Google Pixel 10a Drops the Ball on Performance — But Is It Still Worth $500?

Google’s latest budget-friendly Pixel, the Pixel 10a, is here — and it’s making some surprising compromises. The biggest one? It’s not running Google’s latest flagship processor, the Tensor G5. Instead, it’s stuck with last year’s Tensor G4. For those hoping for a bit more bang for their buck, this could be a major letdown.

Let’s be fair: the Tensor G4 was a flagship-tier chip just a year ago, and it’s still no slouch for everyday tasks. But here’s the kicker — the Pixel 10a is essentially as fast as its predecessor, the Pixel 9a, at least on paper. And our GeekBench 6 CPU tests confirm it.

Google Pixel 10a Benchmarks: Same Speed, Different Year

When we ran the Pixel 10a through GeekBench 6, the results were… underwhelming. The Pixel 10a and Pixel 9a scored within the margin of error of each other — exactly what you’d expect from identical chips running at the same clock speeds.

For context, these scores are in the same ballpark as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 FE from 2023. Not bad for a $500 phone, but it’s a stark reminder of how far Pixels are from the cutting edge of mobile performance.

Stress Test Showdown: Pixel 10a Keeps Its Cool

While general performance hasn’t improved, the Pixel 10a does have one advantage over its predecessor: thermal management. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme stress test, the Pixel 10a maintained the lowest temperatures of the three phones tested (Pixel 10a, Pixel 9a, and Pixel 10).

Here’s the twist: after seven minutes of intense gaming, the Pixel 10a was still going strong, while the Pixel 9a had already started to throttle. By that point, the Pixel 10a was competing directly with the more expensive Pixel 10. So, while it might not win in short bursts, it could hold its own in longer gaming sessions.

Real-World Gaming: Does It Matter?

In lighter games or short play sessions, the Pixel 10 still has a clear performance lead. But for longer, more demanding gaming sessions, the Pixel 10a might not be that far behind. Real games aren’t as punishing as stress tests, so it’ll take more than a few minutes for the gap to close. But 30 minutes of play? That could be enough to even out the frame rate, especially if you’re into emulating classic games.

Of course, there are a lot of variables here — room temperature, cases, controllers, etc. This isn’t a strong enough result to say the Pixel 10a is always better, but it’s a small win for the budget model. At the very least, the lower temperatures will make the Pixel 10a more comfortable to hold during long gaming sessions.

Is the Pixel 10a’s Performance Good Enough?

In the round, I still think $500 for a phone with this level of performance — along with Google’s other hardware and software goodies — is pretty good value for money. It’ll handle apps and lighter games with ease, supports a wide range of Google’s AI features, and powers what continues to be a solid low-cost camera setup.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, Nothing Phone 4a Pro, or Moto G Stylus (2025), which all retail for around the same price or just under, the Tensor G4 still runs rings around them, particularly for gaming. While we might see some slightly faster rival phones appear in the coming months, they’re unlikely to leapfrog the Pixel 10a in raw performance for $500 or less.

But here’s the catch: Google is pitching the Pixel 10a as a phone that will receive seven years of Android updates. That means today’s pretty average hardware has to keep up with whatever our mobile OS looks like in seven years’ time. Given that some Pixel enthusiasts already complain that their flagship handsets can feel a bit sluggish just a year or so down the line, I wouldn’t buy the Pixel 10a with the expectation of using it for quite that long.

If you really want top-tier performance on a budget that’s strong enough to last for the long term, the OnePlus 13R (or OnePlus 15R if you must) and the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE are perhaps better picks. Yes, they’re more expensive, but they still come in a little cheaper than the Google Pixel 10 and offer performance that not only beats the Tensor G4 but also Google’s newer Tensor G5.

The Bottom Line

Perhaps the biggest concern is not that the Pixel 10a uses the same processor as last year, but that it doesn’t cost much more to buy a phone that’s much closer to a flagship — with superior performance and more.

So, is the Pixel 10a worth it? If you’re looking for a solid mid-tier phone with great software support and don’t mind sacrificing a bit of performance, it’s a decent choice. But if you want a phone that can keep up with the latest and greatest for years to come, you might want to look elsewhere.

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