Google Pixel 10A Impressions: (Never) Seen This Before

Summary

MKBHD presents his hands-on impressions of the Google Pixel 10A, calling it the closest thing to a re-release he has ever seen in a smartphone. The phone is virtually identical to the Pixel 9A in design, dimensions, chip (still Tensor G4), cameras, battery, RAM, storage, and price ($499). After exhaustively comparing spec sheets, MKBHD compiled a short list of actual differences: a slightly brighter display, Gorilla Glass 7i, marginally thinner bezels, faster 30W charging, totally flush cameras, improved wireless charging, more recycled content, and satellite SOS in some regions.

Despite the lack of hardware changes, MKBHD notes that Google is leaning fully into making the Pixel a software-defined product, with features like Auto Best Take, Camera Coach, Call Screening, Hold for Me, Now Playing, and the new Quick Share that works natively with Apple devices like AirDrop. He questions why Google even releases new hardware when the software is the real differentiator, comparing it to Nothing’s recent statement about not needing to churn out phones yearly. His conclusion: it is just the routine of capitalism, and every year is someone’s upgrade year, so Google puts a new thing on the shelf.

Highlights

”They’re Actually the Same Phone”

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“This one is actually truly effectively basically the same the same phone. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Like on the outside, you literally cannot tell the difference versus last year’s Pixel 9a because there basically is no difference.” — Marques Brownlee, 0:20

”All of This Footage Has Been of the Pixel 9A”

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“In fact, all of the footage that you’ve been watching so far has actually been of the Pixel 9a. I’m joking, but it’s really not that far off.” — Marques Brownlee, 1:22

”Here Is Every Single Difference”

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“I went through the spec sheet, studied it, compared it with the Pixel 9’s, went back and forth, and I have come up with a list of every single thing, literally everything that’s different about the 10A versus the 9a.” — Marques Brownlee, 2:53

”Missing Magnets and the Tensor G5”

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“I still do think there are some obvious things they should have done that the A series buyer really would have appreciated. Things like adding Pixel Snap, adding the magnets in the back of the phone… Or even just the chip. The Tensor G5 is their latest chip and this year they’re not even doing that.” — Marques Brownlee, 4:21

”Why Even Release a New Phone at All?”

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“All of this to me begs the question, why even release a new phone at all? If we’re just going to essentially re-release almost the same exact phone because the hardware doesn’t really matter that much and it’s all about the software, why even release a new piece of hardware?” — Marques Brownlee, 6:37

”The Afterthought Vibes”

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“I was at Google’s little setup for it and I just feel like the whole thing felt like an afterthought. Like we’re just kind of doing the thing we always do where there’s a new phone and we don’t really care that much but here it is.” — Marques Brownlee, 7:10

Key Points

• Identical Design (0:03) - The Pixel 10A is virtually indistinguishable from the Pixel 9A in physical design
• Same Dimensions & Build (0:46) - Same shape, aluminum sides, plastic back, IP68, thicker body eliminating camera bump
• 5100 mAh Battery (0:64) - Same battery capacity as Pixel 9A, appreciated in this price range
• Joke About Footage (1:22) - Jokes that all footage so far was of the Pixel 9A because they look identical
• Slightly Different Colors (1:38) - New color names: Fog, Obsidian, Berry, and Lavender
• Same Display (1:53) - Same 6.3-inch, 60-120Hz display still defaults to 60Hz
• Same Cameras (2:11) - Identical 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide dual cameras
• Same Tensor G4 Chip (2:22) - Not even a spec bump; same chip, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
• $499 Price (2:34) - Same starting price as the Pixel 9A
• Display 10% Brighter (3:03) - Up to 3,000 nits peak brightness with Gorilla Glass 7i
• 30W Charging (3:24) - Faster charging up from 23W, wireless charging from 7.5W to 10W
• Totally Flush Cameras (3:28) - The tiny camera bump from 9A is now completely eliminated
• Satellite SOS (3:46) - Emergency satellite connectivity in some regions
• Missing Pixel Snap (4:30) - Obvious omission that A-series buyers would have appreciated
• No Magnets (4:31) - Missed opportunity to add magnets across the entire Pixel 10 range
• Still 128GB Base (4:57) - Should have bumped to 256GB in 2026
• Software-Defined Product (5:25) - Google leaning into software features as the real differentiator
• Quick Share with Apple (6:22) - Quick Share now works natively between Pixels and Apple devices like AirDrop
• Nothing’s Statement (6:57) - References Nothing saying you don’t have to release a new phone every year
• Afterthought Vibes (7:10) - Google’s event felt like going through the motions

Mentions

Companies

• Google (0:03) - Manufacturer of the Pixel 10A
• Apple (4:35) - Referenced for iPhone 16 removing MagSafe and upcoming iPhone 17e
• Nothing (6:57) - Cited for statement about not releasing a new phone every year
• Corning (3:14) - Gorilla Glass 7i covering the display

Products & Technologies

• Pixel 10A (0:03) - The new phone being reviewed
• Pixel 9A (0:15) - Last year’s model, virtually identical
• Tensor G4 (2:22) - Same chip from last year carried over
• Tensor G5 (5:08) - Latest flagship chip not included in 10A
• Gorilla Glass 7i (3:17) - Upgrade from Gorilla Glass 3 on the display
• Pixel Snap (4:30) - Magnetic snap feature missing from 10A
• Quick Share (6:22) - File sharing now works natively with Apple devices
• Auto Best Take (5:49) - AI feature merging best faces in group photos
• Camera Coach (5:58) - Feature that guides users to take better photos
• iPhone 17e (4:44) - Upcoming Apple phone referenced as competition
• Pixel 10 Pro Fold (4:52) - Top of the Pixel 10 range
• MagSafe (4:42) - Apple’s magnetic system that was removed from iPhone 16

People

• Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) (0:03) - Reviewer and presenter

Surprising Quotes

“This one is actually truly effectively basically the same the same phone. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.” — 0:33

“It’s not even a spec bump. Same 8 gigs of RAM and same 128 gigs of starting memory.” — 2:24

“Every year is someone’s third year with a phone. So, if you’re Google, you’re just making the new thing just to have a new year thing on the shelf.” — 7:52

“The whole thing felt like an afterthought. Like we’re just kind of doing the thing we always do where there’s a new phone and we don’t really care that much but here it is.” — 7:18

“It’s still set to 60 Hz by default.” — 2:05

Transcript

0:03 Okay, so welcome to your first look and hands-on with the brand new Google Pixel 10A. And uh can we just can we just pull up the Pixel 9a really quick right next to it? Hm. Okay, they’re actually the same. You know how sometimes smartphone releases are really only just one or two new things? Like sometimes it’s just a spec bump or like a slight design update or something small like that? This one is actually truly effectively basically the same the same phone. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.

0:41 Like on the outside, you literally cannot tell the difference versus last year’s Pixel 9a because there basically is no difference. The phone is the same dimensions, same shape, super safe, super generic, super flat. It’s still aluminum on the sides. It’s still a plastic back instead of glass. And they still do that nice thing that they started last year where they make the phone just a little bit thicker which completely eliminates the camera bump and fits a bigger battery.

1:05 So once again, the dual cameras are totally flush with the back and the battery is still 5100 mAh which is much appreciated in this price range. Buttons are in the same places, antenna, port, speakers, all in the same place. IP68 certified still. It’s it’s really just the exact same design. In fact, all of the footage that you’ve been watching so far has actually been of the Pixel 9a. I’m joking, but it’s really not that far off.

1:32 Uh, the only way you could tell is if you noticed the slightly different colors. When I say slightly different though, I really mean slightly different because these were the old colors for Pixel 9a and now these are the new colors now named fog, obsidian, berry, and lavender.

1:53 The display at the front, it’s the same 6.3 in with well-rounded corners and semi thick bezels. Hole punch top, middle, still fingerprint under the glass still. It’s still the 60 to 120 Hz display. And yes, it’s still set to 60 Hz by default. It’s the exact same resolution, exact same pixel density, same same.

2:11 The cameras around the back, as far as I can tell, are also exactly the same dual cameras as before. 48 megapixel main and 13 megapixel ultrawide. And inside, it’s even the same Tensor G4 chip from last year. So, it’s not even a spec bump. Same 8 gigs of RAM and same 128 gigs of starting memory. And it all shakes out to exactly the same price as last year’s Phone 2, which is $4.99 starting.

2:35 And I guess I didn’t really have a choice because they’re it’s it’s basically the same phone. But hey, I want to be as fair as possible, okay? They’re not re-releasing the exact same phone. You heard about the new colors. Uh I went through the spec sheet, studied it, compared it with the Pixel 9’s, went back and forth, and I have come up with a list of every single thing, literally everything that’s different about the 10A versus the 9a. Okay, here you go.

3:03 So, that Pixel 10a’s display is the same size, resolution, refresh rate, pixel density, aspect ratio, hole punch, fingerprint reader, and everything, but it is about 10% brighter, up to 30,000 nits peak brightness. And it’s covered in a slightly newer Gorilla Glass 7i instead of Gorilla Glass 3. And they say the bezels are just a tiny bit thinner.

3:24 It’s also a slightly faster 30 watt peak charging rate up from 23 watts. And the camera bump. Okay, if you if you look at the Pixel 9a, you see how there’s technically like a tiny tiny camera bump. The new 10A is really totally zero. So, totally flush. Then the wireless charging goes from 7 1/2 watts to 10.

3:44 And there is more recycled content in the 10A versus the 9A. And then in some regions, this one actually now supports satellite SOS, so you can contact emergency services through satellite connectivity when there’s no cell signal. And that’s it. That is the whole list.

3:56 I do actually have kind of a lot of thoughts surprisingly. First of all, I do think this is the most close to a re-release I’ve ever seen in a phone. It is literally the same chip, same specs, same battery, same cameras, same screen, a little bit brighter, same dimensions. It feels like the same phone with a new name on it. And the thing is, I always want to be careful about wishing for change just for the sake of change cuz look, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I get that.

4:21 But I still do think there are some obvious things they should have done that the A series buyer really would have appreciated. Things like, okay, adding pixel snap feels like the obvious one. Adding the magnets in the back of the phone. The whole world, including myself, was baffled at the lack of magnets in the iPhone 16 when that came out. It seemed like such a ridiculous omission to take out MagSafe.

4:44 Of course, word on the street is the 17e is also right around the corner, so we’ll see if they change that at all. What a great opportunity it would have been for Google to show up with magnets across the whole Pixel 10 range from the 10 Pro Fold all the way down to the 10a. Uh but they clearly didn’t do that.

4:57 They could have also I think it would have been nice if they bumped up the base storage to 256 gigs. It’s 2026. That would have been a nice statement, but they also didn’t do that. Or even just the chip. Just the chip. Like the tensor G5 is their latest chip and for years the Pixel has had you know the A series comes out a little later but it actually has the flagship chip from the other big brother phones and this year they’re not even doing that. So it still has the Tensor 4 which is kind of aging now.

5:25 So really it’s just it seems like Google is leaning all the way into the software-defined product that the Pixel really is. And I’m sure if you ask Google or even if you just asked Pixel A series buyers, they probably wouldn’t have noticed the difference between Tensor 4 and Tensor 5 as much as they would notice all the software features that make the Pixel the Pixel.

5:46 So, this one has all of them. This one has their auto best take feature, which in the camera analyzes everyone’s faces from a group shot from a bunch of different frames and then merges them together into the perfect group photo. It also has camera coach, which is that feature that walks you through how to take better photos. Neither of which is particularly useful to me, but that’s on top of call screening and hold for me and clear calling and now playing and all the other features Google’s been putting into Pixels that make me miss them when I switch to other phones.

6:17 Plus the 7 years of software and security updates. Oh, and even the big one, Quick Share. Just on Pixel phones for now, but Quick Share works natively like with AirDrop. This was an update that I made a short about not too long ago, but basically if you have Apple devices and Google Pixels, they can file share between them and it’s kind of sweet.

6:37 So, all of this to me begs the question, why even release a new phone at all? Right? Like if the Pixel if we’re just going to essentially re-release almost the same exact phone because the hardware doesn’t really matter that much and it’s all about the software, why even release a new piece of hardware? Why even release a new phone every time? We even just saw that statement from Nothing about how you don’t have to churn out a new phone every single year just for the sake of it so they’re not going to. So why does Google have to?

7:08 And I’ll tell you why. It’s just cuz that’s the routine now. That I’ll tell you. I was just shooting the device in the city getting my hands on with it. I was at Google’s little like setup for it and I just feel like the whole thing felt like an afterthought. Like we’re just kind of doing the thing we always do where there’s a new phone and we don’t really care that much but here it is and you go ahead and make your thing like that was the vibes that I was getting the afterthought vibes.

7:34 And it’s just this is the routine and this is the sort of default that capitalism and you know the new companies sort of just fall into and I will say you know you don’t have to update your phone every year you maybe update your phone every two or three or four years or something like that but every year is someone’s third year with a phone. So, if you’re Google, you’re just you’re just making the new thing just to have a new year thing on the shelf.

8:01 And uh that’s the Pixel 10a. Good thing it’s still a decent deal. You know what’s not the same as last year, though? Our brand new merch, which we refreshed everything for 2026, and we’re really proud of it. And it’s all different from last year. From the design to the materials, the fits are immaculate. Check out mkbhdg.com for all that stuff. Anyway, thanks for watching. Catch you guys very soon in the next one, which is hopefully way more exciting.