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Google reveals the Pixel 10a, a slightly better phone at the same $499

Google's latest budget Pixel brings a brighter display, faster charging, and minor design tweaks, while keeping the same price and core hardware as last year's model.

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Google Pixel 10a smartphone
Google Pixel 10a Google

After teasing its next budget-friendly phone earlier this month, Google today officially lifted the covers off the newest member of its Pixel 10 lineup. The all-new Pixel 10a arrives largely as expected, offering a modest refresh over the Pixel 9a with only a couple of subtle design refinements and incremental spec upgrades rather than a sweeping overhaul.

For the most part, the Pixel 10a sticks closely to its predecessor, so let’s start with what’s new. The phone drops the plastic ring around the rear camera module, allowing it to sit even more flush with the back panel for a cleaner, more seamless look. Google has also slimmed down the bezel around the display, giving the device a slightly more premium appearance.

The display itself remains a 6.3-inch pOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, but peak brightness has been increased from 2,700 nits to 3,000 nits. Durability also gets a boost with Gorilla Glass 7i replacing Gorilla Glass 3, and charging speeds see a minor bump to 30W wired and 10W wireless.

Mostly the same under the hood

Elsewhere, the hardware remains unchanged. The Pixel 10a continues to run on Google’s Tensor G4 chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. Battery capacity stays at 5,100mAh, while the camera setup is identical to last year’s model, consisting of 48MP primary, a 13MP ultrawide, and a 13MP front-facing sensors.

The IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, fingerprint scanner, Wi-Fi 6E, and NFC support also carry over, though Google has included a new modem to support Satellite SOS. On the software front, the Pixel 10a will ship with Android 16 out of the box, with Google promising seven years of OS and security updates.

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With no major upgrades this year, Google has kept pricing unchanged. The Pixel 10a starts at $499 and is available in Obsidian, Fog, Berry, and Lavender colorways. Pre-orders open today, with general availability beginning March 5.

Pranob Mehrotra
Pranob is a seasoned tech journalist with over eight years of experience covering consumer technology. His work has been…
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