The Google Pixel 9a has been launched globally, including in India, at a price point similar to the OnePlus 13R. Here’s our comparison between the Google Pixel 9a and OnePlus 13R to help you pick one out of the two in case you are looking for a smartphone that’s priced under Rs 50,000.
Display
The OnePlus 13R sports a 6.78-inch LTPO 4.1 AMOLED Display with a 1.5K Resolution (2780 x 1264 pixels), 1Hz – 120Hz refresh rate, 4500 nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3, 2160Hz PWM Dimming, and 94.2% screen-to-body ratio. The panel is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
The Pixel 9a sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a Resolution of 1080 x 2424 pixels, and a 120Hz Refresh Rate. Further, the display gets a 20:9 aspect ratio, up to 2700 nits peak brightness, Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and 430 ppi of pixel density.
Clearly, the OnePlus 13R panel is the superior one with a higher peak brightness value, better glass protection, along with a higher resolution. Moreover, it also has thinner bezels on the front that make it look more appealing.
Software and Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC powers the OnePlus 13R with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. It runs on OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15 and is promised to get 4 major OS updates with 6 years of security patches.
On the other hand, Pixel 9a is powered by Google’s Tensor G4 SoC, along with 8GB of LPDDR5x RAM. You will get 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It runs on Android 15 and will get 7 years of Android OS upgrades, security updates, and regular Feature Drops.
The Google Pixel 9a and OnePlus 13R will both satisy you in daily use but when it comes to heavier use cases, OnePlus 13R will essentially obliterate the Pixel 9a conidering it has a far more powerful chip. It also has faster and a higher amount of storage, making it more future proof. The OnePlus 13R also boasts of higher RAM. Software is where the Pixel 9a takes the lead due to a better software policy but if you are okay with what OnePlus is offering, then it is clearly the better phone in this department.
Battery and Cameras
The OnePlus 13R has a triple camera setup at the rear including a 50MP f/1.8 Sony LYT700 primary sensor with OIS, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor, and a 50MP f/2.0 Samsung JN5 telephoto camera. On the front, there is a 16MP f/2.4 sensor for selfies and video calls. It is backed by a 6000mAh battery that supports 80W SuperVOOC wired charging.
Pixel 9a comes with a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 48MP f/1.7 Samsung GN8 sensor paired with a 13MP f/2.2 IMX712 ultra-wide angle sensor. On the front, there is a 13MP f/2.2 Sony IMX712 sensor as well. On the battery front, there’s a 5100mAh cell that supports 23W fast wired charging and Qi-certified fast wireless charging at up to 7.5W speeds.
In the camera department, we cannot say which device outputs better photos as we haven’t used them side-by-side but on paper at least, the OnePlus 13R once again proves itself to be the superior pick due to that extra telephoto sensor. As for battery, even though the Pixel 9a has the biggest battery ever in a Pixel phone, it still isn’t big enough to match the 13R’s cell. The 13R also supports much faster wired charging. Pixel 9a does pack wireless charging but only at 7.5W which means it could take the phone about 2 hours to charge from 0 to 100%, making it barely useful.
Verdict
The Google Pixel 9a starts at Rs 49,999 in India for the 8GB + 256GB model. The OnePlus 13R on the other hand, is priced at Rs 42,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model and Rs 47,999 for the 16GB + 512GB trim. Between the Google Pixel 9a and OnePlus 13R, the latter is the clear pick due to it being a more value for money offering in almost every area, and that too with a cheaper price tag. The Pixel 9a has nothing going for it, except for the fact that it will get OS updates for 3 more years over the OnePlus 13R and a better IP rating, which we feel isn’t worth paying the Rs 8,000 premium for.
