Why I’m telling everyone to skip the $499 Pixel 10a and buy a $599 Pixel 10 instead

The Google Pixel 10a is right around the corner. Pre-orders for Google’s next budget Pixel officially open on February 18, and if you’re in the market for an affordable Android handset, you might be tempted to buy a 10a next week.

However, I’m here to advise that you don’t.

While the Pixel 10a should be a perfectly fine Android phone, the truth is, you can currently buy a significantly better Pixel handset for not much more than what the Pixel 10a will cost you. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t.

At $599, the Pixel 10 puts the Pixel 10a to shame

The other Pixel I’m talking about is the baseline Google Pixel 10. Originally released last August at a retail price of $799, the phone is currently on sale for just $599 — only the third time it’s been priced this low. Google has yet to confirm the Pixel 10a’s price, but rumors strongly suggest it’ll retain the same $499 price as the Pixel 9a.

Assuming that’s true (which it likely is), that means there’s only $100 separating the Pixel 10a and the Pixel 10 at its current sale price. While $100 isn’t a small amount of money, given the Pixel 10’s many upgrades over the Pixel 10a, it’s unquestionably worth the extra cost.

One of the most prominent reasons for this is the performance. Multiple reports indicate that the Pixel 10a is powered by Google’s Tensor G4 chip — the same one found in last year’s Pixel 9a. The 10a is also expected to stick with the same paltry 8GB of RAM. Comparatively, the Pixel 10 features Google’s latest Tensor G5 chip and a much more reasonable 12GB of RAM.

The most obvious upside is that the Pixel 10’s newer, more powerful chip and extra RAM make the phone more performant than what we expect from the Pixel 10a — especially for demanding apps and multitasking. However, this also impacts the availability of numerous software/AI features.

As we saw with the Pixel 9a, its Tensor G4 and 8GB RAM combo wasn’t powerful enough to support numerous features — including Pixel Screenshots, Call Notes, and Notification Summaries. As Google develops more complicated AI tools, the list of missing features is only going to get longer. If the Pixel 10a is stuck with the 9a’s same chipset and RAM configuration, it’ll find itself in the same spot.

The other big thing to note is the camera setup. While the Pixel 10a should have the same primary and ultrawide cameras as the Pixel 10, it doesn’t have the Pixel 10’s telephoto camera, which dramatically limits the types of photos you’ll be able to take.

And there’s more. There’s no indication that the Pixel 10a will include built-in magnets for magnetic Qi2 and Pixelsnap accessories — arguably one of the Pixel 10’s best features. The Pixel 10a is reported to have a dimmer and less durable display compared to the Pixel 10, older Bluetooth technology, an optical fingerprint sensor instead of a faster ultrasonic one (like the Pixel 10 has), and slower charging — both wired and wireless.

Ouch.

The Pixel 10a doesn’t make any sense

Some of those downgrades are obviously less critical than others. However, when you add everything together, what you get with the Pixel 10 that you don’t with the Pixel 10a — for only $100 more — is almost unbelievable. To summarize, the full list of upgrades includes:

• Newer Tensor G5 chip
• 12GB RAM vs. 8GB
• 10.8MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom
• Built-in magnets
• Higher maximum display brightness
• Newer/stronger Gorilla Glass
• Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
• Faster wired and wireless charging
• Newer Bluetooth tech

I’d argue that the chipset and camera differences alone make the Pixel 10 worth the extra money, but when you add everything else on top of those two, I don’t see any scenario where waiting for the Pixel 10a makes sense.

If the Pixel 10a were shaping up to be a bigger upgrade than it is, there would probably have been an argument for waiting. But given just how little Google appears to have changed compared to the 9a, the $599 Pixel 10 is undoubtedly a better purchase. Buy it now while you can — you won’t regret it.