Skip to train material
Image: Anyron Copeman / Foundry
In 2025, a smartphone is a shut to-important software for traipse. It’s what many of us rely on for boarding passes and bid tickets, now to no longer indicate intensive GPS navigation and taking tonnes of images whenever you advance.
These scenarios (and numerous more) teach a whole lot of demands to your cell phone, so that you just should a instrument that’s up to the duty. Factual before a outing to New York on the dwell of April, I reviewed Google’s Pixel 9a, a mid-fluctuate handset that in fact impressed me whereas mostly at residence.
Alternatively, roaming the streets of Ny modified into a diversified kettle of fish altogether. It would’ve made more sense to swap to the first fee Pixel 9 Educated XL, which I’d had a sure ride with on but another outing and used for a chubby three months, but I took the chance anyway.
And in most areas, the Pixel 9a didn’t let me down. For the length of my time in NYC, five honest correct benefits of the cell phone came to the fore. Alternatively, it additionally published a significant plan back that may perhaps perchance forestall me from recommending it for traipse.
A beautiful fabricate
When visiting a significant metropolis for the first time, I know I’ll be utilizing Google Maps in overall. That modified into no diversified in New York, where I relied on it to navigate from teach to teach, earn eating places and win an itinerary.
As that you just can perchance perchance also believe, that enthusiastic me spending a whole lot of time preserving the cell phone whereas on the avenue. After I wasn’t observing up on the dizzying New York skyline, I modified into observing my cell phone display, which is where the Pixel 9a’s light-weight, compact manufacture came into its have.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Even with a case utilized, the Pixel 9a modified into utterly elated to receive up all day long
At 186g, it’s a ways from the lightest cell phone obtainable – it’s no 162g Galaxy S25! However compared with the Pixel 9 Educated XL (221g) and Galaxy S25 Extremely (218g), it’s a wide step in the simply route as a ways as I’m enthusiastic. Even with a case utilized, the Pixel 9a modified into utterly elated to receive up all day long.
The compact fabricate additionally labored in its favour. The 6.3-lunge display modified into heaps wide ample to search the whole lot, but well-known more pocketable than wide handsets. Talking of the display…
The Pixel 9a is impressively light-weight and compact Chris Corridor / Foundry
What a expose
The Pixel 9a’s expose will seemingly be smaller than most flagships, but its quality is aloof up there with about a of the very easiest.
Its P-OLED display looks staunch as staunch as any typical OLED to me, making it staunch as wide for observing YouTube movies as browsing the safe or navigation. Whisper looks certain and crisp, whereas the short 120Hz refresh fee ensured that the whole lot remained silky-tender and fluid.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Alternatively, what impressed me most in New York modified into the brightness. The 949-nit maximum came into its have on Brooklyn Bridge and in Central Park, where the gleaming sunlight hours may perhaps perchance’ve affected visibility.
As but another, the Pixel 9a modified into easy to read and spend in each ambiance that I wished it – that you just can perchance perchance also’t always disclose that about a mid-fluctuate cell phone.
Heavyweight performance
Loads has been fabricated from Google’s decision to spend its have Tensor chipsets in Pixel telephones, with the most contemporary Tensor G4 scandalous to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite in most benchmark assessments.
Alternatively, as the Pixel 9 series confirmed, performance is aloof heaps sturdy ample for the overwhelming majority of of us. And absorb in ideas, the Pixel 9a is a mid-fluctuate cell phone – compared with equally-priced handsets, Google’s cell phone stacks up effectively.
I mediate my utilization in New York modified into rather weird and wonderful for a traveller – Google Maps, Chrome, WhatsApp, YouTube and taking hundreds of images. The performance of the Pixel 9a didn’t blow me away, on the other hand it didn’t let me down both. Crucially, there had been no slowdowns or bugs that stopped me in my tracks, even when multitasking.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Unless you intend on serious cell gaming or utilizing diversified excessive-intensity apps whereas you’re away, the Pixel 9a has the total performance you should.
Huge battery lifestyles, sooner or later!
Battery lifestyles has long been regarded as a weak point of Pixel A telephones.
Previously, the largest capacity we’d viewed modified into the Pixel 8a’s 4492mAh cell, which will closing a chubby day of life like utilization, but no longer well-known more.
The Pixel 9a has the finest battery lifestyles I’ve ever experienced on a Pixel cell phone
That simply wouldn’t slash it for a chubby, heavy-utilization day in New York, where I knew I’d be away from a charger for 12+ hours. So, I modified into cautiously optimistic for the wide beef up to a 5100mAh cell in the Pixel 9a, and it didn’t disappoint.
Even on those extremely traumatic days, where brightness modified into shut to maximum, GPS and cell data had been permanently on and hundreds of images had been being taken, the Pixel 9a aloof had fee to spare by bedtime.
The Pixel 9a has no jam lasting a chubby day, even with a whole lot of pictures Anyron Copeman / Foundry
I’d lunge as a ways as to lisp the Pixel 9a has the finest battery lifestyles I’ve ever experienced on a Pixel cell phone. Pondering about its compact fabricate and comparatively cheap value sign, Google has aced battery lifestyles.
23W charging is well-known more disappointing, but I aloof stumbled on it in a situation to win a chubby day’s battery in the time it took me to put collectively in the morning.
Killer pictures…
I’ve saved the finest ingredient in regards to the Pixel 9a to closing, and it doubtlessly won’t reach as a surprise: the cameras. And in explicit, the 48Mp major rear lens.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
On paper, it’s a little downgrade from diversified Pixel 9 telephones, but I doubt you’ll perceive (I no doubt didn’t). Photos are consistently vivid and effectively-uncovered, offering sturdy dynamic fluctuate and honest low-light skills.
As I talked about in my chubby overview, it’s a shut second to the Pixel 9 Educated XL in the case of point-and-shoot pictures. In diversified words, that you just can perchance perchance also commence the digicam app, hit the shutter button without changing any settings, and consistently win wide outcomes. Sight a preference in the gallery below.
While you’re asking strangers to plan shut images of you on the High of the Rock or in Central Park, that’s significant. It additionally highlights but another of the Pixel 9a’s strengths: sensible skin tones.
That’s additionally obvious on the 13Mp entrance-facing digicam. I took my gleaming allotment of selfies in New York, and to boot they close to always came out trying wide.
The 13Mp ultrawide is no longer rather as staunch, on the other hand it’s bigger than serviceable when taking pictures improbable views of the New York skyline. Now not like some telephones, there isn’t a wide fall-off in quality when switching from major to ultrawide.
…rather than in case you absorb to zoom
All three of the lenses on the Pixel 9a accomplish effectively, on the other hand it’s one Google has skipped over that I in actuality lunge over.
On the Pixel 9 Educated and 9 Educated XL, you win a 48Mp periscope telephoto lens which offers 5x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. That makes a wide inequity in case you’re a ways-off from the sphere you absorb to dangle, as modified into in overall the case in New York.
However when I modified into to the Pixel 9a, I needed to win pause with sub-par digital zoom. Google’s preset choices most effective lunge up to 2x, which is about as a ways as I felt utterly elated going. One thing extra, and the typical fast deteriorates, topping out at 10x.
A key instance of this modified into when taking the Staten Island Ferry, which passes by the Statue of Liberty on its traipse. I didn’t absorb time to lunge to Liberty Island itself, but aloof wanted a excessive-quality describe of the monument. With out a telephoto lens, that modified into most incessantly most no longer going.
The sundown shot below is candy, on the other hand it may perhaps perchance perchance perchance’ve been so severely better.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The ferry modified into one of many eventualities where I wished I had a telephoto lens in my pocket. I took over 1,000 images in the midst of my week in New York, but would absorb taken many more if I had real zoom capabilities.
Pondering about it’s such a classic half of the ride for me, I can’t counsel the Pixel 9a for traipse, especially whereas you happen to’re visiting a metropolis like New York.
All three of the lenses on the Pixel 9a accomplish effectively, on the other hand it’s one Google has skipped over that I in actuality lunge over
When you don’t ideas an even bigger, heavier cell phone, the Pixel 9 Educated XL is aloof my top advice. Alternatively, there are a whole lot of wide doable decisions in our guide to the finest telephones that you just can perchance perchance also buy which may perhaps perchance also simply fit your needs better.
Author: Anyron Copeman, Cell Editor, Tech Guide
Anyron is Cell Editor at Tech Guide, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial group of workers since 2019. In his unique role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and cell community protection on the positioning. A BA Journalism graduate, he has ride with a wide series of person tech products and providers, alongside side smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.