The Google Pixel 10a Is Barely Different From the Pixel 9a

Those are the kinds of refinements Google has made on the Pixel 10a. The pOLED display is nearly identical, except it can now reach 3,000 nits of peak brightness versus 2,700 nits on the 9a. The glass covering the display uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i instead of the aging Gorilla Glass 3, for better scratch resistance.

The battery capacity remains 5,100 mAh, but Google has upped charging speeds to 30 watts when plugging in, and 10 watts for wireless charging. Google skipped the Pixelsnap magnetic Qi2 charging here, a feature the company debuted on its flagship Pixel 10 series. Apple is expected to launch its midrange handset in a few weeks—the iPhone 17e—and rumors suggest it will support MagSafe/Qi2, unlike the iPhone 16e, giving it a leg up over Google’s phone, even if it is pricier.

Speaking of the battery, Google says it uses the newer “pull jacket” mechanism to more easily remove the adhesive on the battery, a system it introduced on the Pixel 10 series. Like the Pixel 9a, this phone also has a mandatory Battery Health Assistance tool that lowers the max voltage the battery can reach after a certain number of charge cycles to increase the battery’s lifespan. Google developed this system after it found overheating issues in earlier Pixel A-series models.

While the Pixel 10a still only supports Wi-Fi 6E like its predecessor, instead of the newer Wi-Fi 7 standard, Google did add a new modem to support Satellite SOS, allowing the phone to connect with emergency services when there’s no Wi-Fi or cell signal.

Google says the Pixel 10a is made with “the most recycled material of any A-series Pixel yet,” including using recycled cobalt, copper, gold, and tungsten for the first time. (Apple has been using these recycled materials for several years already.) The aluminum frame is 100 percent recycled, and the back is 81 percent recycled plastic.

That’s about it for hardware changes. The phone comes in fresh colors—Obsidian, Fog, Lavender, and Berry—the latter of which is a nod to the Berry color in new Nest products Google introduced late in 2025.

Software Upgrade

Camera Coach in action.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Google knows the Pixel 10a upgrades are thin, which is why it’s bringing over a few Pixel 10 software features like Camera Coach and Auto Best Take. The company isn’t porting these capabilities to the Pixel 9a despite the two smartphones sharing the same Tensor G4 chip and 8 GB of RAM—at least not yet. Google often gatekeeps a few software features for a few months on its new devices, then ports them back to older Pixels via Pixel Drop software updates. However, Google did not confirm if this will indeed be the case.