It’s finally here—after several weeks of leaks and rumours, Google’s newest addition to its smartphone lineup has finally been made official. For those of you not aware, the Pixel 10a serves as the latest Pixel model in the company’s roster of Android phones, although a closer look reveals that it shares a lot of specs with its predecessor, the Pixel 9a. There are some new tricks as well, but do these justify its price tag?
CHECK OUT: Google Adds Two More Years of Support for its Somewhat Forgotten Pixel Tablet
Let’s start with the design. Take one look at the Pixel 10a, and you’ll most likely mistake it for the Pixel 9a from last year, especially with the flat design and missing camera bump. It also comes in a couple of new colours this time around, which Google refers to as Fog and Berry. The design does feature some very subtle tweaks, such as the wider and flatter camera window at the back and the somewhat slimmer bezels, although it’s still obvious that this is first and foremost a budget Pixel phone.
As for the display, the Pixel 10a’s screen stays at the same 6.3-inch width, although it’s also gotten some upgrades. For one, it’s a bit more durable now thanks to the Gorilla Glass 7i layer on top (goodbye, Gorilla Glass 3), and it’s also brighter at 3,000 nits of peak brightness. You do get the same 120Hz refresh rate and built-in fingerprint scanner still.
Under the hood, it’s clear that Google has kept things mostly the same as well. It’s still running the Tensor G4 chip from the Pixel 9a instead of the G5 found on its flagship brethren, with memory and storage options still at 8GB and 128GB (or 256GB), respectively. It does supposedly have a newer modem though, which should hopefully reduce connection issues. The Pixel 10a’s battery also stays the same at 5100mAh, albeit with a much faster 30W charging speed this time around.
Flip the phone over, and the similarities with the Pixel 9a remain consistent. In addition to the camera’s overall similar design to the 9a, the cameras themselves come with the same resolution at 48MP for the main camera, and 13MP for the ultra-wide sensor. Unfortunately, the phone’s plastic back lacks support for Google’s Pixelsnap accessories, which is quite a shame as it’s one of the more appealing features on the Pixel 10 series phones.
Thankfully though, Google has also decided to keep the Pixel 10a’s price the same as last year—the phone starts at £499, although it should be noted that the Pixel 9a has also gotten price drops in the UK, with some deals going as low as £350.
