Google has a very solid lineup of budget phones that look a lot like its main Pixel models. The company refers to these powerful mid-range smartphones as the Pixel A series, which you’ll see with a lowercase “a” next to the numbered name. While they look and sometimes feel the same as their older flagship siblings, there are enough differences to justify the price difference, making them cheaper than the basic entry-level alternative mainline. The simplest comparison is to the Samsung Fan Edition (FE) phones.
Usually, Pixel A phones are made with less luxurious or expensive materials, lower RAM, slightly less powerful system-on-chip, weaker cameras, and sometimes the omission of high-end software features found in its flagship series. Depending on someone’s smartphone needs, the savings may be worth it or a deal-breaker — or the differences between the cheaper and more expensive alternatives may not even be noticeable.
Where are the shortcuts?
Machha/Shutterstock
Let’s take the Google Pixel 10a as a primary example, as it’s the latest A-series that is often considered a competitive and great value phone compared to similarly priced options. The Google Pixel 10a retails for $500, while the starting price of the standard Google Pixel 10 with 128GB is $700. At its core, the Google Pixel 10a is powered by the Google Tensor G4 and comes with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of starting storage, and a 5,100mAh battery. It is also equipped with a 6.3-inch Actua pOLED display, capable of a 120Hz refresh rate. The camera uses a dual rear camera system and a front lens measuring 48MP, 13MP and 13MP respectively.
Compare all these specs with the Google Pixel 10. The flagship base entry is powered by the Google Tensor G5, has 12GB of RAM (although some of it is reserved for AI features), has 128GB of starting storage, and a 4970mAh battery. It also has a 6.3-inch Actua LTPS OLED display, capable of a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The cameras are more advanced, as the phone uses a triple camera on the back, including a telephoto lens that the Pixel 10a doesn’t have, and one on the front, at 50MP, 13MP, 10.8MP (telephoto) and 13MP (front).
Finally, you have to consider their premium design and materials, which vary considerably between these two phones. The Pixel 10a has thicker bezels and weaker glass protection than the Pixel 10 (with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i in the former versus Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 in the latter).
Are the discounts used to reduce the price worth it?
Machha/Shutterstock
The downsides of the Pixel A series are sometimes worth it. It all depends on your personal needs and values as a phone owner. The biggest difference between the Pixel 10a and Pixel 10, besides the frame size and listed specs, is the camera system. Although the panel types (plastic or glass substrates), glass protection and Tensor chip are also different, with the Pixel 10a being worse in all of these areas, the contrast is not too noticeable for the average consumer during daily use.
For photos and videos, even though the Pixel 10 has an additional telephoto lens that adds more versatility, images should still look almost identical. So all in all, the $200 price hike may not be worth it – although still circumstantial, since the Google Pixel 10 is technically better in almost every aspect – but in reality it represents a considerable amount of money. Then, of course, you can sometimes get lucky and find one with a bigger discount, in which case you just buy the Pixel 10, which is objectively better.
