‘I’m a technology expert and this budget phone should be on your Christmas list’

Those looking for an affordable handset will find this Google model to be a great performer with a class-leading camera

With so much tech out there, it can be a challenge to pick the right thing. Picking an expensive flagship phone is easy, because they are all good, but those who are after something more affordable could get a nasty surprise if they choose the wrong device.

I’m a technology expert and I have the solution for anyone looking for an affordable smartphone. My advice is to avoid the no-brands with too-good-to-be-true prices and instead focus on Google.

The Google Pixel 9a is £347 on Amazon right now. That’s a 30% saving, leaving £152 in shoppers’ pockets that can be spent on pigs in blankets instead.

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The Pixel 9a was announced in March 2025, so it’s a current device with a 6.3-inch screen. It uses the same core hardware as Google’s flagship phones from 2024, the Tensor G4, the same as the Pixel 9 Pro. That means it offers great performance, where some other affordable phones won’t.

The Pixel 9a normally costs £499, and that’s with 128GB of storage. It’s backed by seven years of software updates, and it’s already running Android 16, which many cheap rivals aren’t. It will be updated until 2032, which again, is a claim that most cheaper phones can’t make. It means it will last many years, while still getting new features and security updates.

Pixel fans buy these phones for a good reason and it all starts with the camera. For many years, the Pixel camera has been the stuff of legend. Google has pushed what it calls “computational photography” to make the images better for many years – and it really works.

There’s a dual camera on the back with a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera. It’s not so much about the hardware as how the software uses the data gathered by the camera to make pictures look better. It offers great, consistent performance, day and night, with Google often adding new features.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with AI editing, too. Google offers plenty of ways to clean up images using Google Photos, and it’s really easy. I’d say this is a good step ahead of rivals, with Google leading the way in this area.

The thing that I really like about the Pixel 9a is the recent Android 16 update that came with Android’s new design. The software is slicker and smoother than it was before, while visually it has had a boost that just makes it look cleaner than rivals.

That’s boosted by easy access to Gemini (although all Android phones have this), making for a great experience. If I were being critical, the design is a little boring: the flat finish doesn’t give much to look at, and those wanting something more exciting might be interested in this Motorola Edge 60, which also has clean software, but has a lovely canvas-feel finish to the back.

The Pixel 9a also doesn’t charge that fast: it only offers 23W charging, whereas that Motorola phone has 68W charging, so it will recharge much faster. The downside is that Motorola only offers three Android updates, half the updates that Google offers on the Pixel.

For those shoppers who would rather pay monthly, the Pixel 9a is also really affordable in monthly payments. On Sky Mobile, the Pixel 9a is £10 a month with nothing upfront. Shoppers can then choose the data, with options from £0 or £2, ranging all the way up to £20. It’s a cheap way to get a really great phone.

Importantly, however, the Pixel 9a doesn’t feel like a cheap phone. When in use, it is only slightly different to a flagship experience. That’s why the Pixel 9a generally reviews well. Henry Burrell over at The Express reviewed the phone and said: “I tested the Pixel 9a and only found one thing wrong and that one thing, was the slightly boring design.”