Google Pixel 9a
Hacker ApprovedRanked 13 of 46 smartphones by recommenders
Pixel 9a is a cheap, well-supported Android phone with strong security features, popular for running GrapheneOS. Critics mostly note the missing 3.5mm headphone jack.
19 people recommended Google Pixel 9a in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 45 comments.
29 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 19
- mixed feelings
- 3
- warn against or regret it
- 7
The record
Recommended in 11 of 12 months
In 24 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it carries the badge
- 19 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 11 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 24 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 16% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 40 of the 49 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Good value for the price
“You can get a new Pixel 9a here in europe for around 350€ and it will be supported at least until April 2032”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “A new Android malware from Google” “you could buy a 9a for little more than $300. That is extremely good value compared to any iThing”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple” “Pixel 9a on sale <$400 and Graphene is free, still (much) cheaper than the latest gen spiPhone.”
Comment from 9 Jan 2026 in “The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app” - Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Apple testing new App Store design that blurs the line between ads and results”
- Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “F-Droid: "Keep Android Open"”
- Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “GrapheneOS has been ported to Android 17 and official releases are coming soon”
- Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “Pixel 10a”
- Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Motorola announces a partnership with GrapheneOS Foundation”
- Comment from 5 Jan 2026 in “It's hard to justify Tahoe icons”
Runs GrapheneOS well
“A Pixel 9a or 10a running Graphene for everyday use plus a cheap Android phone that stays are home are still considerably cheaper”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “F-Droid: "Keep Android Open"” “a perfectly fine way to start out with GrapheneOS - it still has years of support in it”
Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Android: Balancing Openness and Choice with Safety” “The second is a Pixel 9a with Graphene OS for daily use, routing and internet access.”
Comment from 9 Jan 2026 in “The Vietnam government has banned rooted phones from using any banking app” - Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “The AI boom is causing shortages everywhere else”
- Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Motorola GrapheneOS devices will be bootloader unlockable/relockable”
- Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple”
Long software update support
“It's cheaper, faster, more reliable and better supported.”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “Fairphone 6 and PostmarketOS working main camera” “Look at pixel software support, its really good”
Comment from 19 Aug 2026 in “Fairphone is now officially available in the United States” Strong built-in security features
“it still has better device security (separate secure enclave, MTE, etc.) than pretty much any other phone besides iPhone and other Pixels”
Comment from 29 Apr 2026 in “Phone is about to stop being yours” “even Pixel 9a has all the security functions of the flagship that many other Android phones do not have”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “GrapheneOS fixes Android VPN leak Google refused to patch”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Concerns about update support
“I had assumed this was just Google effectively "ending support" for my 9a by forcing some AI thing into my lowish RAM.”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “GrapheneOS has fixed the Android 17 QPR1 kernel performance regression” “Google hasn't fulfilled their update commitment for the Pixel 6 through Pixel 9a”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Google replaced Git tags for certain source code with obtaining via Google Drive” “Google then arbitrarily declared they were no longer AOSP reference devices”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Android 17 is the first since 3.x to add new APIs without releasing to the AOSP” No 3.5mm headphone jack
“No phone jack but otherwise a very competent modern device.”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Disappointing Phones” “since the Pixel 9a has no 3.5mm jack”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Wired headphone sales are exploding. What's with the Bluetooth backlash?” Not much better than predecessors
“It's fine, I don't love it or hate it, but it's not doing anything I care about better than my last phone.”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “iPhone 5s Gets New Software Update 13 Years After Launch” “it just isn't as good, IMO”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era”
Other smartphones people recommend
The four most recommended other smartphones, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone | 438 | 190 | 789 | 36% | 12 | 7 yrs97 people | — |
| Fairphone | 110 | 42 | 94 | 54% | 12 | 3 yrs14 people | — |
| iPhone 13 mini | 105 | 32 | 44 | 70% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Apple iPhone Pro | 90 | 45 | 138 | 39% | 12 | 4 yrs24 people | — |
| Google Pixel 9aThis page | 19 | 3 | 7 | 73% | 11 | — | Approved |
Also compared with iPhone SE, Jolla Phone, Nokia N900 and Apple iPhone 12 mini.
What people said
40 of the 49 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I had assumed this was just Google effectively "ending support" for my 9a by forcing some AI thing into my lowish RAM.”
“Google then arbitrarily declared they were no longer AOSP reference devices”
“a far better cellular radio than the Pixel 9a”
“it just isn't as good, IMO”
“Google hasn't fulfilled their update commitment for the Pixel 6 through Pixel 9a”
“which was hasn't been updated in a year”
“Look at pixel software support, its really good”
“It's cheaper, faster, more reliable and better supported.”
“It seems to be running fine with no issues”
“I am often frustrated by its 8GB of RAM”
“You can get a new Pixel 9a here in europe for around 350€ and it will be supported at least until April 2032”
“For a much better camera, much better SoC, much better pretty much everything.”
“most people can easily afford a Pixel 9a at $56/year of device support”
“The pixel 9a was on offer recently here in Spain for 319€”
“even Pixel 9a has all the security functions of the flagship that many other Android phones do not have”
“9a is almost exactly the same thing and still sold new”
“it still has better device security (separate secure enclave, MTE, etc.) than pretty much any other phone besides iPhone and other Pixels”
“a perfectly fine way to start out with GrapheneOS - it still has years of support in it”
“since the Pixel 9a has no 3.5mm jack”
“Pixel 8a, Pixel 9a and Pixel 10a are budget devices.”
“NatWest and Monzo work fine on my Pixel 9a running GrapheneOS”
“Great hardware, great price, great software.”
“the blinding on-screen sensor on my new Pixel 9a”
“It's barely 6 months old and I got it new straight from Google.”
“No phone jack but otherwise a very competent modern device.”
“Pixels get really heavily discounted near the end of the cycle (e.g. 9a currently”
“A Pixel 9a or 10a running Graphene for everyday use plus a cheap Android phone that stays are home are still considerably cheaper”
“Pixel 9a and Pixel 10 are the good deals now, at least in Europe.”
“And there's no setting to turn this sort of processing off”
“you could buy a 9a for little more than $300. That is extremely good value compared to any iThing”
“Biometric works great on the Pixel 9A, at least”
“the 9a will run GrapheneOS just fine”
“I'll stick to my Pixel 9a running Graphene for the forseeable future.”
“It's fine, I don't love it or hate it, but it's not doing anything I care about better than my last phone.”
“buy a Pixel 9a for $399 on sale, flash Graphene, and you can be 100% Apple and Google free”
“Pixel 9a on sale <$400 and Graphene is free, still (much) cheaper than the latest gen spiPhone.”
“The second is a Pixel 9a with Graphene OS for daily use, routing and internet access.”
“Buy a Pixel 9a for $399, flash GrapheneOS.”
“The most practical option is probably to get Google Pixel 9/9A”
“It also runs everything well and the camera is great.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.