Each morning, once I go for a stroll, I usually meet aged women and men sitting collectively, chatting. A lot of them stay alone, as their kids have both gone overseas or settled exterior Delhi. They don’t know me or my identify, however they nonetheless attempt to discuss to me and generally open their hearts to me.
I can relate to them. They’re round my dad and mom’ age, and a few of their challenges embody not being absolutely outfitted to deal with tech-related points. These can vary from being unable to video chat on WhatsApp to navigating apps to coping with gradual cellphone efficiency to staying safe sufficient to keep away from digital fraud. Even holding the cellphone correctly is usually a problem. In case you are a eager observer like me, or have seen your dad and mom battle with their telephones, you’ll realise these are widespread “tech” challenges that aged individuals face every day – and we frequently ignore them. It makes me surprise: does our duty finish with merely getting our dad and mom a cellphone?
That’s why I at all times advise my readers to decide on an applicable cellphone for his or her dad and mom, not simply any cellphone. Nonetheless, many individuals nonetheless find yourself selecting the improper machine. A very long time in the past, I made the identical mistake once I gave my dad and mom a cellphone with a lot bloatware that, inside per week of use, it grew to become gradual and left them annoyed.
It was at that second that I actually realised our dad and mom deserve higher merchandise – not one thing low-cost or discounted. Once I get a name from the senior members of my household, I perceive that they don’t essentially desire a low-cost cellphone; they need one thing that serves them properly, lasts lengthy, and doesn’t require frequent journeys to the service centre for repairs.
The Pixel 10a is light-weight and simpler to carry in a single hand, a rarity to seek out lately. (Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
Possibly the Google Pixel 10a could be very near being the right smartphone for seniors. It’s a simple machine that’s simple to arrange, light-weight, freed from bloatware, has a serviceable digicam for images and video calls, and provides good battery life. It’s not priced like a flagship, but it surely’s not precisely low-cost both.
I spent weeks with the Pixel 10a, and right here’s why I believe Google has made the suitable cellphone for seniors, or anybody who needs to make use of their cellphone for a very long time and isn’t into upgrading their smartphone yearly (which, to me, is nothing greater than a advertising and marketing gimmick).
What: Google Pixel 10a | Value: Rs 49,999
Compact…should you love the small cellphone kind issue
Every time I held the Pixel 10a, I used to be stunned by how snug it felt to make use of. It simply slips right into a pocket, a shoulder bag, or perhaps a women’ purse. This makes it handy in nearly any state of affairs whether or not you’re holding it whereas strolling in a park, scrolling by means of social media, or rapidly checking WhatsApp.
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It’s a compact cellphone by at present’s requirements, though the 6.3-inch display isn’t small. Personally, I want telephones with a show dimension within the 6.1 to six.3-inch vary, as that makes the general kind issue extra snug and simpler to deal with.
The design of the Pixel 10a is straightforward and simple on the eyes, particularly within the white color I’ve for evaluate. The cellphone has a flat steel body, which supplies the machine good rigidity. The buttons, positioned on the suitable fringe of the body, are massive, flat, and durable. On the alternative aspect is the SIM card slot. The underside is way cleaner, with cut-outs housing the speaker and microphone.
The cellphone is rated IP68 rated for water and mud publicity. (Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
I reviewed final yr’s Pixel 9a, and the Pixel 10a’s primary design language hasn’t modified a lot. The one change I observed is that the digicam bump has been lowered to nearly utterly flush with the again of the cellphone. In contrast to many telephones I’ve reviewed lately, the Pixel 10a can truly be laid flat on a desk and isn’t susceptible to wobbling.
The final well-made compact cellphone I used was the iPhone 13 mini. Though Apple nonetheless helps smaller telephones with the iPhone 17e, it’s primarily for many who stay within the Apple ecosystem. Truthfully, in at present’s market, only a few manufacturers nonetheless consider in small telephones, and the Pixel 10a is one in all them.
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The very best show on a small cellphone
The 6.3-inch pOLED display feels good for every day use. I observe many senior residents watching bhajans on YouTube, listening to Gurbani paath on their telephones, and a few even enjoying Sweet Crush. The height brightness has been elevated to three,000 nits (from 2,700), which is nice for out of doors use. It additionally incorporates a super-smooth 120Hz refresh charge that makes all the things look fluid, particularly when scrolling Fb (in case you continue to use the service in 2026) and Instagram.
At 6.3 inches, the OLED display is kind of vivid and colourful. (Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
The iPhone 17e’s 60Hz show feels sluggish by comparability. Complementing the show is the dual-speaker system, which delivers extra balanced sound. They aren’t tremendous loud, however they’re ok for watching YouTube movies should you don’t like utilizing earphones.
A stellar performer, however removed from a efficiency powerhouse
There isn’t any trade-off when it comes to pace. The Tensor G4 (developed by Google) is great. The cellphone feels very quick and responsive for on a regular basis duties, and you may multitask and run all of your apps with none points. Nonetheless, let me make clear that whereas the Tensor G4 is a quick processor, it isn’t designed for gaming on the highest graphical settings.
It additionally comes with an honest 256GB of storage as customary, which ought to be sufficient for many customers, together with extra cloud backup. The 8GB of RAM is nice sufficient for on a regular basis use, however don’t count on it to be essentially the most highly effective smartphone available on the market, as a result of it’s not.
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Not as dangerous as I feared initially. The truth is, I used to be stunned by the battery life on a compact cellphone. In my two weeks of testing, the 5,100mAh battery lasted all day (I name myself a heavy person, however I believe the Pixel 10a can final nearly two days between prices). It’s good to see compact telephones lastly getting lengthy battery life, in contrast to earlier than. Google additionally upgraded wired charging from 23W on the 9a to 30W on the 10a. Wi-fi charging has elevated from 7.5W to 10W with a suitable Qi charger. I guarantee you, you don’t want to hold an influence financial institution on an in a single day prepare journey.
The Pixel 10a runs Android 16 out of the field. (Picture: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Categorical)
No bloatware, accessibility mode, and many AI (in case you care)
I like Pixel telephones for his or her clear and easy-to-use person interface. There are not any third-party apps (in tech-speak, that is referred to as bloatware) preinstalled on the Pixel 10a that you simply don’t want. Bloatware can unnecessarily gradual the cellphone over time, and a few preinstalled apps could also be intrusive or unsafe, resulting in a poor person expertise. Consider adverts, free-to-play video games, and sports activities apps that come preinstalled while you purchase a cellphone. The truth is, customers usually can’t delete these apps, they usually stay on the cellphone, slowing down the machine. Simply think about how practically not possible it’s for aged customers to determine this out.
One other beauty of Pixel telephones, basically, is how simple they’re to make use of for the aged. It simply takes just a few faucets. You possibly can change the show dimension and textual content in fast settings, modify the color distinction to make on-screen components simpler to tell apart, and swap the navigation mode to make use of the standard three-button format on Android as an alternative of gesture-based navigation.
Goodbye, assume heavy telephones. (Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
Then there’s the Accessibility menu in settings, which incorporates options corresponding to TalkBack (for studying out textual content on the display), Magnification (for zooming in on particular areas of the show), Listening to gadgets (for connecting listening to aids), and Stay Caption mode. I discovered the Easy View much more helpful. Whenever you allow this characteristic by way of the toggle swap, the Pixel software program adopts a less complicated format, with bigger textual content and icons, simplified navigation, and improved touchscreen sensitivity.
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The Pixel 10a additionally comes with a number of AI options, but it surely misses a full-fledged Google’s full flagship suite. Options like Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio are reserved for premium fashions with extra highly effective Gemini Nano capabilities. Nonetheless, the Pixel 10a nonetheless provides helpful options like spam safety, Gemini integrations, and Name Display.
The Pixel 10a is assured 7 years of updates, together with common safety patches and main OS updates, which means it ought to keep updated by means of 2033. Google additionally delivers new options by means of quarterly Pixel Drops, although not each Pixel machine receives them. The long-term help that Google guarantees merely means customers don’t must improve to a brand new cellphone each two to 3 years. The Pixel 10a, though not a high-end smartphone, will final for years and obtain new software program options and safety updates.
Primary digicam that does the job
The Pixel 10a sports activities a 48-megapixel main wide-angle digicam, paired with a 13-megapixel ultrawide. There isn’t any telephoto lens on the again, and the front-facing selfie shooter can be 13 megapixels. Photographs taken with the digicam system are sharp and vivid, and I observed that Google’s picture processing enhances the photographs I took and corrects some areas that the {hardware} alone can’t absolutely deal with.
Whereas I didn’t have any hassle, there are noticeable digicam limitations with the Pixel 10a, and I observed them right away. Not as a result of I’ve solely been reviewing high-end digicam telephones these days, however as a result of the variations between the Pixel 10 Professional XL and Pixel 10a are clearly seen. By itself, the Pixel 10a isn’t a nasty digicam cellphone, however don’t count on wealthy, finely detailed images.
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All digicam samples (beneath) are straight out of the Pixel 10a however have been resized for the net.
Pixel 10a digicam pattern. Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
Pixel 10a digicam pattern. Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
Pixel 10a digicam pattern. Picture: The Indian Categorical/Anuj Bhatia)
So, must you purchase the Google Pixel 10a?
One of many questions it is advisable ask when getting a cellphone in your dad and mom (should you stay overseas and usually are not bodily current), and even when aged members of your family ask in your recommendation on selecting a cellphone, is that this: don’t simply choose any cellphone. Chances are you’ll select a Pixel 10a or every other smartphone. Keep in mind that a smartphone is all about connection- and for aged customers, the suitable cellphone is necessary as a result of it’s their window to remain related with you. How they really feel, their expertise, and whether or not they really feel secure utilizing a cellphone shouldn’t be ignored.
Sure, if…
You desire a slim and compact smartphone that matches in your pocket.
You want bloatfree expertise and simple to make use of interface.
You reside within the Google ecosystem and don’t have a need for FaceTime, ever.
You need a cellphone that lasts all day.
No, if…
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You’re a energy person who needs the most effective digicam and efficiency.
You desire a big-screen smartphone expertise.