enough to capture motion, something Samsung and Apple often struggle with.

Pixel phones don’t have as many camera settings as a Samsung or OnePlus phone (in fact, the 10a doesn’t even have as many manual controls as the flagship Pixels), but they’re great at taking quick snapshots. In just seconds, you can open the Pixel camera and take a detailed, well-exposed photo without waiting for autofocus or changing settings. So you’ll capture more moments with a Pixel than with other phones, which might not guarantee focus or lighting even if you take a whole batch of photos with different settings.