Google Pixel 9a with Gemini - Unlocked Android Smartphone with Incredible Camera and AI Photo Editing, All-Day Battery, and Powerful Security - Obsidian - 128 GBECOLOGOECOLOGO

For five years I enjoyed my Pixel 4a, a compact 128 GB 4G phone. However, I recently destroyed it when I unintentionally took it for a swim in the ocean, so it was time for an upgrade. I first considered the 8a, but when I saw the low cost of Google’s newest phone, the absence of an annoying camera bar on the back, and the many rave reviews on YouTube, I was sold on the 9a. It delivers remarkable performance without most of the trade-offs that come with midrange phones. This isn’t a flagship, nor with only 8 GB of RAM is it intended for intensive gamers, but it does everything I need and does it well. And Google automatically reloaded every one of my apps, files, and settings from the cloud!The Pixel 9a checks all the boxes: an unlocked, modestly sized 5G device with a clean, simple design in four available colors. It includes the AI assistant Gemini and the newest Google apps and operating system (Android 15) with seven years of system and security updates, as well as the same fast Tensor G4 chipset and bright, sharp, smooth 120 Hz display featured on the model 9. The 9a is equipped with outstanding cameras and camera software and a best-in-class battery (even better than the 9 Pro) for extra-long life. The unit offers strong resistance to water, dust, and scratches, in addition to wireless charging and oodles of storage. All this at an unbeatable price! The 256 GB version I bought came with a $100 Amazon gift card, effectively reducing its price to $499, the same as the 128 GB model.I do have three caveats: the bezel on the screen seems unnecessarily thick, wireless charging is much slower than wired charging, and there is noticeable grain in low-light videos, but none of these are deal-breakers for me. And I must respond to a previous reviewer who also owned a 4a and claimed that the 9a is too big, that it’s design is unoriginal, and that it lacks a headphone jack and a behind-the-screen fingerprint reader. While not as small or light as my old Pixel, it’s only slightly larger and heavier (allowing for a bigger battery), and it fits my hand perfectly. As for the headphone jack and fingerprint reader, we’re in the third decade of the 20th century: wired headphones are history and on-screen fingerprint readers are standard. Finally, for many users like me, the minimalist design is a plus: less is more!

This review maybe a little strange but let me cook. I had a pixel 7 and I loved it.... Except for the fact that it lacked one function that is kind of important. The ability to make a phone call. Now granted, I undersrand that it was the very internals of the phone itself was off but hey. I need to make phone calls. This compared to the 7, to me is night and day. The battery life is a huge plus, I hardly have to worry about it. It is comfortable in the hands and is a bit "retro" considering the fact that it lays nearly completely flat on a table. The photos are great, can't complain about them. Sound quality is much better. It surprised me how loud it could get when I was listening to music. (Granted not a full on speaker system but good enough to not feel like you need to figure out ways to make it louder). Now, if you are looking for a midrange phone. This literally ticks all the boxes.Keep in mind, all reviews are 90% of the time opinion based and experience based. Some have good experiences and some have bad. So it's best to do your research and if it doesn't workout, there is a reason why Amazon gotchu with those 30 days.Also... Can we normalize phone companies putting charging blocks in phone boxes again? 😂

This Google phone is very intrusive, invasive. Pesters with unending prompts do this, do that. Ads on top of other ads. Screen brightness dims randomly 30%. Cannot play Pixel videos on Win 10 PC. Battery life poor. Unable to opt out of Pixel SET UP. Shutoff requires 2 (two) buttons to be pushed simultaneously. Last, but not least. The Pixel9a has been reported on the internet to have poor repairability with the advise "Don't Buy". Returned phone.

The package took its time getting to me. I did not find it on my porch after Amazon said it had been delivered, and there was no delivery photo. We thought the vendor was to blame initially, but on request they furnished a delivery photo, so we thought we had porch pirates. But the product, shipped in a plastic bag, eventually showed up in my wife's wheelchair backpack where it had been hurriedly stuffed, and which we didn't remember. Sorry we grumped at the vendor.I can't review the Pixel 9A against other recent cell phones. But here's how it stacks up against the device it replaces, which is a years-old Pixel 5. I replaced my Pixel 5 because the USB port broke from too many insertions. The Pixel 9A has wireless charging, rendering its USB port immortal. The Pixel 5 was hard to read outdoors in sunlight. The 9A display is much improved. I don't care for the 9A's aesthetic design, with a metal frame around the sides. The Pixel 5 had a rounded plastic side that was part of the back. This is such a minor complaint. It's pretty much exactly the same size, thickness, and weight as the Pixel 5. Someone with a micrometer can tell me different if they want. It will take me months to play with the software features. So far, all I've asked the AI to do is find me a phone number, which it does just fine, duh.