All the features I want to see

The Google Pixel 8a is easily one of the best budget phones on the market right now, thanks to an excellent camera, a capable SoC, and an overall package nearly as impressive as its flagship series. Of course, it’s not all perfect. For one, it exists in a weird position, as the Pixel 8 is now often on sale for roughly the same price as the company’s budget offering. There are a few other aspects I’d love to see improved with the next Pixel A series phone.

Below, I review some of the items on my wishlist for the Pixel 9a and the limited information I’ve heard about the device so far.

I realize that the more Google diversifies its lineup with new models, the more it not only confuses consumers but risks competing with itself. Still, I can’t help but crave the days when you could get a Pixel for just $399 and would love to see a cheaper Pixel A once more.

When it first arrived on the budget market, the Pixel 3a was a pretty significant game-changer, offering a near-flagship-level camera experience and performance that felt much more upscale than the pricing would suggest. There was also a bigger, slightly more expensive model dubbed the Pixel 3a XL. Just two years later, Google reduced the A series to just one model, though I argue the old approach was a better one.

Now, I’m not foolish enough to think we’ll see another Pixel A at just $399, but with Google’s recent expansion of the Pixel 9 line and early rumors that the Pixel 10 could add a Flip-like device to its numbers, the idea of two Pixel A models might not be that off-brand for Google at the moment. The rumored iPhone SE 4 is also looking to be a major change for Apple’s budget line, which might prompt Google to take a few risks, as both phones are likely to arrive in 2025.

It’s not like the Pixel A’s current strategy is working all that well. The Pixel 8a and Pixel 8 are perfect examples of how the current price and feature gap aren’t ideal. While the Pixel 8a is a great phone on paper, the reality is, from day one, you could almost always find the Pixel 8 for nearly the same price, despite the MSRP being $200 more. This is even more true now that the Pixel 8 isn’t the latest flagship. At the time I wrote this, the price difference online was only around $75, though sale prices can change quickly.

To be fair, Google has alleviated some of this issue by increasing the base Pixel by $100 with the new Pixel 9 family. The $300 difference ensures Google can offer sale pricing without shrinking the gap too much. Nonetheless, a Pixel 9a and Pixel 9a XL are certainly something that would get me excited about the Pixel A series again. As it currently stands, I often recommend friends and family wait for Google’s flagship to go on sale instead of picking up Google’s mid-ranger.

It’s hard to say what the ideal pricing would be here, as it really depends on the main differences between the two models. If Google wants to make it more affordable, shrinking the display down to around six inches might be a good start, as well as ditching a few extras like wireless charging. This would also give us a much-needed small Android phone option in 2025, hopefully priced somewhere closer to $450 or so. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a XL could follow a similar strategy to the Pixel 8a, offering a slightly larger display that slots between the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

If Google ever did switch to two models, I’d also recommend they move away from annual releases, instead launching sporadically when there are enough improvements to warrant the change.

As much as I’d love to see two models, there’s absolutely no evidence this is going to happen. Barring that, there are still a few small changes I’d like to see from the Pixel 9a, starting with battery life.

While its predecessor was an absolute mess regarding battery life, the Google Pixel 8a offered an improvement thanks to better power efficiency with the Tensor G3 SoC and a small 100mAh increase, bumping the battery up to 4,492mAh. While this was a welcome change, the Pixel 8a still just barely manages a full day with basic use. For someone who consumes a lot of media on their phone, that’s an even harder feat to pull off.

Budget phones and big batteries often go hand in hand, so I’d love to see Google upgrade the Pixel 9a to a 5,000mAh battery or something similar.

Faster charging speeds would be great too

While I think there’s room for battery life improvements, the issue wouldn’t be as bad if the Pixel 8a didn’t have subpar charging speeds as well. Stuck at 18W for wired charging and an even more sluggish 7.5W for wireless charging, the Pixel 8a takes a full 100 minutes to charge from zero to full when plugged in directly. Wireless charging performance is even worse.

You might excuse the Pixel 8a on account of its budget pricing, at least until you notice similarly priced devices like the OnePlus 12R have managed to do way better. The latter is capable of charging from empty to full in just 25 minutes.

Now, I don’t expect Google to match this, especially since the Pixel 9 charging speeds aren’t much higher than the Pixel 8a. Still, the Pixel 9 Pro XL did boost charging speeds up to 37W, so it’s not like Google couldn’t do better if it desired. At the very least, the Pixel 9a should offer 21W charging, such as what you’d get with the base Pixel 9. This wouldn’t be a major improvement, but it’s certainly better than nothing.

The Pixel 8a utilizes the same camera introduced with the Pixel 7a, which isn’t a bad shooter by any means. It also got even better with the Pixel 8a, thanks to software and SoC optimizations, including Audio Magic Eraser, Best Take, and more. The main camera still takes fairly decent shots, even in less-than-perfect lighting, but after several years of innovation, better sensors are available that would offer an even better experience.

I sincerely hope Google doesn’t recycle its camera technology for a third year, at least not unless the Pixel 9a debuts for less than the current Pixel A. While on the subject, I’d also love to see Google introduce some kind of telephoto option for zooming, especially if it does (miraculously) introduce a Pixel 9a XL to the mix. This is really one of the only sore spots when it comes to using a Pixel 8a as your main camera, after all.

The Google Pixel A series debuted in 2019, and while there have been rumors in the past that Google might slow down its release schedule and move away from annual launches eventually, I still think the Pixel 9a is inevitable and likely still coming next year. This is further backed by recent leaks.

While the silicon die inside the chip will be identical, the Pixel 9a will use a cheaper packaging material that is a bit thicker and hotter than the material used in the Pixel 9. It will also use the same modem found in the Tensor G3, which will save the company money but at the cost of heat efficiency and new features introduced with the Pixel 9, like Satellite SOS.

The changes to the plastic and modem likely mean the Pixel 9a will rely more heavily on performance throttling to prevent overheating. This, in turn, means a bit less performance from the Pixel 9a compared to the Pixel 9, though in day-to-day use, you hopefully won’t notice much of a gap.

When might we see the Pixel 9a released? Let’s start by taking a quick peak back at the Pixel A series release date trends over the last few years:

• Google Pixel 8a — May 15, 2024
• Google Pixel 7a — May 10, 2023
• Google Pixel 6a — July 28, 2022

Google has been releasing the Pixel A series in the summer for years, though it moved things to May in 2023 with the Pixel 7a. If Google intends to release another Pixel A model in 2025, odds are we’ll see it sometime in mid-May.

The Google Pixel 8a isn’t even half a year old, and we know very little about the Pixel 9a, so there’s no reason to wait. In fact, the Pixel 10a is likely to be a much bigger deal. After all, the Pixel 10 will mark the tenth year since the Pixel’s release, so it’s expected to bring significant upgrades. These include an improved SoC and other enhancements, which will eventually trickle down to the Pixel A series.

If you’re interested in a Pixel phone, we recommend either picking up the Pixel 8a ($499 at Amazon) or waiting for the best Pixel 8 sale price so you can get Google’s 2023 flagship for a great deal.

Not fully sold on a Pixel? The Galaxy S23 FE ($599.99 at Amazon) is a great choice if budget is important to you, though you may be able to find the Galaxy S24 ($859.99 at Amazon) at a discount, making Samsung’s latest flagship a tempting upgrade.