Google unveiled the Pixel 10A on Wednesday, after a series of teasers over the past few weeks. This year, Google kept the most affordable Pixel phone steady without any big surprises. And considering RAM shortages and concerns over the rising price of electronics, stability sounds quite nice.
The Pixel 10A starts at $499 for a 128GB storage model, or $599 if you want to double that to 256GB -- the same as last year's Pixel 9A. It has the same 5,100-mAh battery and cameras as the 9A: a 48-megapixel wide-angle, 13-megapixel selfie and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. The phone even retains the 9A's flat camera island. In a first for the A series, the 10A has Google's Tensor G4 processor used in the Pixel 9 series, rather than inheriting the newer Tensor G5 chip from the rest of the Pixel 10 series.
Watch this: Google's $499 Pixel 10A Launches with AirDrop Support and Faster Charging 03:35
So what exactly is new? There are a lot of small improvements, especially if you value faster charging.
Google bumped up the Pixel 10A's wired charging speed to 30 watts when using a 45W charging adapter, which is a considerable step up from the 9A's 23 watts. Wireless charging support increases to 10 watts, but the Pixel 10A won't feature the PixelSnap magnets that make the rest of the Pixel 10 line work with MagSafe-like magnetic accessories and chargers.
The Pixel 10A has a 45W wired charging speed and a 10W speed for wireless charging. Joseph Maldonado/CNET
I'm not surprised that the phone won't get magnets. A Google representative told me that omitting the magnets was a trade-off for hitting the lower price. I am surprised that Google won't be selling any of its own cases at launch that include magnets as an alternative, but hopefully, you can find them from third parties.
While the Pixel 10A won't support PixelSnap on its own, Google did confirm the Pixel 10A's Quick Share feature will work with Apple's AirDrop like it does on the rest of the Pixel 10 line, so you can share photos and files using the Pixel 10A just like you can between iPhones. And if you're hesitant to make the switch to eSIM, the Pixel 10A continues support for physical SIM cards instead of going eSIM-only like the rest of the Pixel 10 line has in the US.
The Quick Share feature on the Pixel 10A works with AirDrop, allowing for sending images and files from Google's phone to an iPhone. Joseph Maldonado/CNET
During my brief hands-on time, I used the Pixel 10A's Quick Share/AirDrop feature to send an image to my iPhone 12 Pro Max. It was delightful to see it work so easily. While you do need to set both devices' Quick Share and AirDrop setting to the Everyone for 10 minutes receiving mode, both the Pixel 10A and the iPhone quickly found each other.
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