The Pixel 10a and the glory of the affordable flat phone

How is it that Google, the patron saint of massive, metallic camera bumps, can come out with virtually one of the only fully flat-backed smartphones? How is that possible? And yet here it is, the Google Pixel 10a. Now hold on, for all those claiming that the Pixel 9a was flat, too, I beg to differ. There was a raised lip around the camera array. On the $499 / £490 / AU$849 Pixel 10a, it’s gone.

This may seem like a small thing, especially in an Android phone that in many ways offers less, but it reminds me of where I once thought all smartphones were heading, into a world of perfectly flat glass and metal slabs. Then everyone from Apple to Samsung, to OnePlus, to Honor, and of course Google started raising the bar…er…camera array.

As I recall, Google started this trend, and as every camera manufacturer added larger sensors and ever longer telephoto lenses, the camera plateau growth was a necessary evil. Sure, no modern flagship smartphone can lie flat on its back, but, oh, look at the pictures.

Google Pixel 10a, naturally, does away with the telephoto lens. On the back of this 6.3-inch handset are just two lenses: the 48MP main camera and a 13MP UW. But I noticed when I viewed the Pixel 10a and Pixel 9a side-by-side that while similarly sized and shaped, the camera arrays were not exactly in the same position. I could see the Pixel 10a camera had moved up on the chassis back.

Even though the removal of the telephoto lens surely helps, the Pixel 9a didn’t have one, and it's camera array was slightly raised. One Google rep told me getting that perfectly flat back on the Pixel 10a was a significant engineering feat.

Naturally, I asked if these breakthroughs could flow upstream to the next generation of Google phones: the Pixel 11. There was a smile and a head shake as the exec confirmed that they could not answer that question. Still, I have to hope that someone, somewhere, will see this “flatovation” and take note.

What you do and don't get with the Pixel 10a

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I’m not trying to build the Pixel 9a up to something it’s not. It cuts back on the CPU, taking it from the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro to an aging Tensor G4. It lowers the RAM from 12GB to 8GB. It breaks no ground in the storage space: it starts at 128GB and ends with a 256GB storage option.

Wireless and wired charging are faster, but there's no PixelSnap, the cool new MagSafe-style Qi-based charge and docking feature introduced with the Pixel 10 line.

And while many of the Google Gemini features are onboard, the Pixel 10a won’t ship with 3 months free of Google Gemini Pro, and there’s no Magic Cue, an AI feature designed to surface contextual information where and when you need it. I suspect it’s one feature you won’t miss.

That’s the bad news.

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The good news is this is a beautiful and firmly constructed phone featuring a composite back and Gorilla Glass 7i front covering the LPTS 1080 x 2424 display, which can range from 60hz up to a smooth 120Hz (LPTO might’ve given it the ability to stop down to a battery-saving 1Hz).

The cameras, especially the main 48MP appears to take excellent photos. I can’t speak at this moment to the quality of the ultrawide (it is only 13MP). The 13MP selfie camera does take high-quality, vivid photos that did maybe too good of a job showing me just how old I really am.

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There are quite a few Gemini features baked into like Gemini Live, the ability to conversationally edit photos, and Magic Eraser. I tapped a few icons and then asked Gemini to change the color of my glasses to red. It worked perfectly, though I will never wear red glasses.

Even though this is a sub-$500 phone, Google didn’t skimp on the features people will use the most, like the Camera Coach, which gently guided me through all the necessary steps to capture an attractive still life. Circle to Search works perfectly, and I had a few fruitful conversations with Gemini.

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Unlike some bargain phones, the Pixel 10a still promised up to 30 hours of battery life (thanks to a somewhat surprising 5,100mAh battery). Now, I don’t have any real-world tests yet to support that figure, but I’m willing for the moment to give Google the benefit of the doubt.

I also appreciate that this is still an IP68 phone, meaning it’s no less equipped to handle an accidental toilet drop than your Pixel 10 Pro. Plus, it still offers the full seven years of OS, security, and Pixel drop updates, which means your bargain phone might seem like even more of a deal in 2034.

This is not the best phone of the year or even the best Android phone, but it’s clear that it will be a standout budget Android handset. There is no other phone so deftly combining price, performance, features, AI, and a perfectly flat back. And for that, I salute it.