As a Pixel fan, I still have one big concern about the Pixel 10a

Last year’s Pixel 9a was a phone that checked almost every box. For $499, its combination of practical hardware, great cameras, excellent software, good battery life, and seven years of software updates was almost too good to be true. But it was true, and the Pixel 9a emerged as one of Android Authority’s highest-reviewed phones of 2025.

As the Pixel 10a has leaked over the past couple of weeks, it’s become increasingly obvious that it won’t be a dramatic upgrade over its predecessor. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing! So long as the 10a addresses the few lingering issues of the 9a, we could be looking at another top-tier budget Android phone.

However, at this point in the rumor cycle, it’s all but confirmed that the Pixel 9a’s biggest shortcoming won’t be fixed by the Pixel 10a. And if that’s the case, it brings into question the entire purpose of Google’s next smartphone.

Google heavily markets the Pixel 9a as an AI phone, as has been the case for all Pixels over the last couple of years. Between Gemini Live, AI photo editing/generation, phone calling features, and more, so much of the modern Pixel experience revolves around AI. And to power these AI tools, you need ample memory.

Because of how little RAM it has, Google had to outfit the Pixel 9a with its “extra extra small” Gemini Nano model, the same one used in the Pixel 8. If the Pixel 10a is stuck with 8GB of RAM too, it’s likely getting the same Gemini model as a phone released nearly three years ago. And at the rate at which AI tools are developing and getting more resource-hungry, that’s a big problem.

As we saw with the Pixel 9a, 8GB already wasn’t cutting it in 2025. At launch, the Pixel 9a was missing multiple Pixel features available on Google phones with more memory, specifically, Pixel Screenshots and Call Notes. In the months since, the Pixel 9a has missed out on other Pixel features due to its memory limitations — most notably AI Notification Summaries.

You could argue that a handful of missing features isn’t enough to get worked up about, but I would strongly push back against that.

Clever software features are what make Pixels so enjoyable to use. We all know Pixels aren’t the best choice for breakneck performance or multi-day battery life, but that doesn’t matter when the software is so good.

Pixel Screenshots, while not the most talked-about Pixel features, is such a nice addition on my Pixel 10 Pro. When I screenshot a movie or concert ticket, having a shortcut pop up to immediately add it to Google Wallet feels like magic. Call Notes have regularly come in handy when I want to remember important details from a phone call, and Notification Summaries have been nice to have, too.

The Pixel 10a presumably won’t have any of these things, and what’s troubling is how this will likely cascade throughout 2026. If the phone has 8GB of RAM and an outdated Gemini model, not only will it launch in a hampered position, but it will almost certainly miss out on many more Pixel features throughout its life — effectively diminishing what should be one of the number one reasons to buy it.

I say all of this while also appreciating that RAM prices are at an all-time high. Asking for a new mid-range phone with more RAM and no price increase is a tall order in 2026.

However, with Google presumably saving a heap of money on the hardware, chipset, and other specs, I’m not buying the excuse that Google couldn’t afford an additional 4GB of RAM for the Pixel 10a if it’s keeping everything else as is. From what we’ve seen, the Pixel 10a will match the Pixel 9a spec-for-spec — including the same Tensor G4 chip — with the only discernible difference being slightly smaller display bezels.

Coming off the Pixel 9a, Google had an easy path to success with the Pixel 10a: keep the phone as is, upgrade the RAM to 12GB, and call it a day. That’s quite literally it. But if that’s not happening, then what’s the point of the 10a?

Google is expected to announce the Pixel 10a on February 18, and for the sake of Pixel and budget Android fans alike, Google better have a damn good sales pitch for why the phone matters. Coming off a year where the 9a was an overwhelming success — and to potentially ignore the one thing that needed fixing — the Pixel 10a is in a mighty precarious position.