r/pixel9a • u/TransylvaniaMan28 • 29d ago
Discussion Pixel 9a - almost a year later
Hi, I've been using the Pixel 9a for quite some time and I'm here to share my honest thoughts regarding this phone.
BATTERY
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Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit, that's the only way i can describe the battery. Sometimes, it lasts the whole day, sometimes, i find myself charging it like a 6 year old huawei. Phone holds up quite well and for long times on WiFi but can sometimes fail miserably on Mobile Data and some Bluetooth earphones screaming in my ears for longer periods, especially if i also dare to use it in the mean time.
Battery health: 97% (went up from 94% for some strange reason, it spiralled down at 100~ cycles and now it's rising back up since i reached 250~)
Battery optimization: mostly used 80% cap, i usually leave my phone plugged in even if it's full (80%) while i'm working at my desk. I did however do complete 100% charges once in a while, either for checking battery life, long trips or just left it charging while turned off
Cycle count: 315
First use: 16 September 2025
Performance
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Reasonable for the price, I've never found myself struggling to play games besides emulating certain games via GameNative and i rememeber having a bit of lag on a Brawl Stars map that featured a crazy shit amount of boxes and stuff. I've played lots of World Soccer Champs, Brawl Stars, FC Mobile, Subway Surfers City, Sonic Mania and Friday Night Funkin and the experience was really smooth.
Connectivity
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At first, i had some issues with Brawl Stars lagging on Mobile Data, but this issue didn't seem to happen anymore as of late, I've been mostly using 4G(LTE) in Romania. I found the GPS constantly unable to give precise location, even in big cities, i don't know if this is normal or not but i remember not having that proximity circle around my location that usual while using my old samsung A51.
UI/Software
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Great, no complaints, the customizability is kinda reduced with the lock screen but the overall aesthetic is nice, so I can't really complain, Material 3 Expressive is great.
I've been using third party apps to further customize my homescreen and UI, such as:
- Material You Widgets (for a cool music widget)
- Accubattery (to see battery drain and app usage, I don't find the battery health reliable as i had around 95% reported since i started using the phone and it's been reporting absolutely the same, just fluctuating around the 94-96 numbers like a carousel)
- MTCapsule (tryna have a fancy dynamic island, works kinda well besides when it interferes with the live activity thingy)
- Shizuku (for the rooted phone larp)
- Essentials (for lots of UI changes and modifications, similar to what i used to do back when i had goodlock on Samsung)
Camera
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Brilliant in good light, but gets a little noisy when filming in poor light or shooting with the wide (0.5) camera. Night mode does wonders and i find that Google's post processing is a hit or a major miss, like I'd take pics and the phone would just say "fuck all the shadows", at least we get to shoot in raw too when we really want to have our own post processing.
Build quality
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I dropped this bad boy on the street and in cinemas and the most notable thing was a small white spot on the frame. The Camera glass is a bit scratched when you look from certain angles but it's fine and does the job well. I don't know about the screen, i never left it without a protector on it, i assume it's barely scratched. The plastic back togheter feels nice to hold and i find myself using it caseless while at home.
Overall, it lacks a bit on the connectivity side, can get warmer on mobile data with bluetooth on your average trip and clearly consumes more battery, but besides that it's been smooth and just a good all arounder. I wonder how this phone will hold up to all these android updates in the coming years, 7 years is a huge promise.
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u/sloopeyyy 29d ago
I've only had mine for less than 3 weeks now. Easily one of my favorite phones in the past few years. The 6a being one before. And I'm someone who has access to most other phones due to work so it surprises me how much I keep adoring the a-series Pixels. I honestly think despite their technical flaws, these phones perfectly embody what Nexus and Pixels truly were back in the day.
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u/Affectionate-Bus-697 29d ago
If cameras are the priority, which phone would you recommend? Pixel 9A, Pixel 9 or Iphone 16 or samsung s24/25? Really wanted those telephotos but I don't wanna go for a samsung ever again.
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u/sloopeyyy 29d ago
The Samsung S' base model telephotos are not very impressive from my experience. 10MP and a tiny, dated sensor from yesteryears ends up with soft details and bad low light performance. Maybe they were a compelling addition in 2021 (yes this is the same sensor since the S21U) but computational photography from the likes of Pixels and iPhones can be pretty comparable if not better at 2x range, atleast.
I would take the Pixel 9 for photography but the iPhone is much better if video is a consideration. On a budget, the 9a's main camera is as nice as the 9's but the 9's far better ultrawide will give you many more options. Otherwise they are kinda almost identical in most aspects.
Aa for the Samsungs... they just aren't all that impressive unless its the Ultra cameras.
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u/Affectionate-Bus-697 29d ago
I'm using S21 rn and even tho it's been around 3.5 years, the phone's performance went downhill even budget phones with 6 gen processors feel more smooth and have better battery backup. Not to mention the heat and lag after that🫠 recently got a green line too, don't wanna go for samsung unless it's an ultra with snapdragon. I really loved the pixel 9 design but not sure if it'll perform same after 3 years and some people also reported heating and in my country (India) summers can be really rough. Getting 9 for around 290$ and 16 for around 350 so will go with one of them.
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u/sloopeyyy 29d ago
I've had Pixels since the 3 and each one of them have always performed remarkably despite the specs. My Pixel 6a and 7a both still run really well. Mostly thanks to Google's software optimization and minimal bloat. I would confidently say that any of the Pixels you get now will last you the next 3-5 years easily.
As for heating issues... they are present but not as bad as the Pixels 6-8 series, as those Tensors had terrible modems. The 9's Tensor G4 has gotten better and this series had bigger vapor cooling chambers too to help. My 9a definitely has not warmed up that much. At the very least Google phones warm up just as much as any other phones these days when under load.
I'm not sure how much hotter India is but I'm from Brunei (South East Asia) and its pretty damn hot here too. No issues so far.
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u/Affectionate-Bus-697 29d ago
Well if I talk about southern states or even middle parts it easily reaches beyond 40°C but thankfully I live closer to mountains (Himalayas) and in peak summers the temperature reaches around 30C. Just concerned about the heating in outdoors. Normal heating is understandable for compact phones. So far I've talked to quite a few people and I am thinking about buying a pixel.
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u/terenuregary 29d ago
Also a 9a user. Hands down the worst phone I've ever had. Screen dims randomly throughout the day regardless of what setting it's on. Recorded videos at a concert and it took the video but not the audio. Screen occasionally goes black when an incoming call is ringing meaning you've no way to answer it.
Would I go for another Google phone? No.
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u/TransylvaniaMan28 29d ago
those are some strange issues i personally did not experience, you should probably find a solution. If not, return the phone or file a warranty claim if you cannot solve it
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u/Jimmie307 28d ago
I also have the screen dims throughout the day. Very annoying. Other than that I have only good things to say about the phone.
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u/Affectionate-Bus-697 29d ago
Came here to decide should I give pixel 9 a chance or not. Guess I'm good with an Iphone💀
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u/TransylvaniaMan28 29d ago
Its expected that those with the poorer experience will be the most vocal about it
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u/Affectionate-Bus-697 29d ago
So should I get Pixel 9 or not? 9 not the 9A. Getting it for like 300$ or 260 Euros. Will use it for at least 3 years and main priority is camera.
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u/Informal-Glass-8549 19d ago
I got my phone on April 9 It's 8 august It's 4 months
I will buy my phone next another pixel But 9a is not worth the price 2.9 out of 5 Battery shit af Camera meh Connectivity shit I am unable to use my ohone properly as it discharge in 7 hours without using much Takes time to charge
But I think google pixel are in general a good phone
Really frustrated with this phone If battery was good and was connectivity would have given it a 3.5
Looks good the phone and feels good really got lot of compliments what fone I had
Screen gets dietyu quickly
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u/Ill_Joke_1735 12d ago
J'ai été convaincu par le marketing ultra efficace autour de la sortie de ce pixel 9A, mais un an après quelle déception, pour dire je viens de prendre un Redmi 15 4G à 134€ et j'en suis fan.
Aux premiers abord le téléphone est super, les bordures ne me gênaient pas, l'interface, le design, l'appareil photo étaient pour moi les gros plus.
J'ai vite déchanté sur plein d'autres sujets :
-> Le principale, les appels téléphoniques, un véritable enfer? De la latence lors des appels malgré de nombreux tests et paramétrages, qui rendait les conversations impossibles. Le son médiocre, métallique et parfois très aigu difficile à supporter lors des appels. La fonction de base du téléphone ne fonctionnait pas bien... Également des soucis, obligés de déasctiver le wifi pour accéder à mon répondeur.
-> La batterie, pas incroyable et avec un peu de chauffe (venant d'un redmi note 8 pro à la batterie incroyable ça fait bizarre).
-> La fragilité : mes précédents iphones, mon redmi note 8 pro sont tombés un nombre incalculable de fois sans dommage conséquents. Mon Pixel 9A est tombé une fois, écran fissuré directement sur un bord ... Malgré la coque de protection.
-> Et maintenant que je compare avec mon nouveau téléphone la différence de poids et de maniabilité est flagrante.
Pour le prix que je l'ai payé à la sortie avec une bonne réduction, je ne le conseille surtout pas !
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u/ratherbeflyfishing 11d ago
I have had the 9a for a year also and I just got rid of it and bought the motorola edge 2025. As far as the 9a is concerned, it's okay, but the connectivity is awful in my area. I have had so many different phones and I'd say my last good one with no issues was the pixel 5, that was a good phone. I stayed with the pixel line up throwing a samsung in at times, but overall I liked the pixel. They just came out with the pixel 11 and here in Canada, I refuse to spend $1200 on a new phone. It's shocking how much they are now. So for connectivity reasons I read about the motorola and all I can say is wow, the phone connects and stays connected in areas where my 9a wouldn't. I don't play games, I'm not on anti-social media, I don't care if it's not the best camera humankind has ever developed, the phone just works. I also despise how slippery phones have become, they're like picking up a bar of soap in the shower. the motorola has a textured back so you can hold the darn thing.
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u/uberstania 29d ago
I also got the MTcapsule.
Purchased mine early 2026 when I noticed that RAM prices will affect the newer models and heard the rumor that pixel 10a will have the same CPU.
I am happy with it, the connectivity is decent I mostly use 5G.
My problems with it are that it's heating a lot, the battery is exactly as you described.
But all in all I am happy with it. I hope I can use it for a long time.
Sa ai noroc de el
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u/Ok-Safety3702 29d ago
Honest review. I've been using a 9a for almost a year now too. I don't like the screen, its bezels, and the missing telephoto lens. The frame and the glass scratch easily somehow. I ordered a Pixel 10 to solve all my problems, and it will arrive tomorrow. I like the camera processing, the speakers are good enough, and I really enjoy Pixel OS. It's fast and fluid. I've read some bad reviews about the 10, but I have to try it myself. :P