Pixel 10a Review: One for the Upgraders

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The Pixel 10a is basically the same phone as last year, but that doesn't make it any less of a budget powerhouse with a great camera system for the money and solid specs all round.

The Good

1. No price rise so this is still an amazing device for the money
2. Camera bump now fully flush with the rear
3. Great cameras

The Not So Good

1. No Pixelsnap
2. Virtually the same phone as before

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Need-to-knows

• Almost exactly the same as the Pixel 9a
• Slightly reduced camera bump
• No price rises

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You can’t buy a bad smartphone these days.

I don’t think you can buy a bad toaster, either.

Technology has reached the point where features, performance, and longevity have been democratised. No product is perfect, of course, but having done this for quite some time now, I can tell you that most grumbles are contained within Reddit threads, YouTube comments sections, and brand super fan groups.

The most common complaints I see these days about new smartphones relate to the choice of battery technology (it must be silicon kryptonite with at least 16% silicon content, you see), the absence of meaningful camera upgrades, and why <insert brand name here> keeps copying <insert brand name here>.

Enter the Pixel 10a. It looks nigh-on identical to the generation it replaces, has the same chip, and the rear camera system hasn’t changed at all.

Does that make it a disastrous release? No, not in my opinion. This is the most iterative of iterative updates, but it will satisfy a very specific customer. And Google knows that.

At a glance

Feature	Pixel 10a
Colours & Storage	Indigo, Frost, Lemongrass, Obsidian • 12GB RAM • 128GB / 256GB
Size & Weight	152.8 × 72 × 8.6 mm • 204 g
Processor	Google Tensor G5 • Titan M2 security chip
Display	6.3″ OLED Actua display • 1080 × 2424 • 60–120Hz
Brightness	Up to 2000 nits HDR • 3000 nits peak
Protection	Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Rear Cameras	48MP wide (macro) • 13MP ultra-wide • 10.8MP 5× telephoto
Zoom	5× optical • up to 20× Super Res Zoom
Front Camera	10.5MP ultrawide
Video	Up to 4K 60fps
Battery & Charging	~4970mAh • fast wired charging • Qi2 wireless charging (15W)
Audio	Stereo recording • speech enhancement
Connectivity	5G • Wi-Fi • Bluetooth • NFC
Durability & Biometrics	IP68 • fingerprint sensor
AI Features	Gemini Nano • Circle to Search • Live Translate
Operating System	Android 16
Software Support	7 years OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates

Specs and pricing

Something else that hasn’t changed is the pricing Google has adopted for its A-series smartphone. Just like the 9a, the Pixel 10a starts at £499 for the 128GB model and £599 for the range-topping 256GB edition.

As noted, it’s powered by the Google Tensor G4 chip, which is teamed with 8GB of RAM and the Titan M2 security coprocessor.

On display duties, we have a 6.3-inch Actua panel with a 120Hz variable refresh rate and up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness (the Pixel 9a topped out at 2,700).

As for software updates, Google guarantees seven years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates for the 10a.

Google Pixel 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S25

In the UK, you’ll pay £499 for the 128GB model and £599 for the 256GB edition. There are cheaper Android phones, of course, but this is the least you’ll pay for an official Google device unless you hit the second-hand market or find yourself a good deal on the 9a.

Design

Google is making a big thing about the fact that the Pixel 10a features a ‘bumpless’ design where the camera bar blends into the back of the phone.

This might not sound very important or like something that should be shouted about, but having read 29,198 comments from people who despise how much certain smartphones wobble when placed on a table surface due to the protruding camera lenses… I understand where Google is coming from.

The 10a is neither thin nor particularly light. But it is small and, due to that bumpless rear casing, a rather satisfying phone to carry with you and chuck onto tables without fear of the interminable wobble.

It’s also a lovely-looking phone in the shade my review unit has been doused in. It’s called Berry, and it’s one of the most striking phone colours I’ve ever seen. The easiest way to describe it from my limited knowledge of colours is ‘pink’, but you might think differently. For those who want a slightly more conspicuous 10a experience, you’ll be glad to hear it also comes in Fog, Obsidian, and Lavender.

Check out my full Google Pixel 9a review

The 10a feels great, too, thanks to a satin finish and the use of 100% recycled aluminium. It feels tough, too, and I’m pretty sure it will respond well to being chucked into bags and pockets full of scratch-tastic foreign objects.

The display is bright and vibrant. The only thing that gives away the 10a’s budget positioning is the size of the bezels, which jar slightly if you regularly use more premium devices, but will be the norm for anyone who buys and solely uses this phone.

Camera

The Pixel 10a features the same camera system as the 9a (front and back).

This means it takes lovely photos. I’ve never been backwards in coming forward about my love of Pixel photography. Something about it just works for me; the contrasty look and the way it deals with tricky dynamic range situations (largely via AI and software trickery) have inspired a lot of the other Android phones we see on the market today.

It’s limited, of course. It will only zoom to 8x, and beyond 2x it’s not particularly enjoyable to use. But I’m yet to find a smartphone camera system at this price point that does.

The 10a does, mercifully, have an ultra-wide camera, though, which means it is still one step ahead of the iPhone 17e.

Better budget option? Nothing Phone (4a) review

While the camera hardware might be identical to the previous generation 9a, the 10a does have some extra AI trickery up its sleeves. These come in the form of a bunch of features borrowed from Google’s flagship smartphones, including Camera Coach, which provides real-time guidance via Gemini to help the user take better photos.

I don’t personally live and die by the AI stuff, but it’s nice to see it make its way down to the A-range.

Performance and battery

I’ll leave the benchmarking to those who have the time, patience, and skills to undertake such work. But the 10a, surely, isn’t going to perform any differently from the 9a, because it’s basically the same phone.

Equally, those who buy A-series Pixels aren’t going to be particularly fussed about the Antututututututu score, or how many points it manages to clock up in GeekBench Pro XL Max.

More: Vivo V70 review

To me, it feels as speedy and smooth as it needs to be, and the battery life is great, too – particularly on stand-by. Google claims you’ll get over 30 hours of standard battery life, and it’s nice to know that the 10a will charge up to 50% in around thirty minutes.

Pixel 10a vs 9a

Here’s a comparison table for the Pixel 10a versus the 9a:

Category	Pixel 10a	Pixel 10a
US Price	$499	$499
UK Price	£499	£399
Processor	Google Tensor G4	Google Tensor G4
RAM	8 GB LPDDR5x	8 GB LPDDR5x
Storage	128 GB / 256 GB	128 GB / 256 GB
Display	6.3″ Actua pOLED ($1080\times2424$)	6.3″ Actua pOLED ($1080\times2424$)
Refresh Rate	60–120 Hz	60–120 Hz
Peak Brightness	3000 nits	2700 nits
Cover Glass	Gorilla Glass 7i	Gorilla Glass 3
Main Camera	48 MP Quad PD ($f/1.7$, 1/2″ sensor)	48 MP Quad PD ($f/1.7$, 1/2″ sensor)
Ultrawide Cam	13 MP ($f/2.2$, 120° FoV)	13 MP ($f/2.2$, 120° FoV)
Selfie Camera	13 MP ($f/2.2$, 96.1° FoV)	13 MP ($f/2.2$, 96.1° FoV)
Battery (Typ)	5100 mAh	5100 mAh
Wired Charging	Up to 30W	Up to 23W
Wireless Charge	Up to 10W (Qi-certified)	Up to 7.5W (Qi-certified)
Safety Features	Satellite SOS (first for A-series)	Not available
Materials	36% Recycled materials	23% Recycled materials
Launch OS	Android 16	Android 15

TL:DR – The new phone has a brighter display with stronger cover glass. It charges slightly faster (both wired and wireless), and it has satellite SOS calling (for the first time in an A-series device). There are new AI-infused camera features, too. Oh, and it’s made from more recycled materials.

Combine the above with the marginal design refresh, and you have pretty much the same phone, don’t you?

Google knows this. You know this. I know this. It is categorically an iterative update, because that’s all it’s supposed to be. This presents three pieces of good news:

1. If you’re after the latest budget Pixel phone, this is the best version of the A-series, ever. Therefore, if you grab it on a nice carrier deal, it’s a no-brainer.
2. If you fancy an even sweeter deal, the presence of the 10a on the market will push prices for the 9a down considerably. And because it features the same chip and camera system, you’re not exactly settling for second best.
3. If you’ve got a Pixel 7a or older (and I’d wager that a lot of you reading this review are probably in that position), the upgrade to the 10a is significant and won’t break the bank.

This brings me to an inevitable conclusion about the Pixel 10a.

One more thing…

Google has worked some black magic of late. They are the first Android manufacturer to work out how to connect with Apple’s AirDrop feature. That means you can seamlessly transfer files to an iPhone from a Pixel which is pretty revolutionary when you think about it.

Who knows if Apple will let this happen long term, but it’s certainly a boost for Pixel owners, especially if you’re like me and you use two phones (I appreciate that that’s basically noone, but still!). This isn’t exclusive to the 10a, it works on the 9a too.

Related: iPhone 17 review

Conclusion

There are cheaper Android phones out there. The Nothing Phone (4a) is absolutely worth a gander if you want to pitch the Pixel 10a against something that looks unlike anything else on the market.

But a Pixel is a Pixel. It’ll provide the purest Android experience ever, benefit from plentiful updates and support, and, in my humble opinion, take some of the best photos on the market at this price.It’s easy to poke fun at the 10a, but that’s missing the point entirely. Google has done exactly what it needed to with this phone, and the market at which it is aimed will be overjoyed by it. Particularly if they go for the Berry version.