The Pixel 10a is a month old, but it’s just the Pixel 9a again, right? While that’s a fair assumption, there’s more to this phone than meets the eye.
Over the years, I have often pined for the A-series more so than the regular flagship Pixel lineup, often because its lower price point has brought about more interesting changes in a space littered with devices that try to hit every buzzword or trend in mobile technology. My favorite Pixel ever will always be the Pixel 4a. It scratches at some itch in my peabrain in ways no other phone has ever been able to.
It helps that I’ve always been fascinated by the “middle” of the market. The kinds of devices that “most” people end up using day-to-day. The kinds of technology my parents end up choosing. In my experience, price is almost always the determining factor in their purchase decision, no matter how much I urge them to spend a little more for something a tad more powerful or capable. Getting “just enough” is fine. They want nice photos, a nice screen, but will complain rather than cast aside a phone or tablet.
It’s with those thoughts in the back of my head that, after a month with the Pixel 10a, I have some more concrete thoughts.
Table of contents
So good we made it twice
There is nothing wrong with sticking with a design and making minor iterations, and the Pixel 10a feels like it is making all the right choices physically. Without forgiving Google while lamenting companies like Samsung for keeping the design identical, it has taken the company a long time to make reliable smartphones. Flipping the design script would inevitably introduce issues.
Keeping things the same again and reducing the potential risks is a good decision. The completely flat shape is something people will like, but that doesn’t matter all that drastically. The mechanics of redesigning year over year is something that a midranger doesn’t need to get entangled in.
That’s a roundabout way of saying that the Pixel 10a looks good, like its predecessor did.
Coming from the Pixel 10 Pro, not being able to snap onto the new Pixelsnap charger is an annoyance. Get a case for that so you can get the faster 10W wireless charging. This is one of the few design choices that has been a roadblock to me, but likely won’t be a problem if you have zero magnetic accessories or extras.
Cutting to the chase: This is just a great-sized device that is easy to hold and use. There’s nothing clever or special about the design in that regard, but throw in a very good 120Hz screen, and it’s a great recipe for a good experience.
What’s quite impressive is that a phone of this price includes “Adaptive tone.” This is one of those color-tuning options that seems insignificant, but having an already solid display that adjusts automatically to your surroundings elevates the experience drastically. It turns a good OLED into a great one. I just hope that Google can start to hack at the bezels with the next Pixel, as, yes, they are larger than lots of phones today.
I will say that I do think that the haptics could do with some tweaking. To me, vibrations are starting to feel a little buzzy rather than crisp. That’s a nitpick in what is otherwise a solid framework for a phone of this price, but I have been noticing it while using the Pixel 10a over the past 3-4 weeks. The speakers aren’t terrible, but they aren’t exactly great either. These are the intimate details where obvious cost savings are apparent after a few weeks.
Last year’s experience, again
I was initially annoyed that we would get last year’s internals in what amounts to 99.9% of last year’s design. In reality, I have come to terms with what this signifies, but that part of my brain that can’t switch off means I can’t help but feel a tad disheartened for prospective buyers.
Yes, this is a phone designed not for you or me – those plugged into all things technology – but parents, young people, elderly folk. It’s the “everyman Android.” The device is somewhat affordable or given away with a cell plan to get people into Google’s ever-expanding product portfolio.
Despite my initial chagrin at the lack of under-the-hood prowess, honestly, the performance is more than adequate, which is both a blessing and a curse. All of my favorite apps will run just as well on the best Galaxy phone available today. It is doing the most possible with the moderate internals, and even the most out-of-touch tech nerd will likely never be left too frustrated – myself included. Most of the time, you just forget what this phone can’t do, because of what it does so effortlessly.
No, this isn’t an impressively performant device. It is, however, very smooth, fairly fast, and, most importantly, reliable. Something that can’t be said of many other affordably-focused Android phones – see many of the Samsung Galaxy A devices littering the market.
Again, without giving Google a pass for this choice, if using last year’s chip and similar internals is a way to keep costs down moving forward, this could be a good way to position future A-series phones. It’s great getting the latest chip, but given the power discrepancy between Tensor and the best in the business, it isn’t really that much of a jump in performance to warrant a massive price uptick.
A lot of the AI features are missed out here, which isn’t even a negative either. At no point have I felt that most would enhance my life while using the Pixel 10a. In many ways, I like that it has less stuffed into it to try to upsell for a Gemini subscription. Just enjoying Android 16 QPR3 for what it is – the best flavor of the OS out here – has been superb.
Longevity
Something that has been very impressive, even with last year’s chipset, is that, in my experience, the battery is arguably better than my Pixel 10 Pro XL. It has been mostly used as a secondary device while roaming with a physical SIM, which might explain why I have been able to get a longer lifespan.
If you’re glued to your phone screen for upwards of 10 hours a day. This isn’t ever going to be the phone for you. It’s reliable, but not the longest-lasting Pixel.
Camera
It has become cliché to laud the Pixel camera for its consistency, but that is the key selling point at this sort of price point. I’ve thought about the times I have used other people’s phones or my own camera and how I have wasted opportunities to take the “perfect” photo because of various circumstances or limitations.
There is no great secret. The Pixel 10a is one of the best cameras for point-and-shoot photography. Yes, the quality gap is widening compared to other phones, yet it’s hard to feel sad, annoyed, or disappointed.
Simply put, for 90% of the population, photos taken with the Pixel 10a will be more than enough. Clean, crisp, sharp, and almost always in focus. Google continues to nail the fundamentals. I’d love a little more resolution, a little extra zoom clarity, but I’m content.
Check out the full resolution image gallery here
I’d go a step further and say that I could happily use this over many supposed “top-tier” camera systems just for ease of use. Over a few trips with the 10a as a secondary phone, it has been a valuable tourist companion. That’s just what I expected. Nothing more, nothing less.
While the video modes leave a little to be desired, this is also another competent area. The Pixel 10a does exceptionally well with what it has. It doesn’t promise more than it can deliver – which is exactly what the Pixel 9a did last year so well…and every A-series Pixel before it.
Final thoughts
To me, the most interesting area Google has really made the biggest inroads in is where the Pixel 10a is fully aimed at. This portion of the market and to this potential audience is massive and dominated by Samsung. It’s why the A-series is so important.
It’ll always have a soft spot in my heart after the 3a launched at a time when every other OEM was intent on giving a knock-off flagship experiences with major trade-offs to try to paper over cracks. Google leans into this with the A-series, and it’s one of the biggest strengths.
A constrained Pixel phone, in my opinion, has helped bring out the best in Google, with the A-series allowing for something special. Arguably, Google has done its best work by playing to its software strengths, and while it’s not really offering anything that hasn’t already been done a year ago, the Pixel 10a is a solid product.
It’s all but the same as last year. Which looks bad, but the optics of skipping a generation would have been worse than putting out what amounts to the same device again. Yes, the 9a is probably a better buy, but it doesn’t stop the Pixel 10a from being a good option for lots of people.
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