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The Pixel 9a could be the best Android phone you can get for $499
Software
Reviewers Liked
- Powerful performance
- Impressive battery life
- Amazing value
- Excellent cameras
- Improved IP68 rating
- Useful Google AI
- Seven-year software support commitment
Reviewers Didn’t Like
- Lacks mmWave 5G
- No reverse wireless charging
- Bezels could be smaller
- No charger in the box
- Some rivals have telephoto cameras
- No Pixel Screenshot app
- Boring design
Competitors and Related Products
Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets.
77
Apple iPhone 16e
80
Samsung Galaxy S25
84
Google Pixel 9
83
OnePlus 13R
81
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
84
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Expert reviews and ratings
90
The Pixel 9a is a great phone that does nearly everything right. It offers a great design, now distinct from the flagship Pixel 9 collection, with improvements to an already solid camera offering, boosted performance and the longest battery life of any Pixel I’ve used to date. The thick bezels make an otherwise solid 6.3-inch OLED display look aged, however.
By TrustedReviews
on
90
The Google Pixel 9a delivers flagship-level performance, terrific camera quality, and long-term software support, making it the best midrange Android phone you can buy.
By PCMag
on
90
Google’s Pixel 9a is its latest mid-range phone that updates last year’s Pixel 8a with a larger screen, a better Tensor processor, a bigger battery and faster charging.
By Hot Hardware
on
100
If you already have a Pixel 8a, it’s not worth upgrading, but for anyone else the Google Pixel 9a is the best mid-range phone around. If you have around $500 to spend this is the smartphone to splash it on.
By ExpertReviews
on
90
Even if you don’t use many of the smart features in Google’s Pixel phones, the Pixel 9a delivers a well-rounded smartphone experience that’s hard to find elsewhere at its $499 price (though Nothing’s Phone (3a) Pro comes close). Once you take advantage of Google’s AI prowess, there are quite a few enriching features that are helpful day to day, like the long-standing Now Playing function that offers up the name of the song playing in your surroundings before you even think to ask.
By Wired
on
91
Between having the biggest battery on any Pixel yet, a simple but solid build, a nice screen and support for nearly all of Google’s AI features, the $499 Pixel 9a might be the best value of any Android phone out right now.
By Engadget
on
80
At its best, the Pixel 9A feels like an absolute steal. At its worst, it feels like, well, a $500 phone. Maybe the distance between $499 and $799 — the Pixel 9’s going rate — isn’t much if you’re paying for it in installments, but it’s a sizable difference if you’re paying out of pocket.
By The Verge
on
88
At the end of the day, the best budget phones are a balance of features, price and smart compromises. While the Pixel 9A is far from perfect, it does the majority of tasks that I value. And when I view the Pixel 9A through the lens of the world’s recent economic turmoil, that value is what makes it stand out for me. If you’re looking for a phone for $500 or less, I don’t think you’ll find a better one than the Pixel 9A.
By cnet
on
80
With affordable phones like this, who needs flagships? The Pixel 9a is all the essentials packed into a friendlier price point.
By Gizmodo
on
90
Google gave the Pixel 9a a new identity. No, not by replacing the camera bar with a Pixel Watch-esque teardrop; I mean the best battery life on any Pixel phone across nine generations, paired with strong Tensor performance, a great display, and a nice array of AI tools. It costs $300 less than the Pixel 9, but you’ll barely notice the differences between them.
By AndroidCentral
on