2 min readGoogle's next affordable Pixel phone comes with big upgrades and won't cost you a cent more than its last.
Announced this week and due to land in Australia sometime next month, the new Google Pixel 9a touts an refreshed look with a slimmer camera bump in addition to the usual spec bump. On the outside, the device features a new design that's roughly in-line with the one debuted by last year's Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro.
Relative to last year's Pixel 8a, the Pixel 9a features a brighter 6.3-inch OLED display clocked at 120Hz, recycled aluminum edges and upgraded IP68 dust and water resistance. For many, the most notable change here is found on back though.
As opposed to its predecessors, Google's latest budget-friendly smartphone boasts a significantly smaller camera bump. Given the monolithic lens mounting systems that Google has brought to the market in recent years, that alone qualifies as a selling point. Within that housing, you're getting a 48MP main lens paired up with a 13MP ultrawide one. These come accompanied by support for many of the same AI-powered camera features found in the flagship Pixel phones, from Super Res Zoom to a new Macro Focus mode.
Under the hood, the Google Pixel 9a runs on the same Google Tensor G4 processor found in last year's Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Fold. It doesn't hurt that those who pick up the device can expect 7 years of Pixel Drops, OS updates and security patches, which is pretty much the gold standard for post-purchase software support in the Android ecosystem nowadays.
Unsurprisingly, Google is playing up the fact that the processor comes primed to take advantage of a bag full of AI-powered apps and features. The list here is long but likely to be familiar to anyone who has been keeping score. That said, there are a few omissions like the Screenshots app. Still, the fact that the Pixel 9a runs its version of AI-powered transcription locally isn't something you can say about all that many of the other phones playing in the mid-range market these days.
Interestingly though, it doesn't seem like Google's latest Pixel phone will have access to the same extended Gemini support seen in the Galaxy S25. For now, it sounds like multi-step and cross-app Gemini functionality may remain exclusive to Samsung.
When it launches locally, the Pixel 9a will be available in two storage variants (128GB and 256GB) and four colors (Iris, Peony, Porcelain and Obsidian). The base model will cost you the same $849 that last year's Pixel 8a did but the version of the Pixel 9a that comes with double the storage costs $50 more than its 2024 counterpart at $999.
In Australia, the Pixel 9a will be available in Australia via the Google website, selected retailers and major carriers from April.
