Google's Pixel a-series has gone from smart value to awkward compromise

When Google first debuted the Pixel a-series back in 2019 with the Pixel 3a and 3a XL, we were all ecstatic. Why? Because Google was giving you about 90% of what the flagship Pixel had, at a much cheaper price. In fact, it was just $329 (and $379 for the Pixel 3a XL). Now obviously, things have changed in six years, and prices had to go up. But now the Pixel 9a is starting to leave the “mid-range” area and move onto the “mid-premium” segment. And it really seems like Google has lost its way with this model.

With the Pixel 3a, Google still cut corners to reach that low price, however, they were less noticeable than on the Pixel 9a in 2025. For instance, Google used a plastic frame instead of an aluminum one, used Asahi Dragontail Glass instead of Gorilla Glass 5, and used a cheaper Snapdragon 670 processor, the display was also slightly larger, but used a lower-end OLED panel.

But what made so many of us reviewers so ecstatic about this phone was the fact that you were getting the same camera experience as the Pixel 3, which was a few hundred dollars more expensive. Also similar battery life, and all of the other Pixel goodies. Performance did lack a bit, however, the Snapdragon 600-series processors were very well-known for being battery life champs. And that was the case with the Pixel 3a series.

Google kept releasing bangers through the Pixel 5a

Despite the pandemic, Google still released the Pixel 4a and 4a 5G, which was a bit strange, as they were both basically the same phone, minus the 5G aspect. But the Pixel 4a was an incredible phone, and an incredible value. So incredibly, in fact, that a few of us here at AndroidHeadlines used the Pixel 4a as our daily driver for over a year. Though, many did complaint that it was a plastic phone, which was perfectly fine, because that meant it was lightweight. Especially compared to today’s phones.

This continued with the Pixel 5a, which was the last Snapdragon-powered Pixel to ever be released. As the Pixel 6 series started the Tensor journey for Google, and that’s where things started to go downhill for the Pixel a-series.

Google’s Pixel a-series used to mean the same great Pixel experience, at a lower price

When the Pixel 3a came out, and even though the Pixel 5a, these phones meant offering the same great Pixel experience as their flagships, but at a much cheaper price point. Now, though, it seems to be more about differentiating the a-series enough from the base model, to get people to spend $300 more on a base-model Pixel instead. We’re seeing some very weird downgrades for the Pixel 9a, and the only real reason for this is, to talk you into buying the Pixel 9 instead.

For instance, the Pixel 9a got a new primary camera. It’s a 48-megapixel sensor that is now smaller than the 64-megapixel sensor from the Pixel 8a. Of course, Google does quite a bit with their camera processing, and it’s likely still going to be a great camera, but a smaller sensor is not a good idea.

Weirdly, Google did opt for putting in a large 5,100mAh capacity battery into the Pixel 9a. That is the largest battery ever in a Pixel, which has us excited for the Pixel 10 series later this year.

Much like the iPhone, Pixel’s lineup has gotten bloated over the years

Currently, Google has three phones priced between $799 and $1099. Then there’s the Pixel 9a at $499, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at $1,799. That’s quite the lineup, and having a choice is what Android is all about. However, the differences between these phones (excluding the Pixel 9 Pro Fold) are pretty small. Making it tougher to choose one over the other.

At this point, it’s likely a good idea for Google to ditch the base model, or at least turn it into the a-series. Make it a few hundred bucks cheaper, say $599. And then have the Pro models starting at $999 as they currently do. Because over the last few years, there’s been a ton of similarity between the Pixel a and base models. This was the case with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, and now the same for Pixel 9 and Pixel 9a.

This is especially an issue with the many sales that Google runs on its Pixel smartphones. By the time the Pixel a-series comes out, their base model can be bought for about the same price. And why would you buy a Pixel 9a over a Pixel 9, if the price is the same? You wouldn’t.

Google needs to drop the price for Pixel a-series

If Google wants to keep the Pixel a around, then it should really drop the price, bringing it back to around $399. That’s a price segment that doesn’t have a lot of competition, and would also distance it from the base-model Pixel at the same time. Now this might mean that Google needs to bin the Tensor processor like Apple does, so there’s one less GPU and/or CPU core. We’ve already seen Google do something similar with the Pixel 9a, using the older modem versus the newer one that was on the Pixel 9 series.

Google should also go back to doing a single camera. Because let’s face it, we rarely use the ultrawide. Give us a good 50-megapixel sensor, maybe even the one from the flagship Pixel, and do a sensor crop for 2x. That would reduce the price, and still give us some flexibility on the camera.

I can’t help but think that if the Pixel 9a were available for $399 versus $499, it would be far more popular, and wouldn’t be getting as much hate as it is currently. It’s also priced in the same range as the Galaxy A56 and Nothing Phone 3a. And similar to the iPhone 16e, which is just an absolutely terrible value. But this is one way that Google can bring the a-series back to being the “value” Pixel, and it actually means something.

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