Google Pixel 10a vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Google Pixel 10a

The 6.3-inch 1080×2424 pOLED with 120Hz refresh is identical in resolution and panel tech to the 9a, but Google bumped peak brightness 11% to 3,000 nits and finally replaced the ancient Gorilla Glass 3 with Gorilla Glass 7i. Reviewers agree it is good rather than great — bright enough for outdoor use, sharp, fast — but the bezels remain noticeably thick by 2026 mid-range standards, and the panel still ships with 120Hz off by default.

• The Gorilla Glass 7i upgrade from the ancient Gorilla Glass 3 might secretly be the best improvement here, bringing the screen's protection and feel closer to the base Pixel 10.
• After two weeks of use I can't see a single scratch on the Pixel 10a's screen — the Gorilla Glass 7i upgrade noticeably improves on the older Gorilla Glass 3.
• The display is fast, responsive, vibrant, and the on-screen fingerprint sensor is in an easy-to-reach spot toward the middle of the phone.
• Display brightness climbs to 3,000 nits at peak, matching the iPhone 17 Pro — readability is excellent even on sunny days outdoors.
• Slimmer bezels than the 9a, but still pretty thick — only a 0.8% increase in screen-to-body ratio, and noticeably thicker than the OnePlus Nord 5 or Honor 400.
• The 11 percent boost to 3,000 nits matches the Pixel 10, but the difference won't be obvious unless you put a 9a and 10a side by side in strong sunlight.
• The display ships with refresh rate set to 60Hz out of the box — you have to manually flip it to 120Hz in settings, which most casual buyers never will.
• Coming from a 7a's 90Hz panel, the 10a's 120Hz feels noticeably smoother — and the measured peak brightness over 4,000 nits SDR is brighter than most content you'll ever watch.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

A 6.73-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED with 120Hz, 1920Hz PWM dimming, Dolby Vision and a 3,000-nit peak — a top-tier panel, though measured sustained brightness is good rather than class-leading.

• LTPO AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, 1920Hz PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1,000 nits typical / 3,000 nits peak.
• Peak brightness rose from 2,600 to 3,000 nits versus the 13 Ultra; the measured 1,281 nits isn't industry-leading but is excellent nonetheless.
• Notebookcheck's overall verdict scores it 'very good (89%)' — a 6.73-inch 3200×1440 panel among the best flagships.

Google Pixel 10a

Google broke A-series tradition by reusing the Tensor G4 from 2024 instead of pairing the 10a with the current flagship Tensor G5. Real-world performance is fine — Pixel UI is fluid, animations are smooth, light gaming works — but benchmarks confirm what reviewers expected: the 10a is closer to a mid-range chip than a flagship. The 8GB of RAM cap is the bigger long-term concern for a phone that will get updates through 2033.

• Same Tensor G4 chipset as the Pixel 9a, same 8GB of RAM — there are essentially no performance gains this year, which you might notice when switching between many apps.
• The Tensor G4 isn't bad at all for a $500 phone — Pixel animations are smooth, apps open quickly, and the move to an Exynos 5400 modem brings Satellite SOS plus better thermal behavior.
• Even with average gaming sessions like Diablo Immortal at high settings and 60fps, the phone stayed cool to the touch for an hour straight — thermal management is solid.
• Trusted Reviews measured 4,551 Geekbench 6 multi-core, 1,753 single-core, and 2,608 in 3DMark Wild Life with a 91% stress-test stability — solid mid-range numbers for a flagship-tier chipset from a year ago.
• The 10a's 1700–1750 single-core Geekbench score lags the Pixel 10's 2,300+ by a meaningful margin, and multi-core drops to ~4,500 vs ~6,000 — measurable, but rarely felt during everyday browsing.
• It's just the chip. Like Tensor G5 is Google's latest, and the A-series traditionally got the flagship chip — this year they're not even doing that, so the 10a feels like a software-defined product more than ever.
• The Tensor G4 paired with 8GB of RAM means the 10a can't run the updated Gemini Nano model — missing on-device AI features include Magic Cue, Pixel Screenshots, call notes, notification summaries, and on-device call translation.
• 8GB of RAM might be skimpy seven years from now, but right now Pixel keeps apps in memory well enough — and the 10a runs fewer AI models in the background than the flagship Pixels.
• Genshin Impact at 60fps fell to 24–30 fps with quick heat buildup — the 10a isn't aimed at gamers, but for casual or battle-royale sessions at moderate settings it holds its own.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with Adreno 750 and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 puts it among the fastest 2024 flagships, with Xiaomi's IceLoop cooling keeping sustained gaming temperatures in check.

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with Adreno 750 and 512GB UFS 4.0 — Notebookcheck rates it 'very good (89%)' overall.
• It's the reason it makes complete sense to put it against the best flagships — a phone that delivers on all fronts.
• Some camera lag appears only in dimly lit auto-mode scenes — raising EV and adjusting exposure in pro mode cuts it down significantly.

Google Pixel 10a

The 5,100 mAh cell is identical to the 9a's — Engadget measured 28 hours in their video rundown (matching last year), and most reviewers report comfortable all-day life with two-day endurance on lighter use. Charging is the bigger story: wired jumps from 23W to 30W (~50% in 30 minutes, full in ~98 minutes), and wireless from 7.5W to 10W. The non-negotiable disappointment is the lack of Pixelsnap magnets — every single reviewer flags it.

• The 10a ran 28 hours in Engadget's video rundown test — exactly where the Pixel 9a landed last year, putting it middle of the pack for 2026 flagships.
• After a heavy workday — off charger at 8am, messaging, snaps, scrolling, evening event — the 10a still had 26% left by midnight. Two-day life is achievable on lighter use.
• Battery life has been OK — the 10a lasts a full day with average use but still requires daily charging, and heavier travel use pushes me to top up in the afternoon.
• The 10a actually outperformed my personal Pixel 10 on raw battery life — and on lighter days I squeezed two full days of use out of a single charge.
• Wired charging hits 30W and delivers ~50% in 30 minutes as advertised, with a full charge in about 98 minutes — serviceable but not class-leading.
• No Pixelsnap magnets is the biggest letdown — Google should have brought Qi2 wireless charging to the A-series the way Apple brought MagSafe to the iPhone 17e.
• The lack of Pixelsnap is the biggest let down here by far — Google should have found a way to get it on the 10a, and a third-party magnetic case ruins one of the best aspects of this phone's design.
• There are no Pixelsnap magnets inside the 10a, which feels arbitrary — almost as if Google is gating the feature to make the $800 Pixel 10 look like a better upgrade.
• Adding Pixelsnap magnets across the entire Pixel 10 lineup would have been a clean win and a great moment for Google — instead the A-series gets left out yet again.
• Wireless charging up to 10W from 7.5W is a real bump — but without Pixelsnap, I can't imagine throwing this thing on a wireless charger very often.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

A 5,000mAh cell (global) with very fast 90W wired / 80W wireless charging. Endurance is improved over the 13 Ultra but still only middling for the class, and heavy gaming drains it quickly.

• The global Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery — same capacity as the 13 Ultra — and endurance is a step up but doesn't win hearts.
• The biggest improvement is gaming endurance — up 33% over the 13 Ultra's underwhelming 5 hours, no longer miles behind competitors but still not class-leading.
• Charging: 90W wired fills empty-to-full in ~33 minutes (matched in testing), plus 80W wireless to 100% in ~46 minutes and 10W reverse wireless.
• Owners are 'not disappointed' with daily battery life, though some wish screen-on time were a bit better.

Google Pixel 10a

Holding the price at $499 in a year of RAM shortages and broad consumer-electronics inflation is itself a small win — Samsung's Galaxy S26 line all saw price increases this cycle. But the elephant in every review is the Pixel 9a still on Google's store at the same price, and on retailer sale for ~$100 less. The iPhone 17e's MagSafe + A19 upgrade, plus the Nothing Phone 4a Pro's telephoto + 50W charging at the same $499, give the 10a real same-price competition for the first time. Reviewers split: about half explicitly recommend the cheaper 9a; the other half argue the flush camera, Gorilla Glass 7i and Satellite SOS justify the new model for first-time A-series buyers.

• It's probably still the best $500 you can spend on an Android phone — but if you can pick up a Pixel 9a for even a few bucks cheaper, you should do that instead.
• The Nothing Phone 4a Pro at the same $499 poses tough competition with a bigger and brighter screen, a Qualcomm processor, a dedicated telephoto lens, and 50W charging — making the Pixel 10a a tougher sell.
• The Pixel 10a is still $500, the same price as the Pixel 7a from three years ago — against the backdrop of RAM-shortage inflation, flat pricing is more remarkable than it sounds.
• Apple's iPhone 17e is the same price as the iPhone 16e but adds MagSafe and a class-leading A19 chip while doubling base storage — making Google look lazy by comparison.
• For $499, the 10a is one of the best-balanced Android phones you can buy — Editors' Choice winner for the midrange category despite the unchanged processor.
• The Pixel 9a is still on sale for £100 less and has the same chip, specifications, camera, software, and practically the same design — making it a far better buy.
• I give the Pixel 10a a 9 out of 10 — still the best phone you can buy new for $500 and the one I'll continue to recommend to casual users or anyone switching to Android.
• TechRadar concludes the 10a delivers where it matters most — a comfortable design, strong battery life, a bright display and a dependable camera — and remains one of the best $499 Android options in its class.
• If you already have last year's Pixel 9a there is no reason to change — and the Nothing Phone 4a Pro at the same price packs better specs.
• If you have to get a Pixel, the Pixel 9a is the better buy with its lower price tag — or even the Pixel 9 for its better features. The 10a should have offered just a bit more to justify the launch price.
• The 10a is a 9a in 10a clothing — solid mid-range pick that keeps Google in the game for now, but definitely not worth the upgrade for current 9a users.
• On r/gadgets the top-voted comment captures user sentiment: 'Why haven't they reduced the price of the pixel 9a? They're both selling for $499 which makes no sense.'
• r/Android's top comment crystallizes the cynicism: 'After Apple announced 17e, 10a seems even more like an insult to the customers in hindsight. That phone improves so much from 16e.'

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

At ~$1,600 / €1,500 (often bundled with the Photography Kit) it's priced at the very top against the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra. Its value case is camera supremacy, not all-round polish or availability.

• Notebookcheck lists it from ~€1,500 (Xiaomi advertises ~US$1,600), and asks whether the Leica phone is worth the money — concluding it 'comes up trumps'.
• In Italy it bundled at €1,499 with the camera case, an 80W wireless charging stand and a Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro — strong value against an iPhone 15 Pro Max at €1,489 plus separate accessories.
• TrustedReviews flagged it as 'sure to be in the running for the best Android phone of 2024'.
• Tom's Guide called it 'an ultra-impressive phone, especially in the camera department' — the consistent value framing across publications.
• The honest counterpoint: against an OnePlus 12, owners argue the Xiaomi camera lead isn't '100 miles ahead' for the price premium.