The most obvious difference between the Google Pixel 9a and Pixel 9 is the price. At $499, the Pixel 9a is the lowest priced of Google's current Pixel line of phones. In comparison, the Pixel 9 base model starts at $799.

I finally retired my trusty Google Pixel 5 in favor of a shiny new Pixel 9 Pro - here's what it's like jumping 4 generations into the future.

Another Pixel 9 feature, Pixel Studio, also appears on the Pixel 9a. This is Google's image creation tool, where you can use text prompts to create an illustration. A recent Pixel feature drop added the ability to create images featuring people, and that's supported on the Pixel 9a as well.