The newest smartphone within the lower-cost A-series Pixel line exhibits what makes Google telephones so good, whereas undercutting the competitors on value. The downside is that it differs little from its predecessor, which is nonetheless on sale.
Priced from £499 (€549/$499/A$849), the Pixel 10a is extra like a second version of last year’s excellent Pixel 9a. The two telephones share the identical Tensor G4 chip, not the newer G5 in the remainder of the £799 and up Pixel 10 line; the identical reminiscence, storage and cameras; the identical dimension 6.3in OLED display screen, although the Pixel 10a reaches the next peak brightness making it barely simpler to learn outdoors.
The new cellphone feels properly made a minimum of, with aluminium sides, glass on the entrance and a high-quality plastic again. It has 2D face recognition and an optical fingerprint scanner underneath the display screen for unlocking the cellphone, which is quick but not fairly as dependable because the ultrasonic fingerprint readers on costlier telephones.
It additionally has emergency satellite tv for pc messaging, which is a uncommon function outdoors flagship smartphones, do you have to want rescuing in the midst of nowhere with no cellphone sign or wifi.
The Pixel feels snappy in operation regardless of the older chip but it received’t win any uncooked efficiency awards, though it handles most duties properly and is able to gaming, but not on the highest high quality settings. The battery lasts an excellent 52 or so hours per cost, together with actively utilizing the display screen for seven hours throughout a mixture of 5G and wifi. Most customers ought to solely have to cost it each different day.
One of the most effective options is the standard software program, the immediate updates and the lengthy help, which for the 10a extends to March 2033. But whereas the cellphone has the Gemini chatbot in its varied types, it lacks a number of the extra attention-grabbing on-device AI added to the remainder of the Pixel 10 line, together with Magic Cue and the superb Pixel Screenshots app, which is a disgrace.
Specifications
Screen: 6.3in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (422ppi)
Processor: Google Tensor G4
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128 or 256GB
Operating system: Android 16
Camera: 48MP + 13MP ultrawide, 13MP selfie
Connectivity: 5G, sim/esim, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 6 and GNSS
Water resistance: IP68 (1m for half-hour)
Dimensions: 153.9 x 73 x 9mm
Weight: 183g
Camera
The entrance and rear cameras on the Pixel 10a are the same as the 9a. That means it has a wonderful 48-megapixel foremost and excellent 13MP extremely broad digicam, each of which rival the numerous flagship telephones (which price much more).
Generally you may merely level and shoot to get an important photograph with out a lot effort. New for the 10a is the addition of auto greatest take, which robotically shoots a number of pictures of group pictures and blends them collectively to ensure everybody’s wanting on the digicam.
Camera coach, which makes use of the Gemini AI assistant to information you in taking a greater framed and composed photograph, is additionally there.
Overall the Pixel 10a has a best-in-class digicam but the dearth of a telephoto digicam holds it again from actually competing with pricier fashions.
Sustainability
Google says the battery should last about 1,000 full cost cycles with a minimum of 80% of its authentic capability. The cellphone is repairable by Google and third-party shops with real alternative elements accessible direct from iFixit.
It is made up of 36% recycled supplies together with aluminium, cobalt, copper, gold, plastic, rare-earth parts, tin and tungsten. The firm publishes an environmental impact report for the cellphone and can recycle old devices freed from cost.
Price
The Google Pixel 10a prices £499 (€549/$499/A$849).
For comparability, the Pixel 10 prices £799, the Pixel 9a prices £399, the Samsung Galaxy S25FE prices £649, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro prices £369 and the Apple iPhone 17e prices £599
Verdict
The Pixel 10a is an important mid-range Android cellphone with virtually all of the trimmings of flagship units but at two-thirds of the value.
It has an excellent display screen, lengthy battery life, snappy efficiency and a very good twin digicam on the again. It additionally has high quality software program with essential options reminiscent of Gemini and Circle to Search and 7 years of help, so it ought to go the gap.
A number of corners have been minimize for the value. The again is plastic, it lacks Qi2 magnetic attachment help, wifi7 and it is lacking the extra superior and helpful AI options from the common Pixel 10, together with Magic Cue.
But the largest downside is it differs little from its barely older predecessor. The Pixel 9a is nonetheless on sale for £100 much less and has the identical chip, specs, digicam and software program, and virtually the identical design, making it a much better purchase.
Pros: seven years of software program updates, class-leading digicam, nice display screen, respectable chip, lengthy battery life, recycled supplies, undercuts high-end telephones on value.
Cons: design and chips the identical as Pixel 9a, no optical zoom for digicam, uncooked efficiency in need of greatest, plastic again, no wifi 7, lack of superior native AI options.
