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 gadgets is beginning to blur. The

OnePlus 13R
is a improbable instance of this, providing flagship-level specs and options for lower than half the value of

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra
.

Google has taken a unique method with its A-series, persistently bringing key Pixel options to a budget-friendly worth level. This 12 months, the corporate continued the development with the Pixel 9a, delivering a brand new design, the most important battery ever in a Pixel telephone, and an AI-loaded Pixel expertise — all for a similar $499 price ticket as final 12 months’s Pixel 8a.

Nevertheless, the

Pixel 9a
just isn’t excellent, and in case you are contemplating choosing one up, listed here are 5 the explanation why you may need 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The bezels make the Pixel 9a look outdated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, shifting away from the digicam visor model 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 lately, it’s uncommon to seek out an Android smartphone with out a big, wobbling digicam module. Nevertheless, flip the telephone round, and a few disappointment awaits.

Whereas Google upgraded the show expertise on the Pixel 9a, making the display tremendous vivid and simply seen open air, the telephone has giant 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 telephone from a decade in the past.

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

Associated

Dear smartphone makers, please stop with the bezel-less displays

Telephone makers appear so preoccupied with whether or not they can that they do not cease to suppose if they need to.

4

The older mobile modem is an actual letdown

You won’t get the perfect 5G expertise

Much like how the Pixel 8a featured the identical chipset as the remainder of the Pixel 8 sequence, 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 sequence. Nevertheless, one essential 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 assist, a characteristic that pricier Pixel 9 fashions get pleasure from.

In consequence, the Pixel 9a suffers from the identical points that plagued the Pixel 8 sequence: poor 5G speeds, unreliable indicators, and spotty connections. Having used the Pixel 9a for over two weeks now, I can affirm that the telephone struggles with weaker sign reception in comparison with different gadgets.

It isn’t instantly noticeable always, however contemplating that Google desires this telephone to final over seven years with software program updates, it’s disappointing that it’s already beginning with outdated community {hardware}.

Associated

The phone that no one bought: the Pixel 8a deserved better

Finances and mid-tier telephones ought to obtain far more consideration than they’re getting.

3

Gradual charging speeds are exhausting to miss

Massive battery, however sluggish charging is a letdown

The Google Pixel 9a ships with the biggest battery ever in a Pixel telephone at 5,100 mAh, even larger than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which has a barely smaller 5,060 mAh cell. Nevertheless, one factor Google forgot to correctly improve — or quite, solely half-upgraded — is the charging pace.

The Pixel 9a helps 23W USB-C wired charging, which is definitely 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 practically 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 the same battery dimension. Whereas the Pixel 9a delivers stable battery life due to its giant battery, the charging expertise positively is not nice and is one thing Google actually wants to enhance with the subsequent Pixel A-series mannequin.

Associated

The inconvenient truth about wireless charging

Simply give me the outdated plug and be accomplished with it.

2

No devoted telephoto lens makes the digicam really feel restricted

You may miss it should 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 digicam lens and an ultra-wide sensor. Over time, the corporate has upgraded each sensors, however I hoped the Pixel 9a would lastly deliver 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 concert events and sports activities occasions, the dearth of a devoted zoom lens is an actual letdown. Certain, the principle lens provides an optical 2x zoom, however a real telephoto lens would have made a giant distinction, particularly when different telephones on this section — just like the OnePlus 13R — supply it.

Associated

11 photography tips and tricks for better smartphone photos

The smartphone is now the go-to digicam – however how are you going to take the perfect smartphone pictures?

1

Different mid-range telephones simply supply extra

You will 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” gadgets. Nevertheless, that feeling has began to fade with the Pixel 9a. There are just too many compromises now, making the Pixel 9a’s flaws more durable to disregard. Fortunately, there are many alternate options in the identical worth section 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 12 months’s Galaxy S24 Extremely. The OnePlus 13R additionally provides a bigger battery than the Pixel 9a, a lot sooner 80W charging, and a improbable OLED show with slimmer bezels. On the entire, the OnePlus 13R looks like a greater deal for the value you’re paying.

OnePlus 13R

If you would like flagship-level energy with out a flagship worth, the OnePlus 13R is a stable selection. It contains a vivid 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 assist. 

The Pixel 9a nonetheless holds its floor nicely

That mentioned, the Pixel 9a continues to be top-of-the-line gadgets you will get for the value. When you worth quick Android updates with long-term assist, a clear Google expertise full of AI options like Add Me within the Digicam app, Circle to Search, and Name Notes, and a dependable digicam 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 provides spectacular high-end options like a 48-megapixel primary shooter, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide digicam 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.