Google Pixel 9a 128GB Obsidian
Uses Three Mobile's Network
£14.99 a monthuntil April 2026then price rises every April in contract by £1.50£79.00 upfront cost
£459.76 total cost
100 GBof 5G data
24 month contract
Available from 2 retailers
Google Pixel 9a: everything you need to know
Google's latest budget phone, the Pixel 9a, is making an early debut this year with a £499 price tag—just in time to rival Apple's £599 iPhone 16e.
Launching on April 10 in the UK, the Pixel 9a trims costs by scaling back on features like cameras and RAM but keeps essentials like display size and processor. It even has AI capabilities. It also boasts a larger battery than its more expensive Pixel counterparts, making it a very strong contender in the affordable smartphone market.
Price
- 128GB: £499
- 256GB: £599
Camera
- 48MP main camera
- 13MP ultra-wide camera
- 13Mp selfie camera
Design
- 6.3-inch screen
- Google Tensor G4
- 5,100 mAh battery (30+ hour usage)
- Colours; Obsidian, Porcelain, Iris, Peony
Google Gemini
The Pixel A-series is the only smartphone line featuring Gemini Nano at a sub £500 price point. Gemini's built-in Pixel 9a AI assistant can help you with Google apps like Maps, Calendar, and YouTube, so multitasking is made easy.
Google Pixel 9a pros and cons
Pros
Great camera lineup
AI features included
Great performance
Competitively priced
Cons
Limited storage options
Large and heavy build
Google Pixel 9a specifications
- Dimensions: 154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm
- Weight: 185.9g
- OS: Android 15
- Display: 6.3-inch OLED, 120Hz
- Chipset: Google Tensor G4
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB / 256GB
- Battery: 5,100mAh
- Rear cameras: 48MP main, 13MP ultra-wide
- Front camera: 13MP
- Charging: 23W wired, 7.5W wireless
Google Pixel 9a pricing
The biggest selling point of the Pixel 9a is undoubtedly its price. Unlike the iPhone 16e, Google keeps its budget phone at £499 for the base model with 128GB of storage—the same starting cost as last year’s Pixel 8a. This keeps things affordable and undercuts Apple’s £599 iPhone 16e while matching the Samsung Galaxy A56. Google also offers a 256GB storage option, and the Pixel 9a comes in four colours: obsidian, porcelain, peony, and iris.
Preorders are available now. The phone officially launches on April 10 in the UK, followed by a wider European release on April 14. If you're looking to snag the best deal, you can compare offers from different providers on Uswitch to make sure you get the most value for your money. With all the upgrades packed into the Pixel 9a, its price makes it an even bigger deal than before—and there's plenty more to explore about what this phone has to offer.
Design and display
One of the most notable changes with the Pixel 9a is its new design. Since the Pixel 6a, Google has stuck with its signature camera bar on the back—but that’s now gone, replaced by a more understated, flush pill-shaped cutout.
While this shift makes the Pixel 9a look a bit less premium, it’s a nice window into the past of camera designs—something most modern phones have moved away from in favour of larger, more pronounced camera bumps.
Beyond that, the Pixel 9a adopts the flat edges and rounded corners of the current Pixel 9 lineup, keeping it in line with Google’s latest design. Elsewhere, the Pixel 9a even gets an upgrade in durability, with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance—an improvement over the Pixel 8a’s IP67.
The size difference between the Pixel 9a and the Pixel 8a is barely noticeable side by side—but the 9a does get a slight upgrade with a larger 6.3-inch display compared to the 6.1 on its predecessor.
Google claims its display is now 35% brighter, reaching a peak brightness of 2,700 nits. The Pixel 9a also features a 60-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, making scrolling feel smooth and responsive.
Camera
Beyond the redesigned camera housing, Google has made some notable changes to the Pixel 9a’s camera system. The previous 64MP main sensor from the Pixel 8a has been swapped for a 48MP main camera—but that isn’t as big a downgrade as it first seems. It comes with a new sensor that features a wider f/1.7 aperture (compared to the Pixel 8a’s f/1.89), which should result in sharper, more detailed photos, especially in low-light conditions. The main camera is paired with a 13MP ultrawide lens, giving the Pixel 9a a clear improvement over the single-lens iPhone 16e and a slight improvement on the 12MP ultrawide lens on the Samsung Galaxy A56.
Google has also introduced new camera features this year, including a macro focus mode that uses AI to improve close-up shots. For the first time in the A-series, the Pixel 9a has full access to Night Sight, now with an astrophotography mode that can create short time-lapse videos, just like on the Pixel 9 series Another welcome addition is Add Me, which uses AR guides and image stitching to insert the photographer into the shot. This feature joins the lineup of Google AI-powered tools, including Audio Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Best Take, and more.
AI features
Powered by the Tensor G4 chip, the Pixel 9a delivers the same set of Google AI features found in the rest of the Pixel 9 series. Given its lower price, it’s great to see that the Pixel 9a experience isn’t a watered-down version of Google’s flagship phones.
Running Android 15 out of the box, the Pixel 9a comes equipped with AI-powered photo and editing tools like Magic Editor, Auto Frame, Reimagine, Photo Unblur, and Pixel Studio. The latter now allows users to generate images featuring people, thanks to the latest Pixel Drop update.
On the productivity side, Google’s AI-driven features like Call Screen (which lets Google Assistant handle calls), Circle to Search (for in-app searches), and Gemini Live all make their way to the 9a.
Speaking of Gemini, the latest update introduces Gemini Live Video, enabling users to interact with Gemini using the phone’s camera. However, this feature is limited to Gemini Advanced subscribers. Unlike the Pixel 9 Pro, which includes a year of Gemini Advanced, the Pixel 9a only offers a one-month trial.
In another positive move, the Pixel 9a is guaranteed seven years of software support, just like the main Pixel lineup—making it a solid long-term investment.
Battery
With its larger 6.3-inch display, the Pixel 9a also gets a bigger 5,100 mAh battery—a promising upgrade that, combined with the power efficiency of the Tensor G4, could result in noticeably longer battery life.
Charging speeds also get a boost, with wired charging increasing to 23W, up from the Pixel 8A’s 18W. However, wireless charging remains capped at 7.5W, which is on the slower side compared to some competitors.
Written by Archie Burkinshaw, Content Editor
Updated on 3 April 2025