Pixel 9a vs Pixel 8: Does the old flagship stand a chance?

The Pixel 9a is about to drop in a couple of days (Google will officially launch the Pixel 9a on March 19), and given how successful the A-series Pixels have been, this launch begs one question. Do old flagships stand a chance against this new, affordable, and quite exciting model?

Today we're going to pit the upcoming Pixel 9a against the previous generation of Pixel flagships in the face of the vanilla Pixel 8. The Pixel 8a already undermined the foundations of the regular Pixel 8, and soon we will have another bargain phone. Could the Pixel 8 survive the attack? Let's try and find out!

Here's our preliminary Google Pixel 9a vs Pixel 8 comparison.

The Pixel 9a takes cues from the regular Pixel 9 series. It has a flat screen and back and also a flat frame. In contrast, the Pixel 8 still employs the slightly curved back and the Camera bar that Google first launched back with the Pixel 6.

The big design difference is the oval-shaped camera housing on the Pixel 9a, which not only looks flushed with the body (hence we can't call it a camera bump) but also gives the phone a very distinct look.

In terms of size, both phones are pretty close in dimensions, with the Pixel 9a being a tad larger due to the larger screen diagonal. Below you will find the exact dimensions and weights of both models (spoiler alert, the weight is almost identical between these two).

Pixel 9a expected dimensions and weight:
154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm, 186 grams

Pixel 8 dimensions and weight:
150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm, 187 grams

As you can see, the Pixel 8 is a couple of millimeters more compact (2.5 mm narrower and around 4 mm shorter), but the Pixel 9a is 1 g lighter. Thanks to its curvy design and the more compact dimensions, the Pixel 8 feels better in the hand. But there's another key difference worth mentioning—building materials.

The back of the Pixel 9a is made of plastic, and even though these plastic composites are quite sturdy and expensive-looking nowadays, it's still plastic. In contrast, the Pixel 8 uses glass on the back.

Let's talk colors. Both of these phones feature some really cool and fresh colors; check them all out below:

We said this before—smartphone displays are now so good that even midrange phones impress with colors, resolution, and brightness. That said, there are still differences, even between flagships. The Pixel 9a is expected to have a slightly larger 6.3-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2424 pixels (421 PPI), a 120Hz refresh rate, and an impressive peak brightness of 2700 nits.

On the other hand, we have the Pixel 8, which is now more than one year old, sporting a 6.2-inch OLED. The resolution is very similar at 1080 x 2400 pixels (428 PPI), and it also supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Brightness figures are slightly lower; the display can output 2000 nits peak. In our test, the Pixel 8 managed 1419 nits at 100 APL (Average Picture Level), which is a great result. We need to measure the Pixel 9a to give you some hard numbers and assess its color accuracy and brightness, so stay tuned for those.

In terms of biometrics, both phones feature the same under-display optical fingerprint scanner, so no ultrasonic upgrade on the Pixel 9a.

Being Google devices, both the Pixel 9a and the Pixel 8 employ the company's own in-house developed Tensor chipset. The Pixel 9a is expected to have the latest Tensor G4, the same found inside the other flagships in the Pixel 9 family. The Pixel 8, on the other hand, comes equipped with a year-old Tensor G3 chip.

We need to run our performance tests on the Pixel 9a to give you the direct comparison, but we already have some idea how the Tensor G4 performs in comparison to the older generation. If we use the Pixel 8 versus Pixel 9 figures, what we should expect as a raw performance gain is something in the vicinity of 10% gains in single and multicore tests, and around the same for graphics.

So, it's not that big of a leap when we talk about raw performance, and furthermore, the RAM and storage situation is identical. Both phones start at 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and offer a step-up variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

The same goes for the software with a tiny difference. The Pixel 9a will launch with Android 15 out of the box, while the Pixel 8 already received that version as an update. And being a newer device, the Pixel 9a will be supported for longer, even though technically both phones feature 7 years of major OS updates.

Google is sticking to the tried and tested formula of the dual camera system on its affordable flagship—the Pixel 9a. However, it seems that the company won't be using the same sensors and lenses from the Pixel 8, nor those found on the regular Pixel 9.

According to the latest information, the Pixel 9a will feature a new main camera with a 48MP sensor under a lens with an f/1.7 aperture and resulting in a focal length equivalent of 25mm. This is different from the 50MP sensor inside of the Pixel 8, even though the aperture is the same at f/1.7. The Pixel 8 main camera features a larger sensor (1/1.31" versus 1/2.0" on the 9a), and it also has larger pixels (1.2 µm versus 0.8 µm).

The ultrawide cameras are also different—on the new Pixel 9a we will most likely get a new 13MP camera with an f/2.2 and 120-degree field of view. The Pixel 8 uses a 12MP ultrawide but again the sensor is bigger and the aperture and FOV are different.

These are all numbers, and we will add side-by-side samples once we finish the review of the Pixel 9a.

We expect the Pixel 9a to feature a big 5100 mAh battery, around 500 mAh more than the one inside the Pixel 8. Now, this doesn't mean that the Pixel 9a will for sure have better longevity, but it's a strong indicator nonetheless. Normally, more milliamphours result in a better battery life and given the newer and more efficient Tensor G4, things are swaying in favor of the Pixel 9a.

The Pixel 8 uses disappointingly slow charging, compared to some charging champions such as Motorola and OnePlus. The phone supports up to 27W of wired charging power and 18W wireless. In that regard, the old flagship seems to have an advantage over the Pixel 9a, which is expected to land with even slower 23W wired charging and 7.5W wireless. These won't translate into a night-and-day difference when it comes to real-life results, but we have to test the Pixel 9a to tell you more.

Here's a quick specs comparison between the two phones, for a more detailed Pixel 9a vs Pixel 8 specs comparison, head to our dedicated comparison page on PhoneArena.

*rumored specs

The Pixel A-series has been tremendously popular devices and for good reasons. These phones have been so good that many people consider buying one of the A-series rather than a regular Pixel flagship. This seems to be the case with the Pixel 9a. This comparison is still a bit preliminary, but even at this early stage we can say that the Pixel 8 is in real danger.

The previous Pixel 8a model already wounded the regular Pixel 8, and the upcoming Pixel 9a will finish the deed. If Google sticks to the $499 price tag for the Pixel 9a, there will be no reason for people to get the more expensive Pixel 8. The latter features older silicon, very similar cameras, a smaller battery, and the same software gimmicks as the Pixel 9a. 

So, if you want an affordable Pixel that will last long, the Pixel 9a is a better choice. If you've already purchased the Pixel 8, there's no reason to upgrade to the Pixel 9. We will add our final verdict along with all the tests and benchmarks once we finish the review of the Pixel 9a, but things aren't looking good for the Pixel 8.