Google's new Pixel 9a mid-range flagship phone offers the best of the Pixel 9 series at half the price. Here are five reasons I'm excited for the Google Pixel 9a.

Google is rolling out a new 'battery health assistance' feature - and you don't have the option to turn it off. Here's why.

Google's Pixel 9A will start arriving in stores on April 10, with an initial release in the US and the UK. Google confirmed the release date for the $499 phone on its Pixel 9A support page Friday. Additional European territories will get the phone on April 14,

To be clear, the Pixel 9a has the same access to cloud AI in the form of Google Gemini (and ChatGPT, and Claude) as every other smartphone today. You can talk to AI chatbots and generate AI imagery and all that other stuff just as well on the $500 Pixel 9a as you can on the $1,799 Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The difference on the 9a is in local AI features.

We finally have a Google Pixel 9a release date, and it's coming soon. However, this new smartphone will miss a few key Google AI features.

Google's Pixel 9a once again hits it out of the park for a budget smartphone, but there may still be some good reasons to opt for the pricier Pixel 9.

For shoppers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, the Pixel 9a hits retail shelves on April 10. A few days later on April 14, Pixel 9a sales expand to 23 European countries. Australians will be able to get their hands on the phone starting on April 16 along with customers in India, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.

It appears that Google is introducing a new "Battery health assistance" feature in the Pixel 9a, and will roll it out to other Pixel phones.

Google's phones invite comparisons to devices from Apple and Samsung, but in the case of the latest midrange Pixel device, don't take your eye off on OnePlus. A Google Pixel 9a vs. OnePlus 13R face-off might be the one that helps decide which lower-cost Android phone you buy.