Google Ditches the Camera Bump: The Pixel 10a Review

For years now, smartphone makers have made the camera bump on devices bigger in order to chase camera improvements. Even if that kind of design makes cameras better, at times it creates usability issues.

Google's new budget smartphone, the Pixel 10a, takes a bold step by removing the camera bump entirely. This design change, combined with its affordable price tag of $499, makes it an attractive option for those looking for a great value on a smartphone.

Design and Display

The Pixel 10a has a 6.3-inch display, which is the same as last year's device. However, the display is now brighter at 3,000 nits, making it more usable in bright conditions. The screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate, but it ships with it set to 60Hz, so you'll need to manually change that through the phone's settings.

• The phone is available in four colors: plain black, Lavender (a mix of bright blue and purple), Berry (coral), and Fog (a gray-green tone).
• The build and specification-wise, the Pixel 10a goes toe-to-toe with the Pixel 10, with a few differences.

Performance and Battery Life

The Pixel 10a uses the Tensor G4 chip, which was also used in the Pixel 9a. This means there are no performance gains this year, which you might notice if you switch between a lot of apps. However, the phone has a bigger battery of 5,100 mAh, which easily lasts throughout the day.

• The Pixel 10a charges at 23W through USB-C, which is slower than the Pixel 10's 30W charging speed.
• Wireless charging is supported at 7.5W for the Pixel 10a.

Cameras and Software

The Pixel 10a has a 48-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera, which is the same as last year's device. The main camera performs fine for most conditions, even in low light. However, the wide-angle lens tends to lose some details and doesn't have autofocus.

• The phone features a camera coach AI feature that can guide you in taking a shot of an object by helping frame it better in the viewfinder.
• Auto Best Take merges photos to create the best composite from a bunch of shots — useful when photographing a group.
• The phone also has support for up to 8x super-res zoom, but the processing and quality aren't as good as the Pixel 10.

Verdict

At $499, the Pixel 10a offers good value for money in a light and flat design. However, if you already have last year's Pixel 9a, there is no reason to change. Also worth considering: The Nothing phone 4a Pro, also at $499, poses tough with better specifications, such as a bigger and brighter screen, a more capable Qualcomm processor, a dedicated telephoto lens, and faster charging speeds of 50W.