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Apple released its 'budget' phone, the £599 iPhone 16e, back in February 2025 after months of feverish anticipation.
But not to be outdone, rival tech giant Google has released its own handset at an 'unbeatable' price.
At first release, the the Pixel 9a was £499, £100 cheaper than Apple's equivalent however in 2026, you can pick it up for £399, while the new Pixel 10a will once again cost £499.
The Pixel 9a is also described as a more accessible alternative to the firm's flagship Pixel 9 (£799), which was released last year.
It has a 6.3-inch display, two rear cameras and more than 30 hours of battery life on a single charge.
It's packed with 'helpful' AI tools such as Gemini - Google's chatbot which was built to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT, now on Apple phones.
It comes in four colours and has a 'sleek design' made with recycled materials, including aluminium, glass and plastic.
Google kindly sent the Daily Mail's Assistant Science and Technology Editor, Jonathan Chadwick, the device to test last year but in 2026, is it still worth it?
Google Pixel 9a
Google Pixel 9a
★★★★★
Product Specs
- Operating system Android 15
- Battery life 30+ hours
- Display size 6.3-inch
- Colourways Pink, purple, white and black
- Camera 48MP main, 13MP ultrawide and 13MP selfie
- Chip Google Tensor G4
What we love
Our verdict
It's difficult to think what Google could have done better with Pixel 9a, which packs pretty much everything you'd want from a budget device into a neat package.
Although I'm cautious about AI generally, Pixel 9a has some fun and engaging generative tools that give Apple Intelligence a run for its money.
Pixel 9a's mighty battery delays the most tedious part of owning a smartphone (charging it), it uses recycled materials, it has a top AI chip, plus the whole phone looks fabulous.
But it also makes me feel like we're entering an era where we don't have to pay the best part of a grand for a really good smartphone.
Of course, £499 is a lot of money, but it's economical in comparison with Apple's iPhone 16 and Samsung's Galaxy S25 (both starting from £799), although it's not quite as cheap as the Phone 3a Pro from British firm Nothing, which is £449.
Whether you're an Samsung lover or an iPhone diehard, Pixel 9a makes a good case to make the switch to Google phones - budget or otherwise.
Google Pixel 10a
Pre-order now for 5 March delivery.
£499 Shop
How we test smartphones
When testing tech products like smartphones, we try them across multiple real-world settings, including the office, our homes and out and about.
We evaluate the devices based on the quality of their hardware and software, testing everything from the camera to the battery life, design, and display.
MailOnline tests out the new handset, described as a more accessible alternative to Google's flagship Pixel 9 (£799)
Each smartphone goes through several days of hands-on testing allowing us to provide an in-depth review to help consumers make informed decisions.
Google Pixel 9a review
Appearance
The Pixel 9a is available in four colours - pink, purple, white and black, or if you speak Google's language, 'peony', 'iris', 'porcelain' and 'obsidian'.
I inadvertently opt for peony, which is a striking pink - enough to make me look like the Daily Mail's biggest Barbie fan.
To cut the cost, Google has used plastic instead of glass for the back of Pixel 9a (but life in plastic is, as they say, fantastic).
However, so as not to make it look too chintzy, there’s pink recycled aluminium going around the frame.
Display
It has a nice crisp, 6.3-inch display with 2,424 by 1,080 pixels (that’s the tiny, light-emitting dots in the screen), which is the same as the more expensive Pixel 9.
It also has the brightest display on an A-series ever - 35 per cent brighter than Pixel 8a released a year ago.
Noticeably, Pixel 9a has a pretty thick bezel - the space going around the edge of the display - and a front-facing punch hole camera for selfies.
I’m switching from a Samsung Galaxy phone, which means it takes me a good few hours to get used to the Pixel’s different gesture-based navigation system (with no controllable icons at the bottom).
But this adds an extra little bit of space to the display - although not being able to move the Google search bar from the bottom to the top is annoying.
Cameras
Noticeably, the biggest change compared with the Pixel 9 which was released August 2024 - is the absence of the distinctive rectangular camera bar on the back.
Instead, Pixel 9a has a glass pill-shaped camera module that is almost flat - which is great because it sits flush with whatever surface I’m resting it on.
Removal of the camera bar is reportedly to give Pixel 9a its own distinctive 'minimalist design' but it may also be related to cutting costs.
Regardless, it houses a dual rear camera system - a 48MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide camera - as well as the 13MP selfie camera on the front.
The sharpness and colour accuracy of my photos are seriously good even in low light - surprising from such a (relatively) cheap handset - but for me the best thing about the camera experience is the AI software.
AI tools
The Pixel 9a has the same AI chip as the Pixel 9, Google Tensor 4, which means it's equipped for Google's AI photo editing tools such as Magic Eraser and Magic Editor.
I'm generally not a fan of Google's AI-powered image-editing - I think it undermines photography as a concept and can contribute to misinformation online.
However, Magic Editor - which makes more drastic changes to photos compared with Magic Eraser - is undeniably powerful technology.
Magic Eraser and Magic Editor
Magic Eraser and Magic Editor are two of Google's image-editing tools but they are slightly different.
- Magic Eraser works best for quick fixes on smaller portions of a photo, removing unwanted objects or distractions.
- Magic Editor is a more comprehensive tool that makes more complex edits using generative AI to reimagine photos; allowing you to move, resize, erase and even change appearance of objects and backgrounds.
Battery
By far my favourite thing about the Pixel 9a is the beefy battery - 5,100 milliampere-hour (mAh) which is an above-average amount of electrical capacity.
This means it has more than 30 hours of running time with normal use, meaning I can go three days without having to plug it in.
For someone who's switching from an old Samsung which quickly bled power just from being on, this is a massive novelty.
Like any other lithium ion smartphone battery, Pixel 9a's battery will degrade over time; although Google is introducing a software feature that should prolong its overall lifespan.
Known as 'battery health assistance', it will adjust the battery's maximum voltage in stages to 'manage battery performance to help maintain battery health'.
This will result in 'small decreases in your battery's runtime as your battery ages' as well as a 'slight change in battery charging performance'.
How does it compare to similar products?
Compared with close rivals, the Pixel 9a holds its own exceptionally well in the mid-range space. Against its predecessor the Pixel 8a, the 9a boasts a bigger, brighter 6.3-inch display, longer battery life and slightly improved performance, making it the better all-round phone for most people.
Against the older Pixel 8 flagship, specs tests suggest the 8 might still beat the 9a on performance but the 9a has a brighter screen and larger battery. Both score similarly overall in comparisons online.
How does it rate online?
The Pixel 9a is generally well reviewed online. Most customer reviews give the phone 4+ out of five, with many 5/5 scores for performance, battery and ease of use - with lots of people calling it one of the best phones at the price.
Why trust us
Jonathan Chadwick is the Assistant Science and Technology Editor at MailOnline and has been testing products and writing reviews for a decade. He studied at the universities of Reading and Sydney before completing his journalism training in Brighton. He's previously written for Laboratory News, Tech Monitor and ZDNet.
FAQs
Should I buy the Pixel 10a or 9a?
If you already own the Pixel 9a there's probably no must-have reason to switch. The Pixel 10a keeps the same Tensor G4 heart and camera setup but adds tougher glass, a brighter screen, faster charging and satellite SOS.
For first-time buyers or people chasing the newest features, the 10a might worth the upgrade. If you're looking for the cheapest option though, the Pixel 9a is still worth it.
Are Pixel or Samsung phones better?
It depends on what you want. Pixel phones are easy to use, have decent battery life, long-term updates and are great for everyday photos and touch ups thanks to Google's AI camera features.
Samsung phones offer a wider variety of choice when it comes to size, specs and features but often the camera quality is lacking compared to Pixel phones.