This is the the main upgrade I want to see on the Pixel 10a

I’m in love with my Pixel 9a. I switched over to Google’s mid-ranger after using flagship phones for more than a decade, and I regret nothing. The phone has plenty of power, offers a brilliant software experience with seven years of updates, and is very affordable at its launch price of $500.

However, there is one thing that bothers me about it. One thing I’d like Google to change with the Pixel 10a, and it’s not what you think. I don’t care for a larger display, the fancy camera setup from the Pixel 10 Pro, or anything else that will drastically increase the price. What I want is to get the feeling of a premium phone back, which I lost when I switched to the Pixel 9a.

The Pixel 9a has a plastic back, and I really want to see it made of glass on the Pixel 10a. Glass just looks and feels nicer, especially paired with the metal frame that the Pixel 9a already has.

I lost that premium feel that I so appreciated when switching from a flagship to Google’s mid-ranger, and I want it back. Sure, glass has its downsides, I know. It’s slippery, making it easier to drop the phone, and it’s quite fragile. However, the pros outweigh the cons for me.

Glass is beautiful. It shimmers in the light, giving a phone a more high-end look. It also feels a hundred times better in the hand. Yes, it’s a fingerprint magnet, which is one of the reasons why I thought a plastic back could still be a good option for me since I believed it wouldn’t show smudges as much. I was wrong. The back of my Pixel 9a collects more fingerprints than a CSI crime scene, so I have to wipe it down constantly.

The Pixel 9a is already a polished product, offering fantastic software, plenty of power, superb cameras, and great battery life. I really feel that, for the money, it doesn’t compromise much, outside of the plastic back. Switching to glass would most likely cement the phone as the absolute leader in its class.

The big question here is whether this can actually be done without increasing the price by much, if at all. I doubt that a switch to a glass back would add a whole lot to the Pixel 10a’s Bill of Materials (BoM), and although it would reduce Google’s margin, it could translate to higher sales due to increased demand.

A quick look at the competition proves it’s possible at this price point. The Galaxy A56, for example, is a direct competitor to the Pixel 9a and costs about the same. But unlike the Pixel, it has a glass back, so it’s not uncommon to see it in this price range.

The Galaxy also has a larger display, three rear cameras instead of two, and things like faster charging, all of which cost extra. Although it’s worth mentioning that while Google outsources its manufacturing, Samsung makes a lot of components in-house, including the more expensive ones like the display and the chipset of the A56. So with that in mind, Samsung’s margins are likely higher as is, since its BoM should be lower than that of the Pixel 9a.

However, other manufacturers, despite having far less sales volume and manufacturing capabilities than Samsung, still offer phones with glass backs in this price range — and even lower. One of them is the $380 Nothing Phone 3a, for example. And going back to Samsung, the company’s $300 Galaxy A26 also sports a glass back. All this tells me that Google could add a glass back to the Pixel 10a without increasing the price, although even if it went up for just a little bit, it’d still be worth buying.

As much as I have my fingers crossed, this likely won’t happen with the Pixel 10a. We’ve already seen a leak showing the phone’s back cover made of some sort of plastic.

Like all leaks, this one is still not confirmed, so technically, anything could happen, but I have my doubts that Google will go down this road. Usually, when a manufacturer starts adding premium features to a device, it raises its price right away. People seem to love the Pixel A series and have become comfortable with its drawbacks, so I think Google will leave things as they are — at least for the Pixel 10a — to keep the same pricing and make sure there’s a big enough gap between it and the Pixel 10. This is also a key part of Google’s product strategy; the plastic back creates a clear physical distinction between the affordable A-series and the premium flagship, nudging buyers toward the more expensive model for that truly high-end feel.

However, I hope I’m wrong. The mid-range market is more competitive than ever, and the lines between budget and premium handsets are blurring. A switch to glass wouldn’t just be a simple material upgrade for the Pixel 10a; it would be a statement that Google is serious about leading this category, not just competing in it, and I’d be willing to upgrade for that alone. The ball’s in your court, Google.