Google Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 8a: More than a facelift

Weighing the Google Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 8a, it's clear that Google put plenty of thought into making its 2025 budget phone a better option. Plenty of people might prefer the 8a's aesthetic, but the Pixel 9a's upgraded display, battery life, and camera tricks outweigh this surface-level complaint.

As much as we loved the Pixel 8a, it's the Pixel 9a that's claimed the top spot for best cheap Android phone, not merely because it's newer with a better Tensor chip, but because it addresses several of the 8a's small flaws.

You may end up leaning toward the new Pixel 10 flagship for its powerful Tensor G5 chip and better cameras, but both the Pixel 9a and 8a are excellent options that'll cost you hundreds less. We're here to help you choose which budget model to buy, or if Pixel 8a owners should upgrade now or wait for the Pixel 10a instead.

Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a: Design

The biggest Pixel 9a change stems from Google's decision to remove the camera bar and give the newer model a flat back and "streamlined camera design." Google said that it was "inspired by water droplets" when making the new camera cutout, similar to what you see on the Pixel Watch 3.

The Pixel 8a has a more traditional Pixel look, matching its Pixel 8 predecessor with sensors embedded into a flat camera bar across the phone's width; the newer Pixel 9 and 10 use a more rounded, isolated camera bar that juts out slightly further.

Both phones have the same official 8.9mm thickness. The 8a has slightly softer edges, though you can feel the border between its aluminum sides and matte polycarbonate back. With the Pixel 9a, you get the harder, machine-cut edges that you typically see on iPhones or recent Galaxy phones; maybe you're used to that, but I think you'll want a case with a softer grip.

Generally speaking, the Pixel 9a is only 0.6mm wider than the 8a and weighs a few grams less thanks to the missing camera bar. By removing it, Google could bump up the battery and make the 9a easier to slide into pockets without catching.

Both phones come in Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (near-white). The Pixel 8a came in a subtle Bay blue and vibrant Aloe green; the Pixel 9a, similarly, has a quieter Iris purple shade and a much more vivid Peony red-pink.

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While the Pixel 8a had a respectable IP67 dust and water resistance rating, the Pixel 9a hits the IP68 standard common on most flagships. That means the Pixel 8a does fine for "temporary immersion" in shallow water for about 30 minutes, while the Pixel 9a should last slightly longer at shallow depths.

Google didn't upgrade the display protection rating: either phone gives you Gorilla Glass 3, well below the protective rating of the Pixel 10's Victus 2. You may want to buy a screen protector.

You also won't notice any changes in terms of the optical fingerprint sensor, power button, and volume rocker, USB-C 3.2 port, stereo speakers, or dual mics.

Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a: Display

One of the biggest Pixel 9a vs. 8a changes is the larger, brighter display. Fans of smaller phones may not like that the 9a jumps from a 6.1- to 6.3-inch display, but anyone used to larger 6.7- or 6.8-inch displays will find this compromise easier to accept.

The Pixel 9a uses a pOLED in place of the 8a's traditional OLED, swapping a glass substrate for a thinner plastic material, which helps the 9a stay the same thickness despite its larger battery.

Otherwise, the 9a and 8a have the same 120Hz refresh rate — though no Pro-level LTPO tech — and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, half as good as the mainline Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. The Pixel 8a display is slightly more pixel-dense, but not significantly so (430 vs. 422 PPI).

More importantly, the Pixel 9a has an extra 400 nits of brightness in HDR mode and 700 nits in peak brightness mode. Your Pixel 8a might look respectable indoors and readable outdoors, but the Pixel 9a makes colors much more vivid in bright sunlight. Only 300 nits short of the Pixel 10, the Pixel 9a beats any other cheap- or mid-range Android phone for outdoor visibility.

Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a: Hardware and battery life

The Google Pixel 9a has the latest Tensor G4 chip found in last year's Pixel 9 series, one generation past the Pixel 8a's Tensor G3 with a slightly higher-clocked prime Cortex core (3.1GHz vs. 2.9GHz). Both phones have the same RAM and storage options.

Practically speaking, the Pixel 9a hit Geekbench 6 benchmarks of 1,702 / 4,310 for single- and multi-core performance, on par with the mainline Pixel 9s, while the Pixel 8a scores 1,648 / 4,136. There isn't a huge generational gap, even if the 9a is better. The Pixel 10's new 3nm, TSMC-made Tensor G5 chip is supposed to be 34% faster than the 9a's G4, if you're concerned about performance.

Neither does especially well for demanding Android games with only 8GB of RAM, and Google has intentionally restricted some on-device Gemini tricks like Pixel Screenshots or Call Notes from A-series phones because of their limited memory.

The Pixel 9a's most impressive performance boost, however, is in battery life. It's rated to last six hours longer than the Pixel 8a (30 vs. 24). In practice, three Android Central writers with Pixel 9a units found it could easily be stretched to last two days with light use, while lasting about 1.5 days with heavier use. One said it was the "best battery longevity of any Pixel I've used in the last nine years."

For comparison, the Pixel 8a's battery life is much more "normal" for the series, and its painfully slow charging makes it harder to get juice back quickly. The Pixel 9a isn't that much faster for charging (23W vs. 18W), but it takes 105 minutes to hit 100% while the Pixel 8a takes over two hours.

Wireless charging remains at the same 7.5W speed as last year, with no Qi2 support just yet and well short of the Pixel 9 (15W) or Pixel 9 Pro XL (23W) when using the Pixel Stand.

As for other hardware concerns, the Pixel 9a remains at Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, with no Wi-Fi 7 like the Pixel 9 or Ultra Wideband like the 9 Pro. But the 9a does add dual-band GNSS for the first time, which will help pinpoint your Google Maps location or track workouts more easily in places with signal blockage, like tall buildings.

Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a: Cameras

The Pixel 8a has a larger image sensor than the Pixel 9a (1/1.73" vs. 1/2") and more megapixels (64MP vs. 48MP). But the Pixel 9a has a larger aperture for better light, a slightly wider FoV, a Dual Pixel system with improved autofocus for action shots, an improved Macro Focus tool for better close-up shots, and better color correction via the Tensor G4.

Google didn't change the ultrawide or selfie cameras between the Pixel 8a and 9a, so the main difference is with the main camera and the new AI-backed post-processing tools. So in our Pixel 9a camera review, we pitted its main sensor against the Pixel 8a and Pixel 7a.

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We found that the Pixel 9a didn't have a noticeable drop-off in capturing detail despite the smaller sensor, except for night photography where the 8a slightly outperforms it. Generally speaking, the Pixel 9a's color accuracy is far closer to real life than the Pixel 8a, which tends to oversaturate colors until they look artificial.

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The Pixel 9a truly shines for close-up photography despite the lack of a macro lens. It's much better at putting an entire subject into clear focus, where the 8a tends to blur parts of your subject arbitrarily. Otherwise, they're both quite similar in areas like ultrawide and action shots.

Neither will match your mainline Pixel 10 for capturing detail, and especially the Pixel 10 Pro with its telephoto lens and optical zoom. But the Pixel 9a is a better compromise option for thrifty photographers.

The newer Tensor G4 chip unlocks a couple new tricks like Astrophotography and Add Me, but the Pixel 8a already has a strong lineup of AI-backed tools: Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Frequent Faces, and so on.

Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a: Software and AI

The Pixel 8a was the first A-series phone to offer seven years of software updates. So, while it's impressive that the $500 Pixel 9a will get seven OS updates and seven years of monthly Pixel Drops, the Pixel 8a did it first.

The Pixel 9a launched with Android 15, but both the 9a and 8a quickly received Android 16 in June and should stay in sync with other Pixels over the next six years.

In other words, upgrading to the Pixel 9a from the 8a won't feel especially different from a software perspective. It's the same stock, bloatware-free UI, close integration with Google apps, and Gemini features that Pixel owners are used to — except for on-device Gemini Nano tools that require a mainline Pixel with more RAM.

Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a: Should you upgrade?

There's no doubt that the Pixel 9a is a superior phone to the 8a in both distinct and subtle ways. But anyone who bought the Pixel 8a might not want to spend another $500 so soon, unless you get a good trade-in deal.

Having tested both phones, I find the Pixel 9a to be the much more compelling option because of its brighter display, fantastic battery life, slightly quicker charging, and more true-to-life colors in my photos. Even if you spot the Pixel 8a for cheap, I'd still recommend the 9a, since its battery life should stay strong even after years of use.

Otherwise, I'd look closely at the Pixel 10 series if the 9a doesn't feel like enough of an upgrade.