Google Pixel 10a review: cheaper Android is great, but no real advance

The latest smartphone in the lower-cost A-series Pixel line shows what makes Google phones so good, while undercutting the competition on price. The problem is that it differs little from its predecessor, which is still on sale.

Priced from £499 (€549/$499/A$849), the Pixel 10a is more like a second edition of last year’s excellent Pixel 9a. The two phones share the same Tensor G4 chip, not the newer G5 in the rest of the £799 and up Pixel 10 line; the same memory, storage and cameras; the same size 6.3in OLED screen, though the Pixel 10a reaches a higher peak brightness making it slightly easier to read outside.

The back of the new Pixel is completely flat, lacking the protruding camera bump that has plagued almost every handset for decades. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The new phone feels well made at least, with aluminium sides, glass on the front and a high-quality plastic back. It has 2D face recognition and an optical fingerprint scanner under the screen for unlocking the phone, which is fast but not quite as reliable as the ultrasonic fingerprint readers on more expensive phones.

It also has emergency satellite messaging, which is a rare feature outside flagship smartphones, should you need rescuing in the middle of nowhere without a phone signal or wifi.

The Pixel feels snappy in operation despite the older chip but it won’t win any raw performance awards, although it handles most tasks well and is capable of gaming, but not at the highest quality settings. The battery lasts a good 52 or so hours per charge, including actively using the screen for seven hours across a mix of 5G and wifi. Most users should only need to charge it every other day.

The Pixel 10a supports 30W charging, hitting 50% in about 30 minutes, and 10W Qi wireless charging. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

One of the best features is the quality software, the prompt updates and the long support, which for the 10a extends to March 2033. But while the phone has the Gemini chatbot in its various forms, it lacks some of the more interesting on-device AI added to the rest of the Pixel 10 line, including Magic Cue and the excellent Pixel Screenshots app, which is a shame.

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 30 minutes)

• Dimensions: 153.9 x 73 x 9mm

• Weight: 183g

Camera

The Pixel camera app is one of the best in the business at helping you get good shots. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The front and rear cameras on the Pixel 10a are the same as the 9a. That means it has an excellent 48-megapixel main and very good 13MP ultra wide camera, both of which rival the many flagship phones (which cost far more).

Generally you can simply point and shoot to get a great photo without much effort. New for the 10a is the addition of auto best take, which automatically shoots multiple images of group shots and blends them together to make sure everyone’s looking at the camera.

Camera coach, which uses the Gemini AI assistant to guide you in taking a better framed and composed photo, is also there.

Overall the Pixel 10a has a best-in-class camera but the lack of a telephoto camera holds it back from truly competing with pricier models.

Sustainability

The plastic back won’t crack like glass can, while the screen is covered in scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 7i. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Google says the battery should last about 1,000 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity. The phone is repairable by Google and third-party shops with genuine replacement parts available direct from iFixit.

It is made up of 36% recycled materials including aluminium, cobalt, copper, gold, plastic, rare-earth elements, tin and tungsten. The company publishes an environmental impact report for the phone and will recycle old devices free of charge.

Price

The Google Pixel 10a costs £499 (€549/$499/A$849).

For comparison, the Pixel 10 costs £799, the Pixel 9a costs £399, the Samsung Galaxy S25FE costs £649, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro costs £369 and the Apple iPhone 17e costs £599

Verdict

The Pixel 10a is a great mid-range Android phone with almost all the trimmings of flagship devices but at two-thirds of the price.

It has a very good screen, long battery life, snappy performance and an excellent dual camera on the back. It also has quality software with important features such as Gemini and Circle to Search and seven years of support, so it should go the distance.

A few corners have been cut for the price. The back is plastic, it lacks Qi2 magnetic attachment support, wifi7 and it is missing the more advanced and useful AI features from the regular Pixel 10, including Magic Cue.

But the biggest problem is it differs little from its slightly older predecessor. The Pixel 9a is still on sale for £100 less and has the same chip, specifications, camera and software, and practically the same design, making it a far better buy.

Pros: seven years of software updates, class-leading camera, great screen, decent chip, long battery life, recycled materials, undercuts high-end phones on price.

Cons: design and chips the same as Pixel 9a, no optical zoom for camera, raw performance short of best, plastic back, no wifi 7, lack of advanced local AI features.

The Pixel 10a is a great size balancing handling with a big enough screen. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian