Design and construction
Google doesn't like boredom. The American manufacturer showed this on the occasion of previous generations of Pixel smartphones. It is no different in the case of model 9A. The biggest distinguishing feature here are the plastic flat and matte backs with the “pastel” island of cameras almost embedded in them. Although some reviewers criticize this visual detail, in my opinion it has its charm. The device frame is made of aluminum and the display is covered with glass Gorilla Glass 3. However, the visual effect is spoiled by a bit too thick edges around the screen.
Dimensions of pixel 9a to 154.7 × 73.3 × 8.9 mm, and his weight is 186 grams. So here we are dealing with a rather compact device. On the right edge of the housing you will find a smartphone waking/sleeping button and a volume control button. A port was placed on the bottom edge USB-Ccard tray Nano-SIM and speaker grille. Pixel 9A is equipped with two stereo speakers that sound decent.
Display and biometry
Google Pixel 9A has 6.3-inch P-OLED screen with resolution 2424 × 1080 pixels (422 ppi) with 120 Hz refreshment. For organic display Befinding, we are dealing with excellent contrast and almost infinite black. The brightness of the panel in HBM mode is 1700 rivetswhich – for a medium shelf – is a very good result. Google also boasts maximum brightness at the level 2700 rivetsbut – as synthetic tests show – this value in practice is unattainable.
Although Pixel 9A has opticalnot ultrasonic (as in more expensive models) fingerprint readerHowever, it is difficult to have any reservations about him – it works quickly and precisely. The system responsible for facial recognition is a bit worse – especially when we try to unlock the phone in worse lighting.
Specification and performance
The heart of the device is made in 4-nanometer technological process Tensor G4 system (8 cores: 1 × Cortex-X4 + 3 × Cortex-A720 + 4 × Cortex-A520), i.e. The new generation of Google's proprietary processor. This is practically the same CPU that drives Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. With one small difference. The manufacturer used the older Exynos 5300 modem here, which translates into a lack of satellite communication.
In the Antutu Benchmark 10 Tixel Tixel 9a test won 1 218 048 pointsi.e. more than Pixel 9 (1 176 496 points). And this despite the fact that the tested model has less RAM (8 GB vs 12 GB). In turn, in Geekbench 6 9A he turned 1,707 points in one core test and 4,414 points In the test of many cores (in Pixel 9 it was 1736 and 4267 points, respectively).
So here we are dealing with an efficient smartphone that can easily cope with Android support version 15. System animations are very smooth, and games and applications work without any trimming (no bloatware certainly helps in this). Even more demanding titles, such as Genshin Impact, are not a bigger challenge for this device.
In my review of Pixel 9, I noticed that this smartphone has serious problems with Throttling (temporary reduction of performance under the influence of high CPU temperature). I do not know if it is a matter of changes in the design of the device, but with similar dimensions Pixel 9A significantly He's better coping with heat dissipation. With a high load of the Throttling processor, it still happens, but on a much smaller scale than in the case of its predecessor – and this fact can also be explained by better results in the benchmarks, despite the smaller amount of memory.
Pixel 9A offers all necessary communication modules. We find here a 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC modem. Of course, a nice addition would be support for the newer Wi-Fi 7 standard. However, taking into account that we are dealing here with a medium-end smartphone, it is difficult to have a claim to the manufacturer.
AI system and functions
What distinguishes Google smartphones against the background of rivals is undoubtedly the “pure” version of the system Android. We will not find here “heavy” system overlays and bloatware served by other manufacturers. Pixel 9 is simply Android 15 in its simplest, and thus also the most efficient character.
And to this should also be added priority in obtaining new versions of Android. What's more, in the case of all models from the Pixel 9 series, we can count on very long, because of the 7 years of technical support period.
The most important software novelty is the full integration of Gemini's artificial intelligence with Android. In the new Pixels, the former Google assistant was almost entirely replaced by Gemini And. Artificial intelligence He can “attach” to various Google applications – e.g. maps, Gmail or YouTube – and search for information yourself or perform specific tasks.
APPARATUS
Pixel 9A has the following set of cameras:
- Main: 48 MP (PDAF, OIS);
- ultra -corner: 13 MP (120 °);
While other producerand flood the market with smartphones with three or even four lenses, And they constantly conquer the matrix resolution, Google puts on “only” two stitches. On paper, such a configuration does not do so, but the devil is in detail here. Although hardware gives way to competition, Google smartphones make up for phenomenal software. Used by the company AI algorithms are still unmatchedwhich translates into great quality of photos from the camera.
The main lens is great for both daytime and night conditions – the photos are sharp and detailed. Pixel 9A undoubtedly stands out here from other mid -range competitors. It is pleased that despite the numerous algorithms that work in the background all the time, Google does not exaggerate with “embellishing” photos. The frames retain their naturalness, which also applies to color reproduction.
As for the ultra lens, It is unfortunately worse. The manufacturer used a much smaller matrix here than in Pixel 9 (13 MP vs 48 MP). While in the daytime conditions the photos from this “eyes” still look at least good, the night photos can be blurred, which is also influenced by No optical image stabilization.
I must admit that – as in the case of Pixel 9 – at times I missed a telephoto lens here. Lack, even a two -time optical zoom, limits the photographic capabilities of this device. Therefore, if I were to decide to buy a new Pixel myself, I would probably bet on the 9 PRO XL model.
BATTERY
The battery is definitely a strong point of this device. Has capacity 5100 Mah, which means that it is larger than both Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL battery. When using the LTE network, the SOT factor is about 7.5 hours. In practice, this means that with moderately intensive use, the battery will last about a and a half days.
The downside is free charging speed. The smartphone is charged with a maximum power of only 23 in. In practice, full charge from 0 to 100 percent takes about 100 minutes. This may not be a catastrophic result, but rivals already offer charging with the power of over 100 W. Wireless charging (QI) also does not impress. Here we can count on maximum 7.5 W.
SUMMARY
Pixel 9A compact and versatile smartphone, with an original design, an excellent P-OLED screen, “pure” Android 15 and a great main camera. What's more, despite the smaller amount of RAM, this device offers better performance than Pixel 9. It also has less problems with Throttling and has a larger battery. As for the disadvantages, I would point to the lack of telephoto lenses with face recognition and free charging.
Google Pixel 9A was priced at PLN 2,349 (in some shops You can buy it for around PLN 2,100) and in my opinion it is a price adequate to the capabilities of this device. Especially that the already cited Pixel 9 has already started from the ceiling up to PLN 4,049, and although in recent months its price has fallen below PLN 3,000, it is still more expensive than the 9A model, which is almost in no way inferior.