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

Judging the Google Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 8a is about more than the specs. Yes, Google significantly upgraded the display, main camera, and battery life. You must also weigh its drastic no-camera-bar redesign and whether the Pixel 9a is too similar to the 8a in other ways. If you bought the Pixel 8a to save money, is it too soon to drop another $500 on the 9a?

We loved the Pixel 8a, and while our Pixel 9a hands-on only scratches the surface, we know what AI and camera features it'll have (or won't have) from the Pixel 9, as well as a general sense of what kind of performance boost to expect from the Tensor G4 over the G3.

Let's dive into the Google Pixel 9a vs. 8a differences and similarities to help you decide whether it's time for an upgrade or if you should hold out for a Pixel 10 or 10a.

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, while the Pixel 8a has a more traditional Pixel look.

Both phones have the same official 8.9mm thickness, but the 8a has slightly softer edges — though you still feel the line between the 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, but the composite matte back is essentially unchanged. You need a mainline Pixel for a proper glass back.

Still, if you're using a phone case, the type of grip won't really matter. Generally speaking, the Pixel 9a is only 0.6mm wider than the 8a and weighs a few grams less, probably because of the lack of an aluminum camera bar.

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.

Like last year, the Pixel 9a has 100% plastic-free packaging and 100%-recycled aluminum. It uses 81% recycled plastic in the back cover, slightly more than the Pixel 8a (76%), but the 8a had slightly more "recycled materials based on product weight" (24% vs. 23%) because of its camera bar.

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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 might last longer at slightly greater depths — Google doesn't specify except to say that the 9a isn't "water or dustproof."

Google didn't upgrade the display protection rating: either phone gives you Gorilla Glass 3, well below the protective rating of the Pixel 9 Pro'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, while others will appreciate the extra space for apps and games.

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, giving you better indoor and 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. Both phones have the same RAM and storage options, so any performance improvement will come down to the chipset.

Both Tensor chips are Samsung-made on a 4nm node. The newer Tensor jumps from an Arm Cortex-X3 (2.9GHz) to a Cortex-X4 (3.1GHz) prime core. The other cores are also one generation newer with slightly higher clock speeds: 2.6 vs. 2.37GHz for performance and 1.92 vs. 1.70GHz for efficiency cores. However, the G3 actually has one more performance core, so that might narrow the gap a bit. Our Pixel 9a review should give us more concrete information on benchmarks.

In terms of the GPU, both phones should have the same Arm Mali-G715 with six cores, except that the 9a GPU should be clocked slightly higher (940MHz vs. 890MHz). That said, we found that the Pixel 9 series tended to throttle performance while gaming to prevent overheating, so the lower-RAM Pixel 9a may have the same tendency. In other words, we wouldn't expect any significant gaming gains this year.

The biggest performance change is in battery life. We've yet to test this for ourselves, but Google says the Pixel 9a will last an extra six hours (30 vs. 24) per charge or 28 hours (100 vs. 72) in Extreme Battery Saver mode. This is largely thanks to the extra 608mAh of battery capacity or a 13.5% increase over the Pixel 8a battery.

You may also see a slight boost in charging speed: Google says the Pixel 9a supports up to 23W wired charging, beating the 18W max on the Pixel 8a. It's still a bit short of the 27W charging on the pricier Pixel 9 phones, but slow charging was one of our main 8a complaints, so every little bit helps.

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

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.

You may assume the Pixel 8a's 64MP sensor is better than the Pixel 9a's 48MP sensor at first glance, but the latter has a larger aperture for better light, a slightly wider FoV, and a Dual Pixel system with improved autofocus for action shots. The 9a's camera specs seem identical to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's main sensor, although Google says they're "slightly different," without specifying how.

On the other hand, the Pixel 8a has a larger image sensor (1/1.73" vs. 1/2"), which typically results in better light capture as well. The 9a prioritized a thinner design, so that may play into the quality of the photos. We'll have a more definitive answer after we can test the 9a for ourselves.

Otherwise, the newer Tensor G4 chip unlocks a few useful camera tricks that the Pixel 8a lacks. Google says the Pixel 9a is the first A-series phone with Macro Focus and Astrophotography, and it also supports Add Me for group photos.

The Pixel 8a already has a long list of AI-backed tools — Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Frequent Faces, and so on — and it matches the Pixel 9a with its 8X Super Zoom. Neither lets you access Pro camera controls like manual shutter speed, either.

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 will launch with Android 15, and both phones are expected to receive Android 16 at the same time this summer. Aside from those few Pixel 9 series exclusives like Add Me and Macro Focus, the 9a and 8a will have the same software until 2032.

Unlike the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9a won't come with a free year of Gemini Advanced. But you'll still get the same Gemini AI features that you're used to on the 8a or other Pixels. You might see a very slight boost in AI performance thanks to Tensor G4, but nothing significant.

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.

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 buys the best cheap Android phone of 2024 (the Pixel 8a) might not want to spend another $500 so soon unless you're particularly impressed with one of the Pixel 9a preorder deals with a trade-in.

The switch to Tensor G4 is a nice perk, but unless you're especially excited by astrophotography or macro focus, the Pixel 8a's Tensor G3 is quite similar. The same goes for the display: it's larger and brighter, but the 8a-to-7a boost was more significant.

Truly, the one change that has us most excited is the extra six hours of battery life or an extra day in low-power mode; if you're an active user and the 8a tends to die on you before the end of the day, the Pixel 9a should solve that problem.

If you don't own either phone, we'd recommend choosing the Pixel 9a over the 8a, even if the latter is on sale. But if you already own the Pixel 8a, it's more of a toss-up if you should upgrade.