Amazon just gave Android users a big reason to avoid Google’s new Pixel phone
I’ve just reviewed the brand new Google Pixel 10a, and while it’s an excellent mid-range Android phone, there’s not much reason to fork out £499 for it when you can currently pick up the Pixel 9a for just £349.
The Pixel 9a is, for all intents and purposes, an identical device to the newer 10a. It has the same screen, the same cameras, the same software and even the exact same chipset.
You really don’t gain anything by paying more for this year’s model, which isn’t always something that can be said of the latest Android phones.
Amazon has the Pixel 9a in blue, black or a fun pink colour to choose from. The white model is already gone, which shows this great deal may not last long. The device feels compact as far as modern phones go, with a sleek aluminium frame and glass back, with a flat dual camera cut out.
There’s a 6.3-inch OLED screen with fast 120Hz refresh rate, plus battery life good enough to see you through two days of use. The main and ultra-wide cameras take excellent shots, with this cheaper Pixel able to keep pace with phones that cost twice as much thanks to Google’s famously accomplished image processing prowess.
I liked the Pixel 9a so much I wrote about how it was my favourite phone of 2025. When I reviewed it earlier that year, the only thing I didn’t like about it was the “boring design” – I stand by that, as it’s quite bland, unless you get the pink one.
But for £349, you’re getting a heck of a deal on a very capable phone that you’ll probably wisely put straight into a case anyway.
The Pixel 9a runs the latest version of Android and will continue to do so until 2032, when its software support finally ends. That’s a very good support window, one which outlasts most other similarly priced phones on the market.
The Android software looks great, with the advantage of getting Google’s vision of its own operating system. It’s very uncluttered, and although there are a lot of features and AI tools on offer, they mostly keep out of your way if you don’t want to use them.
But Pixel favourites such as effective spam call blockers, Call Screen to take calls if any get through, Hold For Me that sits on a teleservices line so you don’t have to, and Now Playing that identifies music playing without an internet connection are all delightful inclusions that quietly but confidently make life that little bit easier.
