Why the time has come to put my SIM in the Pixel 9a

I’ve said this a million times if I’ve said it once: I’m no phone reviewer. My day job keeps me in the middle of every bit of news on the Google ecosystem, ChromeOS, Chromebooks and Android – but I don’t swap out phones very often these days. Instead, I’ve largely stuck with either Samsung or Google’s latest and gone about my business from there.

So, when a new Pixel comes out, we unbox it and talk about the things it brings to the table; but I don’t always do a full review. Let’s be honest about one thing, here: phones have become somewhat-boring commodities in the past 5 years. They are all just so good that it becomes tough for me to review them. And for a guy that doesn’t use many of them year over year, its even harder.

A full phone review is in the works

However, with the Pixel 9a, it feels like it is time to dive in on a full review. I’ve been largely using the Pixel 9 Pro XL since it launched and now that I’m fully engulfed back into the Pixel ecosystem for a few months now, it feels like the right time to take the newly-introduced Pixel 9a for a true spin. At $499, I just have to know if it really feels like I would be missing out on anything versus this device’s Pro siblings.

Since the software on Pixel phones tends to be the same from one device to the next, I don’t always feel compelled to get into the weeds on every device from a software perspective. And I likely won’t do that with the 9a, either; but I think there are some interesting hardware superlatives about the 9a that I’m very interested in testing completely.

The smooth, camera-bump-free backside is the first. I haven’t used a phone without a camera bump in years at this point, so I’m curious to see what that feels like for sure. And I’m fully expecting to be 100% happy with the camera’s performance, even though the hardware is definitely a step down from the Pixel 9 Pro XL I use on a daily basis.

With Google’s ability to leverage on-device smarts to make photos pop, I have little concern that the Pixel 9a will be anything less that awesome in the imaging department. I don’t ask too much from the cameras on my devices anyway, so I’m excited to drop the camera bump, maybe lose a tad bit of shooting flexibility, and gain a sleeker outer shell.

Second, I can’t wait to push the battery in real-world scenarios. With the phone being a bit thicker and the battery being the largest in the Pixel family, I’m expecting big things. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has amazing battery life that I’ve learned to completely trust to get me through even the most demanding of days. I’d wager the 9a will even outshine that.

Finally, I’m eager to see what the performance feels like on a $499 phone with a flagship SoC inside. The Tensor G4 has been really solid for me in the Pixel 9 Pro XL and it should stack up just as well on the Pixel 9a. Sure, there’s a bit less RAM involved, but the brute strength of the Tensor G4 should still shine through just fine.

As we speak, I’m loading up the 9a with my latest backup, getting the apps installed, and preparing to embark on the first A-series test I’ve tried in quite some time. My gut says it will go extremely well, but I won’t know until I’m on the other side. So, off we go, and a video review will be on the way soon!