Head to head
Google Pixel 9avsGoogle Pixel 9
The short answer
Neither the Pixel 9a nor the Pixel 9 wins a row by a gap you’d notice. The Pixel 9a is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£399 against £799). The Pixel 9a gets security updates for longer: until April 2032, against August 2031 for the Pixel 9.
- Released
- 2025-04-10endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £399Google Store UK, retrieved 2026-09-11
- Security updates until
- 2032-04-01endoflife.date — Pixel, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Released
- 2024-08-22endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £799Google Store UK, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2031-08-01endoflife.date — Pixel, retrieved 2026-08-20
0 wins for Pixel 9a0 wins for Pixel 95 gaps borderline2 differences you won’t notice£400 apart at RRP
Verdict: nothing you’d notice between them
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, neither the Pixel 9a nor the Pixel 9 wins a row by a gap you would notice. 5 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: RAM (12 GB against 8 GB) for the Pixel 9, battery capacity (5,100 mAh against 4,700 mAh) for the Pixel 9a, battery per charge (52.32 h against 49.2 h) for the Pixel 9a, fast charging (45 W from the maker against 23 W from GSMArena) for the Pixel 9 and wireless charging (15 W against 7.5 W, both from GSMArena) for the Pixel 9. The differences in weight and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same display size, refresh rate, peak brightness, typical brightness, HDR peak brightness, storage (base) and battery lifespan. The other 31 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
6 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
OS versions supported · Google Mobile Services · Telephoto · Claimed video playback · AnTuTu benchmark · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the Pixel 9a better than the Pixel 9?
On the figures, neither: no row has a gap between them you’d notice. The differences that exist are borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The Pixel 9a is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 52.32 h against 49.2 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The Pixel 9a is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 5,100 mAh against 4,700 mAh (both Google), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The Pixel 9a is lighter on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: weight, 185.9 g against 198 g (both Google).
Which has the brighter screen?
Neither: both state 2,700 nits for peak brightness (Google). Both state 1,800 nits for typical brightness (Google). Both state 1,800 nits for HDR peak brightness (Google).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Pixel 9a gets security updates for longer: until April 2032, against August 2031 for the Pixel 9. Sources: dates from endoflife.date.
Which is cheaper?
The Pixel 9a is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£399 against £799). Prices from Pixel 9a: Google Store UK; Pixel 9: Google Store UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.