GOOGLE’S latest mobile is out – and it’s a tempting phone that’s far cheaper than its Apple rivals.
The new Google Pixel 9a is a thrifty alternative to costly top-end blowers, and it’s officially releasing in the UK and the US today.
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But before you splash out on the new handset, there are some deals you might want to take note of.
The Sun has rounded up some of the best ways to bag a bargain, including a special offer that gets you the phone for free.
But first, here’s what you need to know about the new Google gadget.
GOOGLE PIXEL 9A – THE KEY BITS
The Pixel 9a is the cheapest entry to Google’s new Pixel 9 series, coming in at £499 in the UK and $499 in the US.
It runs on Google’s Android software, and comes in four attractive paintjobs: Obsidian, Porcelain, Peony, and Iris.
Google is calling it a “one-charge wonder” on account of its 24-hour battery life, which climbs to a frankly staggering 100 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode turned on.
It has a 6.3-inch Actua display that reaches up to 2,700 nits peak brightness (so it’ll be vibrant outdoors in the sun).
And there’s a dual-rear camera on the back (48-megapixel wide and 13-megapixel ultrawide), which is decent for this price point.
There’s also a 13-megapixel selfie camera to boot.
You get 128GB of storage as standard, but you can upgrade to 256GB if you need it – and there’s 8GB of RAM.
It supports AI features, including Google’s Gemini assistant that you can have entire conversations with out loud.
And it has bonus tricks like car crash detection, an auto-locking theft protection feature, and guaranteed security updates for seven years.
It’s also vastly cheaper than the Google Pixel 9, which would cost you £799 / $799.
GOOGLE PIXEL 9A – UK DEALS
In the UK, there are some direct offers you’ll want to know about.
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For a start, if you buy the handset from Google, you’ll get £25 in Google Store credit towards another purchase.
That deal ends on May 6, so keep this deadline in mind.
You can also get up to £415 back with an eligible phone trade-in via the Google Store, which includes a £150 bonus. That’s a great deal considering the low price of the phone.
To get the full amount, Google says you could swap in a Galaxy S24 Ultra or iPhone 14 (which is now two years old).
And the Google Store is currently offering two-year financing for £20.79 a month, but just be aware that finance deals carry risks, especially if you’re late on payments.
In terms of carrier deals, there are some great options.
Over at Mobiles.co.uk, the cheapest contract you can get is £18.99 a month.
- Google Pixel 9a at Mobiles for £18.99 a month on iD – buy here
GOOGLE PIXEL 9A – THE OFFICIAL SPECS
Here’s the full list…
Display
- 6.3-inch Actua display
- 20:9 aspect ratio
- 1080 x 2424 pOLED at 422.2 PPI
- Smooth Display (60–120 Hz)
- Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 cover glass
- Up to 1,800 nits (HDR) and up to 2,700 nits (peak brightness)
- 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
- HDR support
- Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colours
Dimensions and Weight
- 154.7 mm (height) x 73.3 mm (width) x 8.9 mm (depth)
- 185.9 g
Battery and Charging
- 30+ hour battery life
- Up to 100-hour battery life with Extreme Battery Saver
- Typical 5,100 mAh (minimum 5,000 mAh)
- Fast charging
- Wireless charging (Qi-certified)
Memory and Storage
Processor
- Google Tensor G4
- Titan M2 security coprocessor
Security
- Google VPN at no extra cost
- End-to-end security designed by Google
- Multi-layer hardware security: Tensor security core, certified Titan M2 security chip and Trusty (Trusted Execution Environment)
- Anti-malware and anti-phishing protection
- Spam protection in Google Phone and Messages
Rear Camera
- Rear Camera Summary
- Dual rear camera system: 48 MP wide | 13 MP ultrawide | Super Res Zoom up to 8×12 and optical quality at 0.5, 1×12
Wide Camera
- 48 MP Quad PD Dual Pixel with OIS & CLAF
- f/1.7 aperture
- 82° field of view
- 1/2″ image sensor size
- Super Res Zoom up to 8×12
- Optical + electronic image stabilisation
Ultrawide Camera
- 13 MP ultrawide camera
- ƒ/2.2 aperture
- 120° field of view
- 1/3.1″ image sensor size
Front Camera
- 13 MP selfie camera
- ƒ/2.2 aperture
- 96.1° ultrawide field of view
Camera Features
- Camera Features
- Super Res Zoom up to 8×12
- Add Me
- Macro Focus
- Night Sight
- Astrophotography
- Portrait Mode
- Face Unblur
- Long Exposure
- Real Tone
- Panorama
- Top Shot
- Frequent Faces
Editing Features
- Magic Editor
- Auto Frame
- Reimagine
- Magic Eraser
- Best Take
- Photo Unblur
- Portrait Light
Video
- Rear Camera
- 4K video recording at 30/60 FPS
- 1080p video recording at 30/60 FPS
- Digital zoom up to 5×12
Front Camera
- 4K video recording at 30 FPS
Video Features
- Audio Magic Eraser
- Macro Focus Video
- Cinematic Pan
- Slo-mo video support up to 240 FPS
- 4K timelapse with stabilisation
- Astrophotography timelapse
- Night Sight timelapse
- Optical image stabilisation for video
- Fused video stabilisation
- Cinematic Pan video stabilisation (4K, 1080p)
- Locked video stabilisation (4K, 1080p)
- Active video stabilisation (1080p)
- Video formats: HEVC (H.265), AVC (H.264)
Audio
- Stereo recording
- Speech enhancement
- Wind noise reduction
Materials & Durability
- Composite matte back
- Satin metal frame
- IP68 dust and water resistance
- Fingerprint-resistant coating
- The aluminium in the housing is 100% recycled content
- Made with at least 23% recycled materials based on product weight
- 81% recycled plastic in back cover
- 100% plastic-free packaging
Security and OS updates
- 7 years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates
Operating System
Authentication
- Fingerprint Unlock
- Face Unlock
- Pattern, PIN, password
Safety
- Emergency SOS
- Crisis Alerts
- Car Crash Detection
- Safety Check
- Emergency Location Service
- Emergency Contacts & Medical Info
- Android Earthquake Alerts System
- Theft protection
Sensors
- Proximity sensor
- Ambient light sensor
- Accelerometer
- Gyrometer
- Magnetometer
- Barometer
Buttons and Ports
- USB Type-C® 3.2
- Power button
- Volume controls
SIMs
- Dual SIM (Single Nano SIM and eSIM)
Media and Audio
- Stereo speakers
- 2 microphones
Connectivity and Location
- Wi-Fi 6E (BCM 4383) with 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz + 6 GHz, 2×2 MIMO
- Bluetooth® v5.3 with antenna diversity for enhanced quality and connection
- NFC
- Google Cast
- Dual Band GNSS
- GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS, NavIC
Network
- 5G Sub-6 GHz27 Model GTF7P
- GSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1,800, 1,900 MHz)
- UMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA: Bands 1,2,4,5,6,8,19
- LTE: Bands B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/14/17/18/19/20/21/26/28/32/38/39/40/41/42/66/75
- 5G Sub-627 : Bands n1/2/3/5/7/8/12/20/26/28/38/40/41/66/75/77/78/79
- Bands B23/255/256
- eSIM
Picture Credit: Google
That’s on the iD network for 24 months, with 100GB of 5G data, unlimited minutes and texts, plus a £9 upfront fee.
It means you’ll pay £482.76 over the two years, which is actually less than the retail value of the phone.
And it includes 90 days of McAfee cover for free, plus roaming across 50 destinations as well as data rollover.
If you want a little more data, Vodafone’s offer on the site is the same monthly fee (£18.99) but an upfront cost of £90 for 400GB of 5G data.
- Google Pixel 9a at Mobiles for £18.99 a month on Vodafone – buy here
That’ll cost you £543.60 over two years, which means you’re technically only paying about £45 for the 24 months of SIM.
GOOGLE PIXEL 9A – US DEALS
The US outright cost is $499 for the phone, which isn’t bad at all.
But you can get it on a 36-month finance deal from the Google Store for $13.86 a month – although financing carries risks, so do your research before picking the offer up.
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The Google Store is also offering $100 in credit towards a new purchase if you by the Pixel 9a before April 23.
And you can get the handset for just $99 if you make an eligible trade-in.
Representative trade-in handsets for the max amount include a Pixel 8 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro.
One of the most tempting deals is from Verizon, which is giving you the phone for free if you add a new line.
Specifically, you’ll need to get the Unlimited Ultimate, postpaid Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Welcome plan for 36 months.
- Google Pixel 9a at Verizon for free with new line – buy here
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
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