Google Pixel 10a review: The sidegrade
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I really don't have a problem with phones, especially the budget line, not getting massive improvements every year. If you have a 9a, you don't need to upgrade to a 10a. Cool. If you have something else, and you were going to get a budget Pixel, then you know the 10a is the latest and we're not just waiting for the replacement to come out in a month or two.
My wife preordered one. She went from years of Pixels to a Moto Razr Ultra something something because she liked the idea of a flip phone style foldable. The camera is so dogshit that she's giving up on it. It also turns out the little outer display isn't that useful and the unfolded display is annoyingly tall. Plus other issues. It just hasn't been a good experience for her.
My wife preordered one. She went from years of Pixels to a Moto Razr Ultra something something because she liked the idea of a flip phone style foldable. The camera is so dogshit that she's giving up on it. It also turns out the little outer display isn't that useful and the unfolded display is annoyingly tall. Plus other issues. It just hasn't been a good experience for her.
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Google sent me a pretty aggressive ad for the 10a, hoping me to trade in my 8a for a price higher than I paid for it back then. It also features a nice deal for Google Fi, which is something I've been tempted to do anyways.
But...8a does everything I need it for, and I can't in good conscious trade it in for unnecessary e-waste. The complete side-grade made it even less tempting.
I guess I can wait for 11a.
But...8a does everything I need it for, and I can't in good conscious trade it in for unnecessary e-waste. The complete side-grade made it even less tempting.
I guess I can wait for 11a.
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I'm making the update from a 7a to a 10a tomorrow, if the shipping is to be believed. My daughter has a 9a and the camera does seem to be lovely, so that'll be an upgrade for me, and I welcome the return to a flat back.
I'm not expecting it to change my life, but I'm increasingly realizing the only things that get me hot and bothered for purchaseable performance are vehicles and gaming PC components. I'm perfectly happy with a perfectly cromulent smartphone. I appreciate that this review takes that into account: it's a mid (not bad!) phone at mid prices.
More holistically, it is a puzzlingly small update over a 9a, but my circumstances - coming from a 7a plus a deep discount through Google Fi - take the sting out.
I'm not expecting it to change my life, but I'm increasingly realizing the only things that get me hot and bothered for purchaseable performance are vehicles and gaming PC components. I'm perfectly happy with a perfectly cromulent smartphone. I appreciate that this review takes that into account: it's a mid (not bad!) phone at mid prices.
More holistically, it is a puzzlingly small update over a 9a, but my circumstances - coming from a 7a plus a deep discount through Google Fi - take the sting out.
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Your wife had a very similar experience to the one I had with the Razr Ultra. I love the outer screen honestly, being able to do messaging without getting sucked into doom scrolling is nice, but the inner screen is definitely too tall and I've already broken it once from opening it. And the camera ain't great!
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Three years does seem like about the right amount of time to wait between upgrades these days if you are interested in having a "good" phone.
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The wireless situation with the Pixel 10 is appalling IMHO. I bought a 10 Pro a few months ago and was expecting it to work pretty much the same as my previous phone - a 5+ year old Mi Mix 3 - on my car's wireless charging pad, but no such luck. From what I've gathered, Pixel 10 wireless charging compatibility is truly hit or miss. Some chargers work, some don't. The phone seems to heat up enormously in any case.
Luckily the battery capacity has allowed me to go through the day, even on days with heavy use, without needing a boost, so I simply let it charge overnight. It's still disappointing that it feels like a downgrade in this respect.
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Mostly Ignorant
Ars Centurion
I'll probably buy this when my OnePlus Nord...whatever version this is, dies. The Fidelity App no longer supports the device, so the writing is on the wall. I stopped chasing high end phones many years ago, and I've just never felt like I was missing out. The Pixel 10a line seems like the next logical stop for my money, even if it's not a significant upgrade over the 9a.
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The problem with Tensor is not that they didn't upgrade to the latest chip, it's that Tensors have never QUITE been good enough anyway. For most things, it is perfectly adequate, but there are just enough instances where my Pixel needs just a BIT more performance for a few seconds and it makes the phone feel cheap and janky. Even a single higher-performance core would be so welcome. The UI is good, the hardware is good, but I shouldn't be getting slightly crap performance on a phone I bought 6 months ago. I don't regret my purchase, exactly, but I also won't be replacing my Pixel with a Pixel if they continue on the same path.
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She liked the outer screen at first, but I think she said it always ends up on a different screen when she pulls it up. I think BT performance was absolutely shit while it was folded as well, which sucks because that tiny screen would be absolutely perfect for a music player.
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I've typically waded through GSMARENA to find which Moto G phones actually have good internals and get those for $300 every 3-4 years.
The main issue I've had with them is just awful photo quality.
I'm tempted to spring the extra $200 so I can retire my aging Samsung M62 (I keep it essentially as a better camera) and move to just one phone.
I'm not sure how to weight "Google primary spyware access to my everything" vs "cleaner Android experience", though.
The main issue I've had with them is just awful photo quality.
I'm tempted to spring the extra $200 so I can retire my aging Samsung M62 (I keep it essentially as a better camera) and move to just one phone.
I'm not sure how to weight "Google primary spyware access to my everything" vs "cleaner Android experience", though.
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Why didn't you just take them in for the battery replacement? It was free under warranty. Wife and I went out to lunch while hers was done, I got the text before we were done eating. Same experience when I started getting the green lines on my Pixel 8, covered free under warranty and done in right around an hour, the only thing I was kinda bummed about was that uBreakIFix wouldn't give a discount on a battery replacement, they were already taking the phone apart for the warranty work, charging $130 for the battery at that point was highway robbery, but whatever, corps going to corp.
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I like that it has no camera module bump. If it had a dedicated fingerprint reader on the back (you know the one that actually worked on my pixel 3a) I would likely get one.
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I got one of these and I've found the battery to be really unimpressive. It's not end of the world bad, but I upgraded from a Galaxy S20 and even though my old phone is five years old it could go longer between charges than my pixel 10.
Find it pretty enjoyable otherwise though.
Find it pretty enjoyable otherwise though.
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Except the 10a doesn't have the Qi2 magnets, which really sticks in the craw given how not so much cheaper from the regular 10 it is. Looking at 128GB vs 128GB, right now on Amazon, it's $675 vs $499.
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I bought my 9a about 2 weeks before the 10 was announced. At first I was bummed but after seeing the 10a specs I just laughed.
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If this is anything like my Pixel 8a, it's great at snapshots and almost worthless for anything else, which I feel like most reviewers did not point out. They just say "the camera is good", which it is if what you want is to touch a button and just accept what the camera spits out. But it feels like it's on the Pixels terms, not on my terms. I've had mine for coming up on two years and I've come to almost resent it, to the point that I just don't want to take photos anymore. Because what's the point? I push a button and pray to the algorithm gods for a good result. I can't do anything about it. I can just point the lens and hope. Otherwise it's a good little phone but the camera I feel is extremely overhyped.
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Dunno about that. I'm using an iPhone 14 Pro that I bought 3.5 years ago, and i expect to use it for another 3-4 years (recently replaced the battery)
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As someone that seriously considers the iOS switch every phone cycle and still falls just this side of Android, I can tell you that I've disabled the shit out of things (without jailbreaking or, you know, putting any real effort in) and my phone seems to have fairly little idea who I am. Obviously, I'm signed in, but there's no search history, I keep location turned off unless I'm specifically using it, and anything to do with targeted advertising is turned off. It has a rough idea where I am based on my IP and that gets me the weather well enough.
The only pain-adjacent point is that it (Firefox, chiefly) was convinced for years that I was in a city two and a half hours away, so with very grabby websites wanting to pin you to a location, it would always tell me about that store's inventory/ordering/etc and so on. I could relax the cookie policy for a couple key sites and get around that, but where's the fun in that?
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You realize this is exactly what most users are looking for, right?
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Okay, so my Pixel 4a (5G) will probably continue to do the things I need it to do.
Great.
Less AI garbage for the Pixel A-series next round, maybe?
Great.
Less AI garbage for the Pixel A-series next round, maybe?
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Considering the way Google Fi structures their deals (need to keep the device for 4 months to get the discount), you can probably find pretty deeply discounted used ones on eBay in a few months, or a used 9a right now for like $250.
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As someone who used to use a DSLR...
Yeah, this is exactly what I want. I can pull my phone out of my pocket, double tap the power button as I'm doing it, and snap a ton of pictures within a second or two. And they usually look better than my DSLR could ever do, right there on the spot. Especially in low and extremely low light.
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EmphyrioDonk
Smack-Fu Master, in training
It's Google man! "Do no evil" Google. Of course you can ehm...Wait !! You can't trust them.
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I want to make sure it's unlocked for AT&T which is what I'm on, and also I want the Qi2 magnets. Really annoying to not have them on something that's $500. On a super cheap phone I get it, BoM matters, but mid-range, this is not brand new stuff now, it should be standard on mid-range phones now IMO.
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the article said:
This is something I really feel. I don't need something amazing...but if they could just shave off a few mm that would be nice...anyway.
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If this were Apple, we would hear the marketing "Even slimmer than before, with improved performance. It's AMAZING!!!".
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If you're considering this, look at a discount/open-box/used 10 as well. They're roughly the same price now and you get more for your money in the 10.
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Sure, but the only impression I got when reading reviews and comments in general was how great it was and how much they loved using the great camera, even by reviewers who focused more on the camera. Don't get me wrong, it is good in some respects and when I got it it was a good up/sidegrade to the Xperia 5iii I had before (because the Pixel 8a at least has good autofocus), but ... I struggle mightily with it. I can see stuff I want to take a shot of (and would have with any other camera/phone) but with the Pixel I skip it because it'll be an annoying struggle to make anything close to what I want.
But yes, I know my opinion differs from the vast majority, but I actually know a couple of people IRL who has been burned by Pixels for exactly the same reasons as me, so I do think voicing a dissenting opinion isn't a bad thing.
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Also check your email for discounts. I don't know if they're still doing deals like they were during preorder, but my wife got hers for $350 I think.
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Sadly this phone does not suite my needs and I am glad I have other Android options to choose from. I know I am in the minority with this one and it's something that sadly most brands are phasing out but in the end for me, no 3.5 mm headphone jack no sale. For me the practicality of it especially when I am at work in the field it's too useful and more reliable and less moving parts than wireless earbuds. I just like simply plugging something in and having it work. Adaptors I find too unreliable and most I have used are over priced and don't take long to wear out.
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The flat back will be appreciated by my pants pockets compared to the current ridge, but I'm wondering if that means more camera lens scratches when flat on a not-clean surface.
Anyway : Normal-pocket size, big battery, fast enough to browse, 7 years of updates, actual SIM slot. I'll probably grab one, discounted, in 6-12 months to replace my P6.
Anyway : Normal-pocket size, big battery, fast enough to browse, 7 years of updates, actual SIM slot. I'll probably grab one, discounted, in 6-12 months to replace my P6.
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Getting back to having a truly flat back is awesome. Major improvement, seriously. It's still a big chunk of cash for a phone but focusing on the basics is exactly what a lot of people need from their devices.
The creeping AI'ism is concerning though. I really wish we could get some phones that are stripped of all their AI bloat.
The creeping AI'ism is concerning though. I really wish we could get some phones that are stripped of all their AI bloat.
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You know, if they're going to sidegrade this hard, perhaps it's time to extend the upgrade cycle to 2 years?
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Honestly buying excellent condition used phones is (IMO) the best way to go. You can buy last years flagship for half the price of new, getting flagship level features and specs (which in practice change so little year over year as to barely matter), plus it reduces e-waste. In my experience (I've usually bought from Backmarket, buying from individual sellers is cheaper but likely more hit or miss) the phone is totally indistinguishable from new.
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One possibility is that they are going to move to a model where the 'a' line lags behind the flagship by 1.5 years instead of 0.5 years. So next year they will come out with a 11a that's based on the 10 pro and the G5 SoC.
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