The Pixel 10a looks like a lazy update, and that’s why I love it

Most of the time, it’s easy to put stock into the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” After all, when it comes to things like a favorite pair of shoes, a favorite bike, or a go-to recipe that you’ve trusted for years, there’s almost no need to rock the boat. You’re probably not going to make your favorite thing much better, so why change it at all?

Well, the opposite usually holds true in the tech space. When it comes to phones, headphones, and even digital cameras, it’s always been about getting just a little bit better.

But now that we’re seeing leaks of the Pixel 10a, it looks like Google is bucking that trend. It’s keeping the features that already made its mid-ranger great, and I think it’s the best possible choice. Here’s why.

The thing with minor updates is that they so often open the door to disappointment. After calling the Pixel 9a the best $500 phone I’d ever tested, it’s hard not to expect a minor tweak to make things worse. Google choosing to mess with the careful balance between hardware and software could easily lead to a Galaxy A56 situation — making a mid-range phone that misses the mark by promising too much and delivering too little.

Luckily for Google, its Pixel A series has never been about promising the world. It’s been about giving you access to the best of Pixel power with a few carefully chosen omissions to keep the price in check. Look no further than the Tensor chip. It powers all of Google’s phones, yet isn’t overly concerned with benchmarking against the likes of the Snapdragon 8 Elite or Apple’s A19 Pro. Although it doesn’t benchmark with the best of them, Google’s Tensor chip has always powered an encyclopedia of Gemini features and image-processing capabilities — the things you actually want in a Pixel phone.

So, when I saw that the Pixel 10a would be sticking with many of the same internals from the Pixel 9a, I wasn’t phased. Would I have liked to see Google use its fully custom Tensor G5 chipset? Sure, it probably would have opened the door to several more features. However, it would put the expected $500 price point at risk, potentially closing the gap on the Pixel 10 and leading to, well, the mid-range Samsung situation I talked about.

Besides, the Pixel 9a had already carved out enough of a niche to justify its existence separate from the flagship Pixel lineup. Its design is distinct, its cameras are different without a telephoto sensor, and its battery is already bigger than all but the Pixel 10 Pro XL. For Google to make many changes would come just a bit too close to recreating a phone that already exists. And, if you’re going to make a Tensor G4-powered phone with three cameras, why wouldn’t you just go back and buy a Pixel 9 Pro?

Maybe there’s another way to look at this, which is that if you don’t have anything to say, why say anything at all? Google might have decided that its mid-ranger didn’t have anything meaningful to say now that it’s at the top of the podium, so it’s refreshing its colors and calling it a day.

And honestly, when you’re probably going to put your Pixel 10a into a case shortly after you get it, who really cares about what it looks like? Not me. If I did, I probably would have ragged on the simplified design rather than praising Google’s clever way to shift its camera sensors into the body of the phone. Google’s design is fine, and if you’re buying a phone solely for its looks, I have bigger questions for you.

Why? Because software is more important, of course. What you can actually do with a phone, and how long you can do it for, is the real key to deciding when to upgrade. And, on that front, I’m not about to complain one bit about the Pixel 10a. It’s going to get seven years of updates, which means Android versions and security patches. Split up Google’s expected price of $499 across that length of time, and you’re looking at an almost-flagship phone that costs no more than a flagship video game.

Granted, those updates won’t keep the Pixel 10a on par with Google’s newer flagships, nor will they match whatever Pixel A generation gets the Tensor G5 chip, but that’s okay. Realistically, most people will probably stick to the basics of what Gemini can do, which means some mix of Pixel Studio, Gemini Live, and infusing Gemini into apps like Maps and Gmail. They might not need Pixel Screenshots, nor will they be asking their Pixel 10a to run Nano Banana very often.

And, if you’re not going to use some of those top-tier features, why worry about them? You can buy a Pixel 10a knowing it’ll be supported well into the 2030s, and you probably won’t have to think about your next upgrade until we’re talking about the Tensor G10. You could also pick up a Pixel 9a right now and get all of that convenience, just with one fewer year of updates — it won’t make much difference.

Then again, you could list everything that I just praised as a problem. You could point out that Google probably doesn’t need to make this phone, and I wouldn’t have much reason to disagree. We might have reached a point where we don’t need a new phone every year, and I’ll be pleased if the Pixel 10a is the one that starts that discussion.

But, if you’re not ready to have that conversation, you can buy the Pixel 9a right here instead.