00:05A series Pixel phones have long punched well above their weight and the latest entry in the
00:08lineup aims to be the best value Pixel phone yet. The Pixel 10a is objectively the cheapest Pixel
00:13in the new lineup but it takes on the standard Pixel 10 and yes even the Pixel 10 Pro in
00:17some
00:17areas. So in this video we'll be running through the best and worst parts of the Google Pixel 10a
00:21to help you decide whether it's the right Android phone for your needs. And as always you can find
00:25links to the best Pixel 10a deals in the description box below.
00:31Yes the Pixel 10a is all about value but that doesn't mean it's a bad looking phone and in
00:35fact it looks every bit as modern as its flagship siblings. In terms of its size and shape the 10a
00:39is almost identical to the 9.8 with smooth metal rails, a matte finish throughout and an all plastic
00:43rear panel that sounds cheap but actually still manages to feel pretty premium. The dual camera
00:47system sits in the top left corner alongside an LED flash and there's also a big G Google logo
00:51centered in the middle just in case you forget what phone you're using. One really nice thing
00:55about the Pixel 10a is its complete lack of a rear camera bump which might look weird to some but
00:58it's honestly quite refreshing to see a phone that can sit flat on a table without rocking side to
01:02side. I'd actually go as far as to say that this flush camera module is a USP of the Pixel
01:0610a since
01:06you rarely if ever see other phones with completely flat rear panels in this day and age. So that's
01:11the good stuff but one big design frustration with the Pixel 10a is its lack of Pixel Snap compatibility.
01:15The phone does support 10 watt wireless charging but there are no built-in magnets to speak of here
01:19so you won't be able to use any Pixel Snap or MagSafe charging accessories when using the phone on the
01:23go.
01:24This is a bit of an odd decision on Google's part especially as magnets seem like an obvious
01:27upgrade to make versus the Pixel 9a and it's doubly frustrating when you consider that Apple's
01:31iPhone 17e now supports MagSafe 2. Still Pixel Snap aside the Pixel 10a is a grey looking phone that
01:37comes in some nice colours and feels physically unique among handsets in this price range.
01:44Just like the Pixel 10 and Pixel 9a the Pixel 10a features a 6.3 inch actual display that really
01:49is
01:49a joy to use. The panel here is a P-OLED with a super sharp resolution and excellent pixel density
01:54so apart from some pretty chunky display bezels you're not made to feel like you're using a
01:57quote-unquote affordable phone display here. Colours are punchy and vibrant, the contrast is great
02:01and darker tones look suitably deep. There's also no ugly notch to deal with with the phone's 13
02:06megapixel selfie camera positioned in a subtle hole punch cutout. Google says the Pixel 10a has a peak
02:10brightness of 3,000 nits but in our lab testing we managed to record just shy of 1,900 nits.
02:15To be honest
02:16that's not a bad brightness figure and we didn't have an issue with the Pixel 10 in bright sunlight
02:19outdoors but the potential disparity between the quoted and real life figure is something to bear
02:23in mind. Unlike the iPhone 17e the Pixel 10a features a 120 hertz refresh rate which makes
02:28it feel super responsive when scrolling, streaming or playing games. Weirdly though this isn't enabled
02:32by default so you'll need to head to settings to turn on the max refresh rate. The phone will warn
02:36you that 120 hertz drains the battery faster than 60 hertz but it's absolutely worth doing for that
02:40improved scrolling experience. There's still an optical fingerprint sensor built into the screen and while
02:45it's not as fast as the ultrasonic sensors you'll find in some higher quality phones it still felt
02:49quick and responsive during our testing. To help protect against scratches and drops the Pixel 10a
02:53screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i which marks an upgrade from the Gorilla Glass 3 used
02:57on the 9a. We haven't noticed any scratches on our unit so far and its new IP68 durability rating gets
03:02you some nice resistance against water and dust too. True to every Google Pixel phone before it the Pixel 10a
03:10delivers a clean Android experience with plenty of Google customizations. Out of the box Android 16
03:15looks pretty familiar. You'll see Google's own suite of apps preloaded along with the classic weather
03:19widget and Gemini. Google's AI suite is of course well integrated here but that's not necessarily new
03:24as it was the same experience as you'll get with the Pixel 9a. For me the best features in Google's
03:28AI
03:28lineup have to do with phone calls whether that's call screen for automatically screening unknown
03:31callers or hold for me which lets Google Assistant wait in a queue so you don't have to. These are
03:36all
03:36seriously helpful tools and although they're not unique to the Pixel 10a they do make the 10a feel
03:40like a software powerhouse which can't be said for most other affordable phones. One new feature for
03:44the 10a specifically is Camera Coach which debuted on the 10 and 10 Pro as an AI assisted tool for
03:49improving your photography skills. It's not a reason alone to buy the 10a but it's nice to see Google
03:52offering relative software parity across its Pixel range. As for longevity you'll get seven years of
03:57software and security updates with the Pixel 10a which is pretty much best in class. So if the hardware
04:01holds up you won't need to replace this phone for the best part of a decade. The Pixel 10a's camera
04:08setup is entirely unchanged versus the previous generation. That sounds disappointing but the
04:12Pixel 9a's 48 megapixel wide and 13 megapixel ultrawide lenses were really really good and they
04:17are again on this year's model. Both cameras capture sharp colorful shots with plenty of detail and what
04:21they really give you is flexibility. The main lens is excellent for everyday scenarios whether that's
04:26snapping a quick photo of your dog, capturing a meal or taking a portrait with a friend. The ultrawide lets
04:30you pull back and fit a lot more into the frame which is great for landscape, group photos or
04:34architecture. Portrait mode also remains a strong feature of the Pixel 10a. Google's image processing
04:38does a great job of separating the subject from the background, delivering more natural looking
04:41blur and strong edge detection around hair and clothing. Other camera modes like night sight also
04:46perform exceptionally well, producing bright images with plenty of dynamic range. When the Pixel 10a
04:51falls a bit short is in its zoom capabilities. Without a dedicated telephoto lens you're relying on
04:55digital zoom once you move past the standard 1x view. And while Google's processing does a decent job at
05:00keeping images usable at modest zoom levels, details start to soften the further you push it.
05:04There's also no real camera improvement over the Pixel 9a here. Save for the addition of camera
05:07coach, both phones produce similar looking images through the same hardware. So if you're already
05:11using the 9a, the cameras on the Pixel 10a are definitely not a reason to upgrade. But if you're
05:15coming from another phone with weaker lenses then you'll be pleasantly surprised by what the Pixel 10a can do.
05:22Here's another weird oddity with the Pixel 10a. It uses exactly the same chipset as the Pixel 9a.
05:27Now that's weird because A-series Pixel phones typically get Google's latest processor, offering
05:31strong performance for a much lower price. But only Google knows why the 10a didn't get the
05:34Tensor G5 like the Pixel 10 or the Pixel 10 Pro this year. Instead it runs on last year's Tensor
05:39G4,
05:40which is perfectly fine for everyday tasks like streaming and scrolling, but it struggles in more
05:44power intensive situations. AI processes like image editing or summarization take a bit longer here,
05:49especially if they're handled on device. And the same goes for video exports or more intensive photo edits.
05:53But this shouldn't be a deal breaker if you're not planning on using your phone like you would a
05:56flagship. We've been able to perform nearly all daily tasks on the 10a with ease and you won't
06:01have any trouble scrolling through TikTok, responding to emails, using WhatsApp or enjoying some light
06:05mobile gaming. Opening apps feels pretty close to instantaneous and overall the Pixel 10a offers
06:09good performance for the money.
06:13Now as we've already mentioned, Google's excellent Pixel snap charging technology isn't supported on the
06:1810a, but you can still charge the phone at up to 10 watts wirelessly and up to 30 watts via
06:22USB-C,
06:23which is a nice improvement on the Pixel 9a. We managed to get close to 60% in about 30
06:27minutes
06:27using a cable, which is pretty good going for a so-called affordable phone. Mind you, with a 5,100
06:32milliamp battery inside, you probably won't find yourself reaching for a charger all that often.
06:36We easily made it through a full day of replying, photo taking and light gaming with the Pixel 10a,
06:40and in our lab tests, the phone lasted for 15 hours and 16 minutes. That's more than two hours
06:44longer than the Pixel 9a in the same test. Considering it uses the same chipset and battery
06:48capacity as the previous model, that likely means Google has made some other improvements
06:51or efficiencies on the software side. Lastly, like the iPhone 17e, Google's Pixel 10a now
06:56supports satellite SOS, which basically means you can contact help even if you're without mobile
07:00service. It works in almost exactly the same way as Apple's emergency SOS via satellite feature,
07:05and while you'll hopefully never need to use it, it's a really nice feature to have.
07:11Overall then, the Pixel 10a doesn't bring many upgrades over the Pixel 9a, but it still delivers
07:15where it matters most. You get a unique and comfortable design, strong battery life,
07:19a bright display and a dependable, versatile camera system. Not to mention some of the best
07:22software you'll find on any phone at any price. So, if you're looking for an affordable Android phone
07:27that balances performance, AI features and everyday usability, the Pixel 10a remains one of the best
07:31options in its class.
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