A fully realized Pixel 9a

Google didn’t rock the boat for this year’s budget Pixel. Instead, the company fully delivered on what the Pixel 9a wanted to be. While this release doesn’t quite feel like a fully realized sequel, the Pixel 10a is still a better phone and one that’s easy to recommend.

7/10

SoC

Google Tensor G4

Display

6.3-inch Actua display

RAM

8GB

Storage

128 or 256GB

The Google Pixel 10a is a barely updated version of the Google Pixel 9a, with a slightly brighter screen and an upgrade from Gorilla Glass 3 to Gorilla Glass 7i. Google has shaved the remaining few millimeters from the camera bump, making it completely flat. Unlike prior versions of the Pixel a series, this model year does not share the same Tensor processor as the mainline Pixel 10.

Pros & Cons

• A very comfortable phone to hold
• Camera bump is now truly, genuinely gone
• Gorilla Glass 7i replaces the ancient Google Glass 3

• Same Tensor G4 chip as the Pixel 9a
• Only minor refinements over last year’s model

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Price and availability

The Google Pixel 10a retains its $499 price whether you buy it directly from Google or other retailers such as Amazon or Best Buy. It comes in four colors: Obsidian (black), Fog (light green), Lavender (light bluish-purple), and Berry (vibrant pink).

Another year, another Pixel 9a

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

I don’t need to spend much time telling you about the Google Pixel 10a’s specs. My colleague, Justin Duino, did that last year when he reviewed the Pixel 9a. This is a phone with the exact same cameras, Tensor G4 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of starting storage. Even if you go digging in the weeds, you’ll find that the 128GB of storage is still UFS 3.1 and that the main 48MP camera has the same f/1.7 aperture.

In many ways, the Pixel 10a is not a new phone. Rather, it’s a new model year on a vehicle that just underwent a refresh the year before. The engine, infotainment, and all the major bits haven’t changed. But there are enough refinements here that, unless you can snag the previous year for quite a bit less, it’s worth getting the newest model anyway.

That non-existent camera bump on the back? Technically, it still protruded a couple of millimeters last year. This year, it’s legitimately flat. The screen is the same size and resolution, but it’s a few hundred nits brighter. Will you notice that? Probably not. Fortunately, there are other refinements that make this a superior phone.

Meaningful (though not exciting) refinements

Quality of life improvements that actually do make a difference

Wi-Fi speeds are the same, but Bluetooth has made the leap from 5.3 to 6.0. This means you can expect more reliable connections to wearable devices, be that smartwatches or smart rings. Bluetooth LE audio enhancements also benefit your experience using wireless earbuds and headphones.

Charging speeds get a small bump. Wired charging goes from 23W to 30W, bringing it in line with the charging speeds of the mainline Pixel 10. In practice, that shaves around 15 minutes off the estimated charging time. When I plugged the phone with 5% remaining into a 22.5W charger at 9:50 AM, it estimated being fully charged by 11:30 AM. When I switched to a 100W charger, that estimated completion time dropped to 11:15 AM.

Wireless charging makes the smaller leap from 7.5W to 10W (this one’s still slower than the 15W on the more premium Pixel). Without the addition of Pixel Snap found on the fancier Pixels, there are enough variables affecting how fast your phone actually charges, such as an ever-so-slight misalignment, that this small difference is less reliable. There also remains a lack of reverse wireless charging.

Perhaps the most important upgrade is the leap from Gorilla Glass 3 up to Gorilla Glass 7i. Gorilla Glass 3 made its debut back on the Galaxy S4 back in 2013. I understand if you haven’t been following Corning’s innovations in protective glass, but let’s just say screens have become a lot more durable in the near decade and a half since. Gorilla Glass 7i appeared just a couple of years ago, with similar durability as Gorilla Glass Victus released in 2020. This update doesn’t make the Pixel 10a’s durability cutting edge by any stretch, but it’s a big leap forward, even if, ironically, that still leaves me more nervous about dropping this phone than my book-style foldable Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (with newer Gorilla Glass Armor).

Giving that improvement a run for its money, there is one feature in the Pixel 10a that’s genuinely new to this year’s phone. That’s the addition of Satellite SOS. This feature debuted on the Pixel 9 series but wasn’t available on the older modem in the Pixel 9a. The Pixel 10a’s newer modem means you can now place emergency calls via satellite, even if you’re out of range of cell service.

A phone I love to hold

Not just the right size, but the right shape

The physical design of the Pixel 10a, while identical from a distance, has seen some adjustments. The device is a few grams lighter, weighing 183g compared to 186g. It’s a hair shorter, going from 6.09 inches tall to 6.06. Width and depth, while not technically identical, might as well be.

None of this is a criticism of the phone. Rather, the Pixel 10a is the most comfortable phone I’ve held in years. I personally find most smartphones too large, despite being someone with longer-than-average fingers. I don’t understand how anyone comfortably uses a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, a Pixel 10XL, or an iPhone 17 Pro Max. I didn’t deduct any points from the OnePlus 15R in my review for its size, but that was one of the primary reasons I personally wouldn’t use that phone.

The Pixel 10a is just the right size, similar to the Pixel 10. But I expected that. What I didn’t see coming was how big a difference the curvature of its corners makes. The Pixel 10a feels comfortable when resting against the meat of my thumb in a way that more angular phones don’t. I appreciate that the Galaxy S26 is a thinner and lighter phone than the Pixel 10a, but I find the latter more comfortable to hold entirely due to its corners. This matters more to me than the thickness of the phone, which is admittedly on the thicker end. The fact that I use the phone without a case means it remains thinner than that of most people who do, so I suspect most people don’t care all that much either.

Stop me if you’ve seen this camera before

The same main camera as the Pixel 9a and the Pixel 10

When it comes to the main camera, you aren’t making any sacrifices by choosing the Pixel 10a over the Pixel 10. This is the same camera, and it’s the same camera offered in last year’s phone. In a sense, I don’t need to take any new photo samples. I’ve already linked the Pixel 9a review earlier, and you can view the samples in our Pixel 10 review as well. And to its credit, the main shooter isn’t that dissimilar from what you get in the Pixel 10 Pro either. For less than half the price, you get most of the same camera experience and quality.

Nonetheless, here are some new photos.

What you may or may not notice, depending on the kind of photographer you are, is the loss of the third lens. The Pixel 10a, like the Pixel 9a before it, pairs the main lens with only an ultrawide. If you want to zoom in to your shots, you’ll notice the loss of the telephoto found on the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro, as digital zoom just isn’t the same. Interestingly, the 13MP front-facing selfie cam is actually higher than the 10.5MP one on the Pixel 10, but 4K video recording maxes out at 30 frames per second, whereas the Pixel 10 can manage 60.

To reiterate, though, none of this is any different from the Pixel 9a. If you have the previous phone already, or you can snag a Pixel 9a on sale, there’s no reason to choose the Pixel 10a instead, as far as the camera’s concerned.

Should you buy the Google Pixel 10a?

Credit: Bertel King / How-To Geek

In many ways, the Pixel 10a feels more like a fully-realized version of the Pixel 9a than a newer model. Its biggest improvements—30W charging, Gorilla Glass 7i, and Satellite SOS—bring it more in line with the rest of the Pixel 9 series.

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But the Pixel 10a isn’t part of the Pixel 9 series. Compared to the rest of the Pixel 10 lineup, the lack of a Tensor G5 processor does make this phone feel like less of a good value on paper than usual, but that’s a sacrifice I doubt most customers will actually notice. In contrast, I find the Pixel 10a is a better phone than last year’s in enough areas that I do think it’s still worth buying over its predecessor, even if you do find the latter on sale.

7/10

SoC

Google Tensor G4

Display

6.3-inch Actua display

RAM

8GB

Storage

128 or 256GB

The Google Pixel 10a is a barely updated version of the Google Pixel 9a, with a slightly brighter screen and an upgrade from Gorilla Glass 3 to Gorilla Glass 7i. Google has shaved the remaining few millimeters from the camera bump, making it completely flat. Unlike prior versions of the Pixel a series, this model year does not share the same Tensor processor as the mainline Pixel 10.