One feature thats notably missing is a camera zoom capability.
Google Pixel 9a
With affordable phones like this, who needs flagships?
The Pixel 9a is all the essentials packed into a friendlier price point.
The Pixel 9a in Iris. Is it purple or blue? My eyes can’t decide.© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Google says it was modeled after naturewater, specificallybut I will go ahead and say it looks like beans.
The camera bean houses a 48-MP primary camera with OIS.
Theres also a 13-MP ultra-wide camera for 120-degree wide-angle shots.
© Florence Ion / GizmodoThe Google Pixel 9a’s backside (top right) compared to the Pixel 9 Pro (front) and the Pixel 9 (far left).
That primary camera on the Pixel 9a is also capable of a little macro magic.
Details appear surprisingly clear up close, and I was pleased at how easy it was to lock in.
The Pixel 9a at 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Compare this to the iPhone 16e, which only has one primary camera sans any wide-angle capabilities.
A nighttime shot taken with the Pixel 9a (left) and the iPhone 16e (right).
Morning dawn taken with the Pixel 9a (left) and the iPhone 16e (right).
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Morning landscape taken with the Pixel 9a (left) and the iPhone 16e (right).
Those abilities are helpful!
Ive been using it for a few days on the Pixel 9a since I can access Gemini Advanced.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
It works well as long as Im not also shifting between apps.
Gemini and I had a conversation with the camera.
(Gemini thought it was aniPhone 14 Pro.)
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I havent talked about the Pixel 9as 6.3-inch Actua display yet, which has an impressive 120Hz refresh rate.
But this time around, the Pixel 9a beats it out on brightness.
The Pixel 9a promises up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Pixel 9as 5,000 mAh tends to wind down like the Pixel 9 Pro.
I keepPokemon Goopen at my desk to see what sprouts up.
Charging times for the Pixel 9a arent bad, though youre not getting fast charging speeds at this price.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The maximum wired charging ability for the Pixel 9a is 23W.
Also, while it works with Qi-compatible wireless chargers, its limited to 7.5W.
Those are the trade-offs for the comfortable price point!
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Satellite connectivity is a nice-to-have feature that starts at $300 more with the Pixel 9.
I paid more for the Pixel 9 Pro because I wanted all that zoom capability.
Google packaged the Pixel 9a with only what it considers the essential parts of its platform.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
That does mean Gemini and all the other AI Google is peddling as a part of the deal.
Apples doing it, too, with the iPhone 16e and Apple Intelligence.
This is where were at and what well be fielding as consumers.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The AI is the value-add, whether we consider it or not.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Meta Pissed Off Everyone With Poorly Redacted Docs
Meta is being very transparent on accident.
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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
© Florence Ion / GizmodoForget the Google Assistant. The Pixel 9a is about acclimating to Gemini.
© Florence Ion / GizmodoThe Pixel 9a ships with 8GB of RAM.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
