Dedicated gaming phones are designed to run various titles well, but everyday devices have shown they can hold their own, too. The Google Pixel 9a, the company’s mid-range alternative to its flagship series, is no exception, returning to the fold with upgraded hardware at the same base price point.
Boasting the Tensor G4 chip, which powers the entire Pixel 9 lineup, and a Mali G715 GPU, it offers more-than-sufficient muscle for both work and play. The display introduces some slight differences, including a 6.3-inch panel (versus 6.1 inches previously), but its refresh rate, aspect ratio, and resolution remain unchanged at 120Hz, 20:9, and 2,424 x 1,080 pixels, respectively.
While the handset can falter when games like Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact, and PUBG Mobile are cranked to their highest settings, it makes up for the shortcoming with competent thermal management that keeps temperatures under 40 degrees Celsius — even as the on-screen action picks up.
Check out the performance of the Google Pixel 9a in the video above, which covers benchmarking indicators, starting and ending temperatures, and more. The base model, priced at S$799, offers 8GB of RAM and 128GB of ROM, while the 256GB iteration retails for S$939.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
