Google Pixel 10a review: Small changes, but still great value

Over the past few years, Google’s A-series Pixel phones have consistently been some of the best midrange phones you can buy. But with the AI boom causing memory shortages and the price of consumer electronics to rise, including smartphones, affordable devices like the Pixel 10a are more important than ever. Thankfully, Google’s new phone still represents great value, even if it doesn’t come with many upgrades.

Design and display

The story of the Pixel 10a is one of small changes, so let’s start with the outside. The phone is available in four colors: lavender (pictured), berry, fog and obsidian. Photos don’t do the lavender color justice. In person, the light refracts beautifully off the surface of the aluminum frame and composite back. The back of the phone also has a pleasing matte finish that made the 10a feel secure in my hand. Another nice touch is that Google shaved down the camera module further, so that the 10a can now lie completely flat. As before, the entire phone is rated IP68-certified against dust and water. For DIY enthusiasts, Google has said it redesigned the 10a’s internals to make it easier to repair. Hooray for that.

Beyond those changes, the 10a has a brighter 120Hz P-OLED screen that offers up to 3,000 nits of brightness, up from 2,700 on the 9a. The display also offers better protection against scratches and drops thanks to Google’s decision to switch to Gorilla Glass 7i for the screen coating. Despite the minimal changes, there’s not much to complain about here. The 10a’s screen is fast, responsive and vibrant. The on-screen fingerprint sensor is also in an easy-to-reach spot toward the middle of the phone. After reviewing several big phones in recent months, it was also nice to go back to a handset with a sensible 6.3-inch footprint.

Performance and battery

I’ve been spoiled recently by phones like the OnePlus 15R, which offers a 7,400mAh battery and 55 watt charging out of the box. By that metric, the Pixel 10a, with its 5,100mAh battery, leaves something to be desired. Putting the phone through Engadget’s video rundown test, it ran for 28 hours before the battery died, which is exactly where the Pixel 9a landed last year. However, that score means the 10a is thoroughly middle of the pack when it comes to battery life. I can also see battery life becoming a concern as the phone ages. While that’s true of every phone, the 10a’s smaller battery makes that more of a pressing concern since you’ll be charging the phone more often and therefore degrading the battery faster.

Google has improved wired charging speeds, with the new phone capable of charging at 30 watts, up from 23-watts with the 9a. You’ll need to provide a compatible power adapter though; the Pixel 10a doesn’t come with one inside the box. With a 30 watt charger, the 10a’s battery went from dead to about 50 percent in under 45 minutes. A full charge takes approximately an hour and 45 minutes. Again, not great, but serviceable.

Another disappointment is that the Pixel 10a doesn’t support Google’s new Pixelsnap standard. Wireless charging is faster on the new phone (it’s now rated at 10 watts, up from five), but without a compatible third-party case, a charging puck won’t magnetically align with the back of the 10a. It’s not a dealbreaker, but Pixelsnap would have been a great addition.

The 10a has the same chipset Google used on the Pixel 9a, the Tensor G4, and the company has once again gone with 8GB of RAM. Other midrange phones like Samsung Galaxy S25 FE offer faster chips, but they also cost more. Moreover, I didn’t feel like the 10a was worse for running on old silicon. The new 120Hz display does a lot to make the new phone feel snappy, and Google’s in-house Android skin feels responsive as ever.

The 10a also does a commendable job of keeping heat in check. I sat down to playDiablo Immortal and even after an hour of playtime, the phone was still cool to the touch despite running the game at high settings and 60 frames per second.

Cameras

The 10a comes with the same camera package as its predecessor. On the back, you get a 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 lens that offers optical image stabilization and phase detection autofocus. Complementing it is a 13MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view. For selfies, you get a 13MP camera with an f/2.2 lens. As ever, Google’s software is doing most of the heavy lifting here. That includes a pair of new features, Camera Coach and Auto Best Take, that debuted with the Pixel 10 series.

Camera Coach, like the name suggests, uses AI to analyze the scene you’re about to capture, and offers tips on how to best compose and light the shot. It will also suggest the best camera mode for the job. While I can see how this tool could be useful, I found the fact it relies on a cloud model made it too slow for some situations. For example, when I used Camera Coach to help me snap a photo of my cat, a sassy tortoiseshell, she walked away by the time the 10a got a response from Google’s servers. In more static scenes, Camera Coach is more useful, but much of photography is about capturing a fleeting moment in time, so its utility is limited.

Auto Best Take solves a problem I’m sure we’ve all experienced. You go to take a group portrait, and snap multiple frames to ensure everyone looks good, only to end up without a single usable shot. With Auto Best Take, Google promises to combine similar group photos so that everyone looks their best. This feature works as advertised.

Outside of those features, the 10a offers a predictably great camera experience. The phone consistently produces photos that are sharp with great natural colors. That said, I did miss having a telephoto camera, as you can see from the photos I shot during a recent Cat Power concert in Toronto. Given the 10a only costs $500, it’s hard to fault Google for not including one.

Software

Out of the box, the 10a comes with Android 16. Like all of Google’s recent Pixel devices, the company has promised to support the 10a for an industry-leading seven years with software updates and security patches. The company’s pledge includes Pixel Drops, which often bring new software features. One feature Google has brought over from the more expensive Pixel 10 line is Satellite SOS, which allows you to call for help during emergencies, even when your phone can’t connect to a cellular network. Outside of a demo designed to make users aware of the feature, I wasn’t able to test Satellite SOS (thankfully).

Notably, the 10a is still missing Google’s Screenshots app. That’s unfortunate since it’s one of the more useful Pixel exclusives, making it easier to organize all your online clippings. Other AI features such as Gemini Live and Circle to Search are accounted for, and as useful ever.

Wrap-up

The Pixel 10a is a tricky phone to grade. On the one hand, part of me wants to dock points because Google has added so few updates. On the other, the 10a is still a great phone for $500, and at a time when consumer electronics are becoming more expensive by the day, the fact it hasn’t gone up in price is a small miracle. Even if Google is partly responsible for the current memory crunch, the company’s hardware division has delivered an affordable device that’s still worth recommending. The Pixel 10a is still the phone to beat in the $500 range.