Google’s latest A-series phone, the Pixel 10a, is designed to deliver the familiar Pixel experience at a lower price. It brings the usual mix of clean Android, long software support, and Google’s AI-powered features. But when it comes to the camera, early testing suggests the improvements this year are fairly limited.
According to DxOMark’s camera evaluation, the Pixel 10a receives an overall score of 134 points, placing it 75th in the global ranking. The gain appears to come mostly from software adjustments rather than any major hardware change. In fact, the camera hardware remains largely the same.
The Pixel 10a continues to use a 48MP f/1.7 main camera, built around a 1/2.0-inch sensor. The 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera (1/3.1-inch) is also unchanged from the previous model. The Pixel 8a, for comparison, scored 136 points thanks in part to its larger 64MP (1/1.73-inch) primary sensor.
The limitations show up more clearly in difficult conditions. Low-light photos and videos tend to show visible noise, and the phone sometimes struggles with consistent exposure and white balance. Detail can drop quickly once the lighting gets worse.
Video performance also appears somewhat average. DxOMark observed limited fine detail in recordings and occasional autofocus hunting, which can make video capture less reliable when subjects are moving.
Zoom performance is another weak point. The Pixel 10a relies entirely on digital cropping from the main sensor. Unsurprisingly, this leads to a very low zoom score of just 25 points, while the best devices in this category reach scores close to 140.
Even the older iPhone 15 performs noticeably better with a 145-point camera score. Those who care more about low-light photography, zoom quality, or overall camera versatility may notice the compromises. In that sense, the Pixel 10a feels less like a major step forward and more like a small refinement of the previous model.
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(Source: 1, 2)
