Google’s Pixel 10a has (finally) broken cover. Here’s my quick thoughts on Google’s latest “affordable” Pixel phone.
I was genuinely very impressed with Google’s 2025 budget Pixel handset, the Google Pixel 9a last year; while it kept the slight price hike that we’d seen in the Pixel 8a, it did so while offering a really great blend of features and performance for those who didn’t want (or need) a premium-grade Pixel device.
While it’s been no secret at all – when even Google itself is talking about the Pixel 10a, you know the Pixel 10a is coming – the wraps are finally off the Pixel 10a, and… well…
Look, I’ll cut to the chase here; it’s basically the same phone as the Pixel 9a, barring a few very small changes.
How much does the Pixel 10a cost in Australia?
In Australia, pricing for the Google Pixel 10a starts at $849, with pre-orders starting from today.
That’s the same price as the Pixel 9a was when it was new last year, and the same price that the Pixel 8a was too.
In these… ahem… interesting economic times, there’s something to be said for a phone that keeps prices the same, though I can’t be the only one who misses the really old-school, even-more affordable Nexus phones, can I?
When can I buy a Pixel 10a in Australia?
Pre-orders kick off from today, but they won’t be on store shelves (virtual or otherwise) in Australia until the 5th of March.
How do the specifications of the Pixel 10a compare to the Pixel 9a?
This is where it gets… interesting, in many ways. Let’s put them head to head.
That seems… very similar. What’s actually NEW about the Pixel 10a?
It comes in a colour called “Fog”?
What, that’s not enough?
This is what “Fog” looks like, just in case you were curious.
There are some differences between the newer and older a series Pixel phones, though they’re not what (on paper) one might call substantial. While the display hasn’t changed in size, it is somewhat brighter which could aid visual clarity in bright sunlit environments, or if you fancy blinding yourself in the dark by pumping the brightness all the way up for some reason.
It’s also had a slight uptick in terms of typical glass durability, swapping out Corning Gorilla Glass 3 (as on the Pixel 9a) for Gorilla Glass 7i. I’d still advise on getting a case and maybe screen protector, but then I’m notably fussy about such things for every phone anyway.
Perhaps as a nod to the ultra-thin phones of 2025 – devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge – the Pixel 10a has an entirely flat back, as distinct from the camera bar found in full-fat Pixel 10 phones, or the little bubble camera array on the Pixel 9a.
According to Google, it is the Pixel phone that contains the most recycled material of any Pixel phone to date.
I feel like there’s some kind of joke here about recycling the Pixel 9a to be made, but I just can’t work out how to phrase it… OK, OK, that aside, this is a nice initiative by Google to work towards sustainability, though as some commenters noted on my Pixel 9a review, there are some questions around the overall repairability of Pixel phones due to Google’s use of lots of glue around battery compartments. I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that score.
You do get 7 years of security updates, OS upgrades and Pixel feature drops, which is always nice, though given the essentially identical architecture of the Pixel 9a, it does make me wonder if Google can (or will) opt to shift that phone to an effective 8 year cycle. If an OS or security update can run on the Pixel 10a, I can’t see an obvious reason why it shouldn’t be able to do so.
Google Pixel 10a: Alex’s early thoughts
If it wasn’t obvious, there’s going to be no reason at all to upgrade from a Pixel 9a, not that year-on-year upgrades have made much sense in smartphone land for a while now.
Google’s taken a rather slow-and-steady approach here, and while I did like the Pixel 9a a lot last year, I’m not quite so sure I’m going to be as thrilled with it this year given we can expect to see some of last year’s true flagship phones fall to near (or even below) the price of the Pixel 10a this year.
Maybe Google’s done some AI-assisted predictions on component prices for 2026 and I’ll be eating those words as its competitors struggle to keep prices below $1000 for similar phones… but I doubt it.
I’m waiting right now for a review model to come in so I can more comprehensively test it out and let you know my full thoughts – stay tuned for that!
About the Author
