Google Pixel 9a Ireland launch brings premium Android experience to more affordable smartphone
by Mark Kavanagh · Irish MirrorLast year was a hugely successful year for Google in terms of product delivery with its Pixel 9 series smartphones, Pixel 3 Watch and Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Irish Mirror rated its Pixel 9 Pro XL handset as our favourite smartphone of the year - giving it a rare ‘perfect’ rating for the imaginative combination of software and hardware that produced the best Android experience you could get on a 2024 smartphone.
And conscious of the fact that not everyone loves large smartphones as much as me, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro was the exact same perfect experience in a more compact 6.3in frame.
Irish Mirror also loved Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the firm’s first foldable to go on sale in Ireland. And even though it was dubbed “frustratingly imperfect” at launch, it was and still is one of the best foldables you can buy. That’s not bad going for a second attempt in a smartphone segment seemingly much more popular in China than Europe.
Pixel Watch 3 is also worth a mention as it rivals Galaxy Watch 7 as the best WearOS smartwatch you can buy and is the closest an Android fan can get to a seamless Apple Watch style experience.
There are huge discounts today on all of the above products at both the Google Store and on Amazon. Pixel 9 Pro Fold has almost €500 slashed off its original price, making it the best value book-style foldable in Ireland currently.
What’s new with Pixel 9a?
Today also sees the launch of the tech giant’s opening salvo for 2025 with the Pixel 9a, which continues the tradition of bringing a premium Android experience to a more affordable smartphone. It is driven by the same Google Tensor G4 chip as the other Pixel 9 devices and has 8GB of RAM.
The firm said that Pixel 9a is Google’s most durable ‘a’ series device yet. It’s got a metal frame and improved IP68 protection, so it can handle water and dust. It also boasts a new scratch-resistant 6.3in Actua display.
The screen has a wide 20:9 aspect ratio, full HD resolution, up to 2,700 nits of peak brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, support for HDR content and a 422 pixels per inch pixel density.
Pixel phones are all about the amazing camera experience and to Google’s credit, even though the hardware on ‘a’ series devices may not be the same as the more expensive models, the company does such a great job on computational photography that the likes of Pixel 8a were generally the best photography option in a phone costing less than €600. I look forward to testing the new handset out in this regard to see if it continues that tradition.
Pixel 9a sports a 48MP main wide angle camera and 13MP ultrawide camera, and for the first time on an ‘a’ series phone, you can capture the smallest details using Macro Focus.
You also get many of the Gemini AI photography features such as Add Me, which enables you to ensure that no one is left out of a group photo – just take one photo with the group, then swap in the photographer. Pixel magically merges them together. You also get much loved Pixel Camera features such as Best Take, Photo Unblur and Magic Editor.
The firm said Night Sight on Pixel 9a enables you to take amazing photos in lowlight and you can capture a short clip of the stars with Astrophotography for the first time on an A-Series phone.
Gemini is Google’s AI assistant which is available on every Android smartphone so naturally it is on Pixel 9a.
Other Pixel 9a features
With more than 30 hours of battery life promised from its larger 5,100 mAh battery, Pixel 9a should be a reliable all-day device.
The company also promised seven years of Pixel Drops and OS and security updates.
Pixel 9a includes three months of free Google One cloud storage, three months of free YouTube Premium and six months of Fitbit Premium.
Pricing and availability
Google Pixel 9a starts at €559 for 128GB of storage and will be available at the Google Store and through Google retail partners such as Amazon beginning in April. The larger 256GB storage option is €659 and I would recommend you choose this if you take a lot of photos and videos.
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