As Google presented the Pixel 10a, I did what everyone else does: I opened the sheet, compared the chip to what other smartphones offer at the same price, and felt the familiar discomfort. I asked myself one question: “Why is Google doing this?”
The Pixel 10a features a Tensor G4 chip (as of 2024) that didn’t impress in benchmarks, thick front bezels, a 120Hz display that doesn’t have a truly variable refresh rate, no telephoto camera, and a battery that supports slower charging than the competition. On paper, it looked like a call that lost a fight before entering the ring (and a rumble match no less).
Four weeks later, I came to a point I didn’t think I could, but I want to defend: the Pixel 10a sheet is the wrong document to judge this phone by. After weeks of regular use, I realized that the Pixel 10a isn’t for people who buy phones (especially after reading the spec sheet) — it’s for people who actually live with them.
The screen you stop seeing (in a good way)
Let’s start with the display. Yes, the bezels are thicker than you’d see on competitors, and the phone doesn’t use an LTPO panel that drops to 1Hz when the screen is idle. However, it wasn’t until days of consistent use that I noticed that app transitions were fluid, navigation gestures were perfectly synchronized with your fingers (and the speed at which you swiped), and general scrolling felt seamless on the Pixel 10a.
The Pixel 10a was bright enough on a hot, sunny day, so I didn’t have to protect the screen with my hand, and that’s what matters, not just the high brightness numbers.
The chip doesn’t do well in benchmarks but it nails everyday use
The chipset argument is pretty easy for me to dismiss at this point. The Tensor G4 trails the Tensor G5 by a significant margin. However, it was when I was using it as a primary device (along with my iPhone 17) that I noticed it never felt like it was not marking properly.
Google, which is the name behind the Android operating system, has improved the chipset (and the supporting hardware) to such an extent that I did not notice the difference in daily use. First-party apps open almost immediately, and Google’s Gemini AI assistant works seamlessly (since it has a capable TPU).
You might argue that the Pixel 10a’s competitors offer a dedicated telephoto lens for versatility, but after shooting around 800 photos and some 100 videos with the device, I’ve come to the conclusion that two lenses are well-tuned and years of computer imaging development surpasses the average three.
Good cameras and battery life make up for it all
Whether you know the resolution of the Pixel 10a’s main camera or not, it captures balanced and natural images, with consistently accurate (or nearly as accurate) skin tones. Features like Night Sight and Photo Unblur, which add to the photography experience, aren’t tied to hardware either.
The same goes for the Pixel 10a’s battery, which easily gives me about seven to eight hours of screen-on time. On 12- to 14-hour workdays, the battery usually goes in the next morning. Charging speed is behind the competition, but I think the phone isn’t designed for last-minute additions; the focus here is endurance, not speed.
All this, in my opinion, is combined with Google’s flawless Android experience, which does its job on the device in its purest and most efficient way. The Pixel 10a is clearly an example of how a phone with less impressive hardware can still provide excellent usability with well-made software, which the company backs up with seven years of software support.
Pixel 10a: A phone that just works
The Pixel 10a isn’t a winning phone in terms of specs. With one win on Tuesday afternoon, if you need a quick Gemini response, snap a picture against the light, or a battery that goes a long way even if you’re close to the 10% worry mark. You can’t do everything using a benchmark, and that’s where the specs debate stops bothering me.
