GooglePixel 9a with Gemini - Unlocked Android Smartphone with Incredible Camera and AI Photo Editing, All-Day Battery, and Powerful Security - Obsidian - 128 GBECOLOGOECOLOGO

After about a 10 month break with a Samsung Galaxy S24, I am back to the Pixel and happy with this 9a. I am a fan of "small" phones and this one is certainly about as large as I would like but it does have good ergonomics. My wife and I have used Pixel devices since the 3 but last fall I decided to try Samsung again and picked up a flagship S24. I really liked the size and that phone did have a very premium, sturdy feel but I like to use my phones without a case as much as possible and the Samsung was like holding a wet bar of soap. This Pixel 9a is not a lot better but it is certainly an improvement. I was really drawn to the S24 because of the range of customization and personalization with that UI which was really fun and cool but it loses its luster pretty quickly. I was also expecting a major performance increase but honestly, my S24 was pretty buggy and even sluggish at times and I am only a casual user (no gaming, multitasking, etc). But the thing that finally did it for me was the camera. The Pixel cameras are the main reason we stick with them. They just can't be beat. The S24 camera is OK for certain photography but when it comes to shooting people and pets, it was absolutely horrendous compared to Pixel. I have a young family and that is my main use of the camera, capturing family photos and videos. The pictures you get without ANY editing out of Pixel phones is jawdropping and has been that way for years. Another reason I left my Pixel 7a was the screen brightness and battery life. I could barely see my screen outside and the battery life was not great. So far, this 9a has completely solved that problem. This phone gets super bright outside once you turn off adaptive brightness, which is a setting I never use on any phone; I always rock max brightness and manually control it in dark situations. Adaptive brightness on this 9a keeps the screen VERY dim even outside in the sun for some reason so just turn it off, no big deal. The battery life so far is very impressive, we will see how that looks a year from now and I believe this is a glued in battery which means difficult to impossible battery replacement. Not a big deal for me because I usually just get a new phone every 2 or so years.It is strange but I really like the thicker screen bezels on this phone. My S24 had basically non-existent bezels and it made swiping from off the screen difficult and I would accidentally touch things on the screen constantly just holding my phone. I know people really hate on bezels but I am so glad they are here on this 9a!Another controversial part is the camera layout which I think LOOKS AMAZING!! I don't know if people are just sheep and fanboys about the "visor" on the 9 and 9 Pro but who wants a giant island sticking out of the back of their phone like that?!? I mean it looks OK and is necessary I am sure to fit all the fancier camera stuff, but this low profile back on the 9a looks AMAZING to me. And I can lay my phone down on my desk and it actually lays flat!What is not to like so far? The fingerprint sensor is definitely better than the one on my old 7a but NOWHERE CLOSE to the S24 I came from. Samsung's sensor works EVERY time even when my finger is very wet. Maybe it is actually too good and a security issue I don't know but the 9a's sensor is certainly not as good. It is much slower and just flat out won't recognize 4 or 5 times in a row and make me enter my PIN instead. I am not using a screen protector, my screen is perfectly clean as well as my thumb, I have readded my print multiple times getting as many different areas of it as possible and still, same results. I will say it is better than my old 7a which I literally had to deactivate and only use PIN it was so unreliable.My score:Display: 9 out of 10Battery: 10 out of 10 (so far)Customization: 6 out of 10Ergonomics: 9 out of 10Brightness: 10 out of 10Software: 9 out of 10Processor: 9 out of 10Fingerprint Sensor: 5 out of 10Features: 9 out of 10Value: 15 out of 10 - The fact that this phone costs $499 not on sale makes no sense at all. It is so close to the specs of the 9 and even the 9 Pro it is insane. I would bet if you put the 9a and the 9 Pro next to each other, most non phone-nerds would have difficulty figuring out which one was twice the price and why. This is the best value in smartphones 100%

I recently picked up the Google Pixel 9a, and I have to say, it's an absolutely fantastic phone! For someone like me who isn't a hardcore gamer and doesn't need every single cutting-edge spec, this phone is genuinely perfect. There's honestly no reason for me to even consider the more expensive Pixel 9.Solid Performance for Everyday Use:Right out of the box, this phone has been incredibly smooth and responsive. Browse the web, checking emails, using social media, streaming videos – everything just runs solid. I don't game on my phone, so I don't need those extra gigabytes of RAM that the Pixel 9 offers, and I haven't noticed any slowdowns whatsoever with the 9a. It handles daily tasks with absolute ease.Excellent Camera (as expected from a Pixel!):One of the main reasons I've always been drawn to Pixel phones is their camera, and the 9a certainly doesn't disappoint. The photos are consistently stunning, with great detail, vibrant colors, and impressive low-light performance. Whether I'm capturing everyday moments or trying to get that perfect shot, the Pixel 9a delivers.Unbeatable Value:This is where the Pixel 9a truly shines. You get the phenomenal Pixel experience – the clean Android interface, the smart AI features, and that amazing camera – all at a price point that makes it an incredible value. For what it offers, it's genuinely a great buy. If you're looking for a reliable, high-performing smartphone that won't cost an arm and a leg, and you're not chasing the absolute bleeding edge of specs for intense gaming, the Pixel 9a is definitely the phone to get.Highly recommended!

For five years I enjoyed my Pixel 4a, a compact 128 GB 4G phone. However, I recently destroyed it when I unintentionally took it for a swim in the ocean, so it was time for an upgrade. I first considered the 8a, but when I saw the low cost of Google’s newest phone, the absence of an annoying camera bar on the back, and the many rave reviews on YouTube, I was sold on the 9a. It delivers remarkable performance without most of the trade-offs that come with midrange phones. This isn’t a flagship, nor with only 8 GB of RAM is it intended for intensive gamers, but it does everything I need and does it well. And Google automatically reloaded every one of my apps, files, and settings from the cloud!The Pixel 9a checks all the boxes: an unlocked, modestly sized 5G device with a clean, simple design in four available colors. It includes the AI assistant Gemini and the newest Google apps and operating system (Android 15) with seven years of system and security updates, as well as the same fast Tensor G4 chipset and bright, sharp, smooth 120 Hz display featured on the model 9. The 9a is equipped with outstanding cameras and camera software and a best-in-class battery (even better than the 9 Pro) for extra-long life. The unit offers strong resistance to water, dust, and scratches, in addition to wireless charging and oodles of storage. All this at an unbeatable price! The 256 GB version I bought came with a $100 Amazon gift card, effectively reducing its price to $499, the same as the 128 GB model.I do have three caveats: the bezel on the screen seems unnecessarily thick, wireless charging is much slower than wired charging, and there is noticeable grain in low-light videos, but none of these are deal-breakers for me. And I must respond to a previous reviewer who also owned a 4a and claimed that the 9a is too big, that it’s design is unoriginal, and that it lacks a headphone jack and a behind-the-screen fingerprint reader. While not as small or light as my old Pixel, it’s only slightly larger and heavier (allowing for a bigger battery), and it fits my hand perfectly. As for the headphone jack and fingerprint reader, we’re in the third decade of the 20th century: wired headphones are history and on-screen fingerprint readers are standard. Finally, for many users like me, the minimalist design is a plus: less is more!