In 2025 a smartphone is a near-free travel tool. It is what many of us are confident for boarding and train tickets, not to mention the extensive GPS navigation and taking tons of photos as soon as you arrive.
These scenarios (and much more) make many demands on your phone, so you need a device that is on the task. Just before a trip to New York at the end of April, I rated Google’s Pixel 9a, a mid-range hand set that really impressed me while I was usually at home.
However, wandering through the streets of Manhattan was another kettle with fish. It would have been more logical to switch to the reliable Pixel 9 Pro XL, where I had a positive experience with me during another trip and used a full three months, but I took the risk anyway.
And in most areas the Pixel 9a did not abandon me. During my time in NYC, five brilliant benefits of the phone emerged. However, it also revealed a major disadvantage that would prevent me from recommending it for travel.
A good design
When I visit a big city for the first time, I know that I will use Google Maps often. That was no different in New York, where I trusted to navigate from place to place, to find restaurants and make a route.
As you can imagine, that was a lot of time to hold the phone while I was holding on the street. When I didn’t stared at the dizzying skyline of New York, I stared at my phone screen, which is where the lightweight, compact build of the Pixel 9a came into its own.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Even with an appropriate case, the Pixel 9a was comfortable to hold all day
At 186G it is far from the lightest phone there is – it is not 162G Galaxy S25! But compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL (221G) and Galaxy S25 Ultra (218G), it is a big step in the right direction for me. Even with an appropriate case, the Pixel 9A was comfortable to hold all day.
The compact design also worked to his advantage. The 6.3-inch screen was enough large enough to see everything, but much more appropriate than huge handsets. Talk about the screen …
Chris Hall / Foundry
What a display
The display of the Pixel 9A is perhaps smaller than most flagships, but the quality is still there with some of the very best.
The P-Oled screen looks just as good as every regular OLED for me, making it just as great to view YouTube videos as browsing the internet or navigation. Content looks clear and crispy, while the fast 120Hz refresh rate ensured that everything remained silky and fluid.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
However, what made the most impression on me in New York was the brightness. The 949-nit maximum came into its own to Brooklyn Bridge and in Central Park, where the bright sunlight could have influenced visibility.
Instead, the Pixel 9a was easy to read and use in any environment I needed-you can’t always say that about a mid-range phone.
Heavyweight performance
A lot has been taken about Google’s decision to use its own tensor chipsets in pixel telephones, with the latest Tensor G4 inferior at the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 -Elite in most benchmarktests.
However, as the Pixel 9 series demonstrated, the performance is still strong enough for the vast majority of people. And don’t forget that the Pixel 9a is a mid-range telephone with comparable priced handsets, the phone from Google is picking up well.
I think my use in New York was fairly typical for a traveler – Google Maps, Chrome, WhatsApp, YouTube and taking a lot of photos. The version of the Pixel 9a did not blown me away, but it didn’t let me down either. It is crucial that there were no delays or bugs that stopped me in my tracks, even during multitasking.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Unless you are planning to use serious mobile gaming or other high intensity apps while you are gone, the Pixel 9a has all the performance you need.
Great battery life, finally!
The lifespan of the battery has long been considered a weakness of Pixel A phones.
Earlier, the greatest capacity we had seen was the 4492mAh cell of Pixel 8a, which will last a full day of moderate use, but not much more.
The Pixel 9A has the best battery life I have ever experienced on a Pixel telephone
That just wouldn’t cut it for a full, heavy use day in New York, where I knew that I would be away from a charger for 12+ hours. So I was careful optimistic for the massive upgrade to a 5100 mAh cell in the Pixel 9a, and it didn’t disappoint.
Even on those incredibly demanding days, where the brightness was almost maximum, GPS and mobile data were permanently on and hundreds of photos were taken, the Pixel 9a was still about bed.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
I would go so far to say that the Pixel 9a has the best battery life I have ever experienced on a Pixel phone. Given the compact design and the relatively affordable price tag, Google has followed the battery life.
23W Charging is much more disappointing, but I still thought it was able to get a full -day battery during the time I prepared in the morning.
Killer photography …
I have stored the best of the Pixel 9a to last a long time, and it will probably not come as a surprise: the cameras. And in particular the 48MP head rear lens.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
On paper it is a small downgrade of other Pixel 9 telephones, but I doubt whether you will notice it (I certainly didn’t do that). Photos are consistently lively and well exposed and offer a strong dynamic reach and excellent skills with little light.
As I said in my full review, it is a narrow second of the Pixel 9 Pro XL when it comes to point-and-shoot photography. In other words, you can open the camera app, press the shutter button without changing settings and getting great results. See a selection in the gallery below.
If you ask strangers to take pictures of you at the top of the rock or in Central Park, that is important. It also emphasizes another strengths of the Pixel 9a: realistic skin tones.
That is also clear on the 13MP camera on the front. I took my part of selfies in New York and they almost always came out great.
The 13MP Ultrawide is not so good, but it is more than usable when capturing an incredible view of the New York skyline. In contrast to some phones, there is no huge drop-off quality when switching from head to ultrawide.
… except when you want to zoom in
All three lenses on the Pixel 9A perform well, but it is one of Google that I really miss.
On the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL you will receive a 48MP periscope -telephoto -lens that offers 5x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. That makes a huge difference if you are far away from the subject you want to record, as was often the case in New York.
But when I turned to the Pixel 9a, I had to do it with Sub-Par Digital Zoom. Google’s preset options only go to 2x, which is about time when I felt comfortable. Everything that is further, and the quality deteriorates quickly, with 10x.
An important example of this was taking the States Island Ferry, who passes through the statue of freedom on his journey. I didn’t have time to go to Liberty Island myself, but still wanted a high -quality photo of the monument. Without a telephoto lens that was in principle impossible.
The sunset below is fun, but it could have been so much better.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The ferry was one of the many situations in which I wanted me to have a telephoto lens in my pocket. I took more than 1,000 photos during my week in New York, but would have taken a lot more if I had the right zoom options.
Given it such a fundamental part of the experience for me, I cannot recommend the Pixel 9a for traveling, especially if you visit a city like New York.
All three lenses on the Pixel 9a are performing well, but it is one of Google that I really miss
If you don’t mind a larger, heavier phone, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is still my best recommendation. However, there are numerous great alternatives in our guide for the best telephones you can buy that may suit you better.
