On more expensive Pixel phones, you can take macro shots using the ultrawide lens, which has autofocus. The Pixel 9a doesn’t have that, but it can take macro photos with a new AI-assisted feature called Macro Focus. This uses the primary sensor to create a sharper close-up shot. Again, we’ll have to see how this performs in real life, as Google hasn’t provided many specifics. The phone has other banner Pixel camera features, including Add Me, Night Sight, Face Unblur, astrophotography, and editing features like Best Take and Magic Editor.
Android, updates, and availability
The software experience should hew close to the more expensive Pixel 9 phones. The phone will launch with Android 15, and it’s guaranteed seven years of OS updates. That will include an update to Android 16 in June, as well as regular Pixel Drop releases every few months with new features.
This phone has most of the features we’ve come to know on the flagship Pixels, like Call Screen, Recorder summaries, and Gemini Live. Google says this phone runs Gemini Nano, helping it process data more securely on your device instead of the cloud.
Google notes this is the only phone in its price range with Gemini Nano for local AI processing, but the list of supported features is lacking—we’ve asked Google for a full accounting of AI features and will report what we get. Gemini is still at the core of the experience, though. Google’s flagship phones include a free year of Gemini Advanced, but there will be no such deal on the Pixel 9a.
If you’re interested in the newest Pixel, you may have to wait a bit. Google hasn’t nailed down an exact release date yet, saying only that the phone should be available in April. Preorder details will be made available soon.
