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pixel 9a

· 8 min read

why did I choose pixel 9a over poco f7 or other alternatives?​

as a replacement for my temp vivo y28s and the poco f5 pro that died in the rain :(

the phones I've owned

first of all​

  • it's pink, I like the color, I want to break the gender stereotypes, and escape the boring black and white mentality that npcs have!
  • at first I liked the lighter pink on 9 and 9 pro more, but the more saturated 9a turned out to be fine, I'm not getting the flagships anyways
  • it's full of hardware compromises, but the authentic pixel feel beats it all, and having an overkill phone that I have no use for feels way worse than this
  • I don't game on my phone, it's only used for information and gps tracking, so performance generally isn't an issue
  • I don't need the best processor for social media scrolling, I do think phones need to improve, but I don't need the best phone
  • I'm purposefully not picking the best hardware this time, instead going for software, accessory support, and minimalism, those are really the things I should value
  • I was a custom rom user, but I'm going to stop wasting time on it
  • wireless charging is a must, and 9a has it
  • I might be biased since I've had the 3a and is going for another pixel, but I think it's mostly due to their minimalism which I like
  • I know what I need, what I want, and what I use, I don't use the stuffs phone marketing teams tell me to use, except the pixelsnap on pixel 10... that's quite good
  • and lastly, almost no camera bump!

software​

  • stock android, with good google apps and no bloat, I know google steals my data but most self hosted solutions have bad ux, and every other os sucks ass, so I'm sticking with google
  • android 15
  • 7 major upgrades
  • easy bootloader unlock (only needs to be done once though)
  • rich custom rom support

cpu​

  • tensor g4, has a unique charm, and makes me a non-npc, I know it would be hotter than other socs, and I'm down for her!
  • performance is sufficient
  • efficiency is sufficient
  • slightly warm but also fine

camera​

  • official astrophotography mode, fun
  • official gcam config
  • slight downgrade from pixel 9, but more than enough for me
  • almost no camera bump, unbelievably nice

body​

  • smaller size and screen, nicer to hold, more compact
  • sleeker design which I actually like
  • high quality buttons
  • ip68 that actually feels trustworthy
  • plastic back! glass is pointless
  • supports esim, will come in handy overseas
  • google haptics, I realized how important good haptics is, especially after using the f5 of course
  • way better accessory choices, nice official case, proper screen protectors, I'd like to have a fabric case but it's impossible to find

display​

  • 1080x2424, I like the lower resolution!
  • gorilla glass 3, cheap shit, but I'm gonna use a screen protector anyways
  • low pwm frequency, fine for me
  • I'd like to have some bezels for obvious reasons, durability, less ghost touches, and screen protector support

memory/storage​

  • 8GB, should be fine, android has zRAM whatsoever, what could I even do on my phone to fill it up? the future of android updates are slightly worrying though
  • 128GB, is small, but should also be fine if I regularly transfer shit to pc
  • ufs 3.1, isn't the random read/write that matters? doubt I will need 4.0 based on my usage

comms​

  • bluetooth 5.3, is fine, 6.0 doesn't seem to have anything worth having (wikipedia)
  • double band gps, for cycling tracking, most phones should already have it
  • usb 3.2 is awesome, f7 still only got 2.0

battery​

  • 5100 mAh, sounds fine to me considering tensor's average efficiency, it's gonna age, sooner or later
  • 23w wired, I don't use my phone much so not an issue, plus I'd like a lower charging temp than whatever 90w will give
  • 7.5w wireless, I will always wirelessly charge at my desk, so lower temps are great, and f7 doesn't even have it

what about ai?​

  • shut up

first impression​

  • HOLY SHIT PEONY IS GORGEOUS, I'M IN LOVE WITH IT!!!
  • solid buttons and haptics as always
  • design is modern, beautiful, and minimalistic
  • tensor g4 performance is actually great
  • the plastic back feels premium, but it's not completely flush with the frame, and the center of it sounds a bit hollow, the 3a plastic back felt more solid
  • status bar is a bit thick due to the front camera being farther from the top and bigger, not a big issue, I don't know much but, does it really cost that much?
  • I like the bezels, ghost touches won't happen on this phone
  • coming from vivo, the native android ui brings joy to my life again
  • the optical fingerprint sensor is slow
  • average battery life, not awesome and not bad, as pixels always have had, but it's enough for me
  • the 8g ram is the only thing on paper that sucks, but the real things that suck are the android bloat updates over the years, including everything about security, none of that addresses the social engineering backdoors
screen border folding traces

the top center of the display has noticible folding traces when viewed from an angle

similar to 8 pro's under display bump issues, potential wide-spread screen defect

well, google said it's fine as there is no functional impact to pixel 8's performance or durability, true, it's fine

the lacking features​

google is really a bunch of minimalists who refuse to add some of those practical features

  • display seconds isn't enabled
  • can't change the battery charge percentage
  • can't double press power button to turn on flashlight
  • no miracast, only google cast
  • no separate quick settings option for turning wifi on and off

I'm not sure why it's like this, but seems like they've been like this since the first pixels

besides those, I've also observed some minor ui bugs

these are probably caused by having animation off

  • quick settings in camera disappears after recording
  • toggling color correction makes part of the screen flash, and screen appears darker for a while
  • turning the screen off makes it flash
  • non critical face unlocking requires you to tap to confirm, doesn't seem like a bug

updates​

2025/11/23​

  • cycled to qingtiangang with my 9a mounted on the bike computer mount, screen on the lowest brightness for 6 hours, with gps tracking always on, consumed about 50% battery
  • upon further inspections, my 9a actually got 2 tiny dents on the bottom side of the frame, possibly came from bumping into the bike stem...
  • there it is, I've ordered the official case and 2 cheap gor screen protectors, gonna keep the phone in the bike bag before it arrives

2025/11/24​

  • the case arrived at senao within a day, silicone on the outside, pc on the inside, no solid plastic buttons, it pretty much looks like an iphone silicone case
  • it's a bit slippery
  • people say it's thinner than 3rd party cases, not sure about that
  • the build quality is great, but the silicone makes the phone so bulky, tasteless, and bland
  • doesn't matter too much honestly, since they don't make fabric cases anymore, I don't even have better choices, and I'll only put the case on when mounted on my bike

2025/11/25​

  • the gor screen protectors arrived, costing only $185 ntd for a set of 2
  • the quality feels awesome for this price, it fits the screen perfectly, and the smoothness is on par with the bare screen
  • the black border doesn't intersect with the display since 9a has some medium thick bezels, which honestly still looks very nice, and is also more practical

2025/11/26​

  • I've been loving it, the pure and clean pixel feel, the vibrant peony color, the components I need, the phone I actually like, I can embrace the pink without being afraid of the gay label (no, I'm not)
  • battery life and ram could be improved, but it is perfectly fluid enough for my light use, don't just compare the phones on paper, pick what you need, not what you don't need
  • none of the coolest cutting edge tech I'd have fear of missing out about not fully utilizing

pixel 9a