Pixel 9a or Pixel 6.3? Hey, Google… I like smaller phones, but not that much

Here’s the thing…

The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9aand even folding Pixel 9 Pro Fold all have the same screen size of 6.3 inches. Sure, they target different price points and offer slightly different features, but let’s be honest – aside from the foldable models, they mostly do the same thing and look mostly the same.

The competition now offers more variety – like Samsung, which will only have one small cell phone on offer in 2025 – the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25.

As for Apple (if we consider Cupertino as a direct competitor to Google), they also have something to offer for everyone. Yes, there will be two 6.1-inch iPhones (iPhone 16 and iPhone SE) and a 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro, but Apple also has the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus and the 6.9-in iPhone 16 Pro Max for people who like their phones big enough to double as weapons.

Google, on the other hand, seems to have decided that 6.3 inches is the magic “one size fits all”. It’s almost as if Samsung had 6.3-inch displays on sale on Black Friday and Google bought them all?!

Hey, Google… Do we even need the Pixel 9a?

But let’s talk about it Pixel 9a for a second…

It’s intended to be the affordable option in Google’s lineup, but some will argue that it feels a little…pointless, and I’m not sure I’d disagree with that.

It’s so close to normal Pixel 9 both in size and features; It doesn’t just compete with that Pixel 9 but also with the one from last year Pixel 8 flagship; and at this point the Pixel 9a feels less like a budget-friendly alternative and more like a duplicate with a slightly lower price.

There seems to be a small and a large one Pixel 9a It would have made a little more sense to provide more options for those looking for a larger phone that doesn’t cost $1,200.

Selling just one big Pixel phone is Google’s biggest mistake in 2024-2025

Again, I love compact phones – I use one iPhone 13 mini as my daily companion next to it Pixel 9 Pro Fold (So ​​you can’t say I’m a Google hater!). But a 6.3-inch phone isn’t exactly “compact,” but Google has four of them in total, while one could have been smaller – or larger.

It’s funny because Apple has conquered the compact market with it iPhone 13 mini and 12 Mini a few years ago. They were tiny, pocketable, and honestly my favorite iPhones. Did they sell well? Not really – it turns out most people don’t want small phones anymore. They want bigger screens, bigger batteries and bigger…everything.

But I suspect that Google missed this memo because they were entirely focused on a size that is neither small enough to be compact nor large enough to satisfy people who love big phones.

Why sell 3-4 6.3-inch Pixels when we can get a more compact Pixel for people like me who love small devices, or another larger mid-range option to attract users who want a big screen without the to break the bank? Just a really big one Pixel 9 Pro XL is not enough. What if I can’t spend $1,200 on a phone?

Google will sell four M-sized t-shirts in 2025, as well as an XL t-shirt that is too expensive for most. Make it make sense…

What do you think of the pixel size options?