14 hours Ago
Google's had a heck of a six months — it released probably its most diverse and interesting smartphone lineup, the Pixel 9 series, in August, and now followed it up with an absolute knockout in the Pixel 9a. But I get ahead of myself. I made no bones about the fact that I absolutely adored the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which for the first time in what seems like forever, exudes a sense of confidence and purpose.
It knows what its job is, and it's damned good at it. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is similar — a book-style foldable smartphone that oozes style, class and, paradoxically, stunning subtlety. But ironically, the Pixel 9a — the most affordable Pixel 9 smartphone — somehow manages to elevate the experience despite using (or perhaps because it employs) inferior materials in its design and finish, or has fewer cameras, or less RAM.
Despite unique design traits, the flagship Pixel 9 series shares DNA with pretty much every camera-focused flagship smartphone — top-of-the-line design and finish, and camera modules that jut out by a few millimetres, making for a lopsided handling experience. The Pixel 9a, in that regard, feels like a breath of fresh air. It's is a pure no-frills, no-nonsense, get-the-jone-done type of smartphone — and I absolutely love it.
Design (Image: Vijay Anand/CNBC-TV18) From the dual camera camera setup that sits flush on the back — bye, bye camera bump — to the plastic material used for the back panel (more on this in a bit), to the brushed aluminium midframe, everything screams purpose-led design. Sure, it's slightly thicker at 8.9 mm compared to the 8.
5 mm thickness of both the Pixel 9 and its Pro siblings, and has slightly thicker bezels around the screen. But to me, personally, the bezels don't matter, and the added thickness is actually a good, nay, great thing: it allowed Google to pack a 5,100mAh battery into this device, making it the largest battery every in a Pixel — larger even than the battery in the eye-wateringly expensive 9 Pro Fold. The back has a subtle, textured finish which makes it seem like a sheet of paper — I lost count of the number of times I just ran my fingers over the back of the device, enjoying the slight rustling noise it makes, just like with paper.
Combine this with the soft feel of the sides and the lightness of the device (186 grams), the Pixel 9a feels great in the hand, comfortable to use, and delivers a flagship experience for ₹49,999 — much, much less expensive than the base Pixel 9. Also read: iQOO Neo 10R Review: A complete, affordable package The design is focused on durability first — the materials used are inferior, perhaps, but they are also sturdier; to use a cliché, they'll take a licking and keep on ticking. Performance Say what you will about Google's in-house Tensor G4 system-on-a-chip — that it's not as powerful or efficient as its Qualcomm or Apple counterparts — but how does it matter in your daily usage? It doesn't to me.
I just need the phone to be able to make phone calls, reply to emails/texts, and open my apps without having a meltdown, and the Pixel 9a does all that and more. I've never been much of a mobile gamer, but A ngry Birds works just fine. Don't judge me, the game is cathartic.
The phone is too compact to worry about multitasking, but given how good Gemini has become, and given that Google's software and hardware chops shine through every aspect of the phone, I was perfectly happy using the phone. Cameras There are many other phones that shoot better cameras than the Pixel 9a. Its dual-camera setup is perfectly serviceable — it takes excellent photos in good lighting conditions, and perhaps struggles a bit during low-light photography, but a review is nothing if not subjective, and in my opinion, the cameras do the job.
Battery life After the durability-focused design, the battery is another highlight. It easily outlasts my personal "natural titanium" iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is going slightly green with envy. This is perhaps one of the few times that I didn't bother charging a smartphone overnight after a day of regular use, which in my case involves checking/replying to emails, texts or Slack messages, answering several phone calls, perhaps some social media — a screen-intensive day.
And I would wait for it to hit 30% before plugging it in, which usually happened around the middle of the second day. Needless to say, I was impressed. In conclusion If you're buying the Pixel 9a, you want an all-rounder that can do everything its pricier siblings can — if not as nicely — for a fraction of the cost; you want a workhorse that looks good; and you want a device that will not let you down.
And the Pixel 9a is just that — it is compact, it feels great in the hand, the battery never quits on you, and it has perfectly adequate cameras. Now, do I think it's a shade overpriced? Yes. I wish it started around ₹45,000, but then again, 'expensive' is a subjective term.
If you want a phone that does everything well with the tradeoff being there's no single standout feature — apart from the design, which I'm obsessed with — then, look no further. Does the 'a' in 9a stand for ace? Also read: Samsung Galaxy A56 Review: You might not miss a flagship after this.
