3 reasons a Pixel 10a upgrade just makes sense

• It has a truly flat camera bump
• It ships with a bloat-free interface
• It’s a (relatively) affordable package

Google’s next-generation mid-ranger, the Pixel 10a, has been generating a lot of discourse online over the past couple of days. When pitted side-by-side with its Pixel 9a predecessor, the year-over-year changes are shockingly minimal.

Aside from slightly refreshed colorways, the 10a looks nearly identical to the 9a externally, and the former is even powered by the exact same Tensor G4 chipset as the latter (despite there being a Tensor G5 already out on the market).

Other key specs are roughly identical as well, including 128GB of base internal storage, 8GB of RAM, a 5,100mAh battery pack, a dual rear camera setup, first-generation Qi wireless charging, and IP68 water and dust resistance.

Another thing that hasn’t changed with the Pixel a series line this year is the price — the 10a, which is available now for pre-order, starts at the same $500 MSRP that the 9a launched at last year.

With Google only making the subtlest of changes to the a series with the Pixel 10a, it’s easy to dunk on the handset or to dismiss it as a subpar product offering. The truth, however, is that there’s a lot to love here, even if it isn’t pushing the envelope. Here are three reasons the 10a is actually a no-brainer phone worth upgrading to.

It has a truly flat camera bump

Finally, a phone with no tabletop wobble

The small, oval-shaped rear camera setup of the Pixel 10a looks nearly identical to that of the 9a upon first glance. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll notice that the 10a’s array of sensors sit perfectly flat with the rest of the rear panel, while last year’s 9a featured a subtle ring protruding from its housing.

This truly flush camera bump design on the 10a is a genuine step in the right direction, making for a cleaner overall aesthetic and banishing any remnants of the dreaded tabletop wobble just about every other modern phone suffers from.

Sure, the lack of a rear plateau is indicative of a less powerful camera system on the whole, but at least Google is optimizing the tech stack within the 10a instead of bulging the camera outward to make it appear more premium in an artificial manner.

It ships with a bloat-free interface

Google’s Pixel UI is second to none

Within the mid-range Android space, preinstalled software bloat is a perpetual pain point. Unlike your typical a series Samsung Galaxy phone, however, the Pixel 10a ships with the same clean and clutter-free software experience as its more expensive kin.

Upon setup, you’re greeted with only the essentials — no duplicate services, no mobile games, and no carrier baggage. Sure, the Pixel UI does include a couple of apps that I go ahead and delete from the get-go, but nothing here is even remotely egregious.

It’s a (relatively) affordable package

$500 isn’t an unreasonable asking price

At $500, the Pixel 10a remains a pretty solid mid-range offering on the whole. You get a good amount of phone here without having to break the bank, and, for most everyday use cases, it’s almost as capable as the higher-end Pixel 10 smartphones in Google portfolio.

I appreciate that the 10a leans into its mid-range status with a clean, utilitarian design that’s both understated and classy. The phone’s software experience isn’t marred by bloat, and much (but not all) of Google’s AI software magic is present and accounted for.

As far as mid-rangers go, the Pixel 10a is a well-refined package, even if I do wish Google had endowed it with just a few extra niceties to better differentiate it from its immediate predecessor. With software support and future platform updates direct from Google, the handset is shaping up to be a worthwhile choice for anyone looking for a good bang-for-your-buck Android device.