The Pixel 10a might have the same processor, but it has an advantage over the 9a

The new Google Pixel 10a makes a few compromises this year, perhaps the biggest being that it’s no longer powered by Google’s latest yearly flagship processor. Instead of the latest Tensor G5, the Pixel 10a settles for last year’s Tensor G4 processor. Those hoping for a bit more performance on a budget will no doubt be disappointed.

To be fair to the 10a, the Tensor G4 was a flagship-tier processor (of sorts) just last year and is certainly no slouch for daily tasks. However, this means that the Pixel 10a is no faster than its predecessor, at least on paper. This certainly appears to be the case when we ran the phone through the popular GeekBench 6 CPU test as well.

The Pixel 10a and 9a are within the margin of error of each other, which you’d expect for identical chips running the same clock speeds. Outside Google’s ecosystem, these CPU results are in the ballpark of Samsung’s affordable Galaxy S23 FE from 2023. Still not bad for a $500 phone, but it does show how far Pixels are from the cutting edge of modern performance.

While general performance looks to be essentially unchanged, the Pixel 10a does seem to have a slim advantage over its predecessor — stress test temperatures.

Looking at 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme stress test, the performance starts out the same as last year’s model and is some distance behind the Pixel 10. However, as the test continued, the Pixel 10a maintained the lowest temperatures of the three, after starting from the same point.  The phone lasts a full seven minutes before we see a dip in performance, but at which point the Pixel 9a has already started to throttle back, and the new budget model is now competing directly with the more expensive Pixel 10.

So what does this mean for real games? Well, the Pixel 10 undoubtedly has a performance lead for lighter games and short play sessions over the 10a and 9a. However, for longer gaming sessions with demanding graphics, the Pixel 10a may not actually be that far behind. Real games aren’t as demanding as these stress tests, so it’ll take more than a few minutes for the gap to close. But half an hour of play might be enough to even out the frame rate, especially if you love emulating classic games.

Of course, there are a lot of variables here. We test all our phones at room temperature, but playing in warmer or cooler environments, using a case, or attaching a controller all make a difference. This isn’t a strong enough result to say the Pixel 10a is always better, but it’s a small win for the budget model over its predecessor. At the very least, the lower temperatures will make the Pixel 10a more comfortable.

In the round, I still think $500 for a phone with this level of performance — along with Google’s other hardware and software goodies — is pretty good value for money. It’ll have no problem running apps and lighter games, supports a wide range of Google’s AI goodies, and, of course, powers what continues to be a solid low-cost camera setup.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, Nothing Phone 4a Pro, or Moto G Stylus (2025), which all retail for around the same price or just under, the Tensor G4 still runs rings around them, particularly for gaming. While we might see some slightly faster rival phones appear in the coming months, they’re unlikely to leapfrog the Pixel 10a in raw performance for $500 or less.

However, part of Google’s sales pitch is that the Pixel 10a will receive seven years of Android updates. Meaning today’s pretty average hardware has to keep up with whatever our mobile OS looks like in seven years’ time. Given that some Pixel enthusiasts already complain that their flagship handsets can feel a bit sluggish just a year or so down the line, I wouldn’t buy the Pixel 10a with the expectation of using it for quite that long.

If you really want opt-tier performance on a budget that’s strong enough to last for the long term, the OnePlus 13R (or OnePlus 15R if you must) and the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE are perhaps better picks. Yes, they’re more expensive, but they still come in a little cheaper than the Google Pixel 10 and offer performance that not only beats the Tensor G4 but also Google’s newer Tensor G5.

Perhaps the biggest concern is not that the Pixel 10a uses the same processor as last year, but that it doesn’t cost much more to buy a phone that’s much closer to a flagship — with superior performance and more.