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Pixel 9a Review
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Jul 17, 2025
In this video, John delivers his full Google Pixel 9a review. Our resident budget and midrange phone fan takes you through all the important upgrades between the Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 8a, as well as how all the key ways Google’s entry-level smartphone compares to the infamous iPhone 16e. This review features photo comparisons and camera testing, as well as the proprietary Tom’s Guide battery test results and the problem with loading up value phones with premium AI features such as Gemini Advanced.
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0:00
If you've seen my videos here before, you know I'm a fan of budget, or maybe I should say more
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value-conscious phones. I'm willing to settle with some trade-offs just as long as it's closer
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to that $500 range, especially these days. This is why I'm in love with the Pixel 9a
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especially after I reviewed the iPhone 16e. I'll explain more in my review right now
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First things first, let's talk about the Pixel 9a price because it really does matter for a phone
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like this. For $499, Google is offering a seriously compelling package that has more value, in my
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opinion, over the $600 iPhone 16e. You get a flagship chipset, dual cameras for more utility
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and in my opinion, better AI features as well. And oh yeah, you have more colors to choose from
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like this peony one I'm using. I'll be talking about the design as a whole later on in this video
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as a reason I don't necessarily like the Pixel 9a. But if you're talking just about what you're
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getting for the price, there's a lot to like here. Another reason I've been liking the Pixel 9a is
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because of the display. Not only is it bigger than the Pixel 8a with a larger 6.3-inch actual display
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but it puts a lot of other phones in its category to shame when it comes to brightness. Our lab
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measured a peak brightness of 2,076 nits, which makes it much more visible outdoors when the sun's
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out. It's spring. Everyone is outside. You need a phone that you can actually see as you're out
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Best of all, it still looks fluid thanks to an adaptive 120Hz display refresh rate, unlike the iPhone 16e that's still stuck on 60Hz
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One caveat I noticed however while it technically has an OLED screen the 9A lacks the iridescence I see from other OLED panels like the one on the Pixel 9 meaning the colors don pop as much Still
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it's easily a much better screen than most other budget phones. The reason that we're even talking about the Pixel 9a in the first place is because
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it has the same Tensor G4 chip found on the Pixel 9 Pro. This is a big deal because it's
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a flagship caliber chip that can make a phone that's several hundred dollars less run very
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smoothly. Now, compared to the iPhone 16e, it's interesting because the results don't indicate
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that the Pixel 9a performs better than the iPhone 16e, but I've been using the 9a for a week
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and I haven't noticed any performance issues or hiccups whatsoever. I linked our benchmark scores
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in the description if you want to check those out. Also, the latest gen Tensor chip gives the Pixel 9a
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nearly the same set of AI features as you'll find in the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup. It's running
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stock Android out of the box, but the AI features really add more value here, which I'll go as far
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as they are better than Apple Intelligence features on the iPhone 16e. This includes AI-assisted photo
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and editing features such as Magic Editor, Auto Frame, Reimagine, Photo on Blur, and Pixel Studio
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which I can now generate images with people in them. Beyond that, you have Call Screen that leans
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on Google Assistant to take phone calls for you, Circle to Search to look up stuff on your phone
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without switching apps and Gemini Live. And oh yeah, did I mention you get seven years
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of software support? Let me say this about the camera. I prefer this over the iPhone 6 and E So to all of you who would say that I always pick iPhones in our camera comparison videos you can chill okay The 9a comes with a new 48 megapixel paired with a 13 megapixel ultrawide
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The main camera is down from last year's 64 megapixel one with the Pixel 8a, but don't be
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alarmed because this has a faster f1.7 aperture. I like this camera setup more than the iPhone 6e
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because of the ultrawide camera's wider coverage, which is perfect for the landscapes and group
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photos. The Pixel 9a has better selfie and low light performance too. iPhones still might have
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the edge when it comes to processing zoom, but the 9a can get much closer up for those macro shots
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On top of all this, 9a comes with the same AI-assisted photo features as the rest of the
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Pixel 9 series, like Admi that makes it a breeze to stitch in the photographer into the shot
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The last reason to buy the Pixel 9a before I get into reasons to skip is the battery life. It's a
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slightly larger phone. And as a result, Google gave it a larger 5100 mAh battery and paired with
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the power efficiencies of the Tensor G4, it easily cruises past the Pixel 8a and iPhone 16e at 13
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hours and 8 minutes on a single charge. That's a significant jump from the Pixel 8a, which topped
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out at 11 hours and 21 minutes. Let's go back to design. I kind of indicated this earlier, but I'm
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not totally sold on the Pixel 9a's design as a whole. Don't get me wrong, it's great that Google
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went after a flush camera design, but it sort of takes away from the pixel identity
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I'm used to getting with the camera bar. I'll say this about the design, it now has flat edges and rounded corners which many of you were quick to point out on our socials that it looks awfully like an iPhone I think that makes the Pixel 9a a bit boring but hey I guess that what phone cases are for
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The biggest difference between the Pixel 9a versus Pixel 9 Pro phones
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and probably my biggest disappointment with the 9a overall, is that you only get a month's worth of Gemini Advance with the purchase of your new phone
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Most people might not care as much, but I know how handy it is because of how it has deep research
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which can basically do research for you on certain topics using resources I ask from the web
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It's just the type of thing where you probably can't even learn all the ways to use Gemini
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Advance in only a month, and then all these awesome features get paywall. Then you'll have
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to pay $20 per month worth $240 per year, and I'd argue that it undermines the value proposition
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that's so key to a phone like this. So, all things considered, is the Google Pixel 9a the
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smart choice for your next smartphone? If you prioritize affordability, long battery life
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a bright display, and access to incredibly useful AI features, then absolutely
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It offers a compelling package that easily surpasses the Pixel 8a, but it's a much stronger challenger to the iPhone 16e
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But what do you guys think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and what phone you want me to review next
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Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed watching. I'm Jon Vee, and I'll see you in my next video
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