The Google Pixel 9a is just about the best $500 phone we’ve ever tested, with the build quality, performance and battery life of rivals that are much more expensive.

While the Pixel 9a is a proper 5G phone, its support isn’t as complete as its siblings. The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro models can support mmWave for ultra-fast connections in certain regions, but the Pixel 9a is limited to 5G Sub-6. This can still be fast, and it reached over 200Mbps in my testing, but it’s just not as fast.

The latest Google handset is now for sale and there are some deals which make it cheaper to buy on contract, so much so that at the end of the deal, you still haven’t paid the full price.