Budget-focused Pixel 10a makes minor tweaks but adds new camera features

Google has announced the Pixel 10a, its latest instalment in its budget phone line. For years this has been one of the best performance cheap camera phones and that’s set to continue with new features added.

Starting with the hardware, this phone looks the same as the Pixel 9a, but there are several new colours – Lavendar, Berry and Fog – while the dimensions aren’t exactly the same. That will likely mean that Pixel 9a cases won’t fit this new phone.

While the phone looks the same, there are subtle differences. The back is flatter, with the flush camera now more seamless compared to the Pixel 9a which was slightly raised with a visible flange around the glass. The SIM tray also moves to the side of the phone away from the bottom.

But much of the phone’s hardware remains the same: notably it still has the Google Tensor G4 powering it, the same as the Pixel 9a and that’s the first time that Google hasn’t reflected the hardware of the flagship phone in this cheaper device. The Pixel 10a will support Bluetooth 6, which is an upgrade.

The display stays at 6.3-inches still with a sizeable black bezel around the edges and while it’s still a 120Hz OLED screen, it is now protected with Gorilla Glass 7i instead of Gorilla Glass 3. That means more drop protection, greater scratch protection and it’s a much more recent version of Gorilla Glass.

But that’s not the biggest update to the display: it now offers 3,000 nits peak brightness up from the 2,700 nits previously, while the HDR brightness increases too. That’s going to make Google Photos look even better.

The battery life is much the same, but it now offers faster charging at 30W compared to 23W previously. That’s not going to change the world, but it’s a step in the right direction.

The cameras on the Pixel 10a are exactly the same as the Pixel 9a, but there are additional features – Camera Coach and Auto Best Take. Given that the cameras and the hardware powering this phone is the same, there’s every chance that the new camera features will be added to the Pixel 9a as a software update.

For those who are environmentally conscious, Google points out that 36% of the phone by weight is made from recycled materials, up from 23% in the Pixel 9a – so it’s a greener phone too. Perhaps interesting is that the new device only comes with a 1-year warranty, whereas the previous device offered 2 years.

It launches on Android 16 with the customary 7 years of updates and it will cost £499, with pre-orders starting today and general availability from 5 March.