The Pixel 10a doesn’t have a camera bump, and that’s great

Over the years, smartphone manufacturers have made the camera bigger on devices to speed up camera processing. Although this type of design makes the camera better, sometimes, it causes some problems to use. With the Pixel 10a, Google took a new approach by eliminating the camera bump and creating a flat phone that sits on top.

While this is an exciting change in the world of large-format cameras, Google hasn’t changed its design with its newest smartphone. The Pixel 9a looks very similar, with a much smaller camera.

I have a black band, but Google offers the phone in Lavender (a mix of light blue and purple), Berry (coral), and Fog (green-green) colors.

The screen size of 6.3 inches is the same as last year’s device, but the display is now brighter at 3,000 nits. Google is using the same Actua display it used with other Pixel 10 devices to make it easier to use in bright light. The display can reach a refresh rate of 120Hz, but the unit sends it to 60Hz, so you have to change it manually through the phone settings.

Build-wise, the Pixel 10a goes toe-to-toe with the Pixel 10, with a few differences. For example, the Pixel 10 has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back. The cheaper 10a has a plastic back and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the front. The budget device also has a larger 5,100 mAh battery, compared to 4,970 mAh on the original Pixel 10. The Pixel 10 Pro XL has a 5,200 mAh battery.

There are only a few differences between the Pixel 9a, Pixel 10a, and Pixel 10, most of them related to performance and computing power. The most obvious hardware difference is that the budget series of phones uses the Google Tensor G4 CPU, compared to the Tensor G5 and the Pixel 10. The Pixel 10 phones charge at 30W through USB-C, from the 23W power supply of the Pixel 9a. Wireless charging is supported at 7.5W for the Pixel 9a, 10W for the Pixel 10a, and 15W (magnetic) for the Pixel 10.

The battery burst and new charging rate are useful because the battery lasts easily throughout the day, including using your usual apps, watching movies for a few hours, and light gaming. In addition, the bright display makes the device better able to handle different lighting conditions. Yes, the 10a has chunkier bezels than its more expensive cousin, but it doesn’t make much of a difference in day-to-day use. After all, you’re getting the device at a fraction of the price tag.

The Pixel 10a uses the Tensor G4 chip, which was also used in the Pixel 9a. This means that there is no benefit to doing this year, which you will notice if you switch between many programs. Thanks to the chip and 8GB RAM combo, the Pixel 10a can’t run the updated version of Gemini Nano, which means it has fewer AI tools on the device than the Pixel 10a series.

The list of features not available on the Pixel 10a includes notification summaries, the Pixel’s photo app, Magi Cue (which gives you suggestions for apps like Gmail, Messages, and Maps), text, and on-device call translation.

The phone has a 48-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera, which is the same as last year’s device. The big camera is great for most things, even in low light. But due to the old and small sensor on the ultrawide, it tends to lose a lot. Also, it does not have autofocus.

Pixel 10a has AI camera feature which will lead you to shoot something. This controls the design of the drawing to ensure that the object fits perfectly in the image. There’s also Auto Best Take, which combines photos to create the best photos from a group of shots, which is useful when shooting in a crowd. The phone also has support for up to 8x super-res zoom, but the resolution and quality are not the same as the Pixel 10, which offers up to 100x zoom through this model.

Of course, some of the AI ​​could make its way to the Pixel 10a via Pixel Drop, as Google can usually get them to work on older models.

Google offers seven years of software updates with this device, which is essential for adding operating system updates, as well as feature updates and security updates. Although this is not the only Pixel 10a, the phone has a quick sharing feature that now works with AirDrop. This means I can transfer photos, as I did in this case, to my MacBook in a matter of seconds. Previously, I had to connect the Pixel 10a to my MacBook with a USB-C cable.

At $499, good battery life, a bright display, and fast charging are things that are going well with the Pixel 10a. At this price, the phone offers good value for money in a light and sleek design. However, if you had a Pixel 9a last year, there’s no reason to switch. In addition, the $499 Nothing 4a Pro offers a strong competitor to Google’s budget device with better features, such as a larger and brighter screen, a more capable Qualcomm processor, a dedicated telephoto lens, and a faster 50W charger.