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 unbelievable 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 unique strategy with its A-series, constantly bringing key Pixel options to a budget-friendly worth level. This yr, 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 yr’s Pixel 8a.

Nevertheless, the

Pixel 9a
is just not excellent, and in case you are contemplating choosing one up, listed here are 5 explanation why you may 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The bezels make the Pixel 9a look outdated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, transferring away from the digital camera visor type 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 as of late, it’s uncommon to search out an Android smartphone and not using a big, wobbling digital camera 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 massive borders across the show. These are a number 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 looks like utilizing a cellphone from a decade in the past.

When you recognize small bezels and a contemporary, edge-to-edge display screen expertise, the Pixel 9a’s entrance design will possible depart you disillusioned.

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4

The older mobile modem is an actual letdown

You won’t get one of the best 5G expertise

Just 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. It is 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 help, a characteristic that pricier Pixel 9 fashions get pleasure from.

Consequently, 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

Gradual charging speeds are onerous to miss

Large battery, however sluggish 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 relatively, solely half-upgraded — is the charging velocity.

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

That’s fairly sluggish, 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 identical battery dimension. Whereas the Pixel 9a delivers stable battery life because of its massive battery, the charging expertise positively 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 digital camera really feel restricted

You may miss it in the event you like zoom photographs

Because the 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 digital camera 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 main sensor and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens, however no telephoto lens. As somebody who loves taking zoomed-in photographs, particularly at live shows and sports activities occasions, the dearth of a devoted zoom lens is an actual letdown. Certain, the principle 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 may get extra for a similar worth, 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 alternate options in the identical worth phase that provide 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 similar highly effective chip utilized in final yr’s Galaxy S24 Extremely. The OnePlus 13R additionally affords a bigger battery than the Pixel 9a, a lot sooner 80W charging, and a unbelievable OLED show with slimmer bezels. On the entire, the OnePlus 13R looks like a greater deal for the worth you might be paying.

OnePlus 13R

If you would like flagship-level energy and not using a flagship worth, the OnePlus 13R is a stable alternative. It includes a vibrant 6.7-inch AMOLED show, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with loads of RAM and storage, and a large 6,000 mAh battery with 80W quick charging help. 

The Pixel 9a nonetheless holds its floor nicely

That stated, the Pixel 9a remains to be top-of-the-line units you will get for the worth. When you worth quick Android updates with long-term help, a clear Google expertise full of AI options like Add Me within the Digital camera app, Circle to Search, and Name Notes, and a dependable digital camera setup that performs nicely 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 primary shooter, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide digital camera with macro, the Google Tensor G4 chip, 8GB of RAM, and the most important battery of all Google Pixel telephones all in an economical $500 bundle.