Google’s going down the “more affordable” route with the Pixel 9a, though it faces some stiff competition in this space.
Google’s latest update to its line of Pixel devices isn’t a surprise at all; it’s the replacement for the Google Pixel 8a, which not surprisingly comes in the form of the Google Pixel 9a.
When will the Pixel 9a go on sale in Australia?
The Pixel 9a will go on sale in Australia in April.
Yeah, that’s not terribly precise, but that’s all that Google Australia wants to say about it right now. Could be April the 1st, could be April the 30th, only Google knows for sure.
It would appear likely that it’ll go on sale in other markets before it launches here, quite possibly in late March.
Update: Nope, looks like it’s been delayed everywhere, with The Verge reporting that there’s some kind of component issue at play that might affect a small number of Pixel 9a units. So “April” it shall be everywhere, it seems.
How much will the Pixel 9a cost in Australia?
The Pixel 9a will cost from $849 in Australia with 128GB of storage, while the Pixel 9a with 256GB of storage will run you $999. The entry level model there has maintained the same price point as the Pixel 8a, though the 256GB variant has risen in price by $50.
I do miss when Google’s phones were really aggressively priced to undercut their flagship rivals, but I guess the Google Nexus phone days were a long time ago now…
So what’s interesting about the Google Pixel 9a?
You can get the Pixel 9a wet — but it’s wise to know about what water resistance does and doesn’t cover first.
Let’s have a look at what it’s got, shall we?
All of that is basically what you might expect out of Google’s lower-cost Pixel lineup relative to what it put into the Pixel 9 series – and especially the Pixel 9 itself, because in pricing terms it’s the closest Google family competitor, costing $349 more than the Pixel 9a does.
The Pixel 9a’s redesign is slight, but could be significant if you’re not the type to put a case on a phone – which, I hasten to add, you totally should do to protect your phone investment – because it’s been designed, as per Google, to be a flatter phone in terms of its camera bump. Honestly, given the whole “camera bar” approach of pretty much every other Pixel phone in recent years, this is perhaps the least Google-looking phone in the lineup!
Where the Tensor G4 was arguably a bit of an issue for performance in the premium spaces where devices like the Pixel 9 Pro Xl and Pixel 9 Pro Fold play, it’s less concerning at the Pixel 9a’s $849 price point, though that does bring it into contention with a couple of other flagship phone maker’s “lower cost” plays – I’m thinking here of phones such as the Apple iPhone 16e and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
Of course, having lots of choice in the upper mid-range market to pick from is no bad thing; I’m keen to put the Pixel 9a through its paces to see how it compares. Stay tuned…
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