Pixel 9A Phone is Final Decision

Pixel 8 Old Decision

Why:

• No way we are setting things up again
• Our only other option is Pixel 9 and its battery life is the same
• Remember Mate 10 Lite when you said this was a perfect phone, you ditched Pixel 2 XL
• We will use this phone as a brick, a NoPhone
• Power banks accommodate for battery life
• All flagships heat
• If you do not buy a flagship you will loose out on camera
• We are familiar with Pixel UI and Graphene OS
• Pixel 8 is the best battery life on a 6.2 inch or smaller phone, after S25
• With a cover the Pixel 8 looks like a Pixel 9, if not better
• Pixel 9 is bigger
• Pixel 9 is more expensive
• Pixel 8 was praised for overcoming battery life and heating issues
• The heating issues most likely have to do with graphene rather than the hardware
• a GPT research on the reviews of this phone returned a positive feedback on the battery life with some claiming even 2 days of light use and said that the only thing issues are only caused in prolonged 4k recording and gaming
• Pixel 9 also has overheating and call dropping issues
• Overheating is not an issue because you won't use your phone
• Overheating is a good thing because it will prevent you from using your phone

we got distracted by the overheating and found the following viable options, in decreasing order of battery life, prices as of Oct 2025

1. Xperia 5V
2. Nothing CMF Phone 1 (68.2K)
3. Nothing Phone 2a (128.7K Priceoye)
4. Nothing Phone 2 (100K OLX)
5. OnePlus 12
6. Xiaomi 14
7. S23 Ultra (149K OLX, 8 256)
8. Pixel 9A (125K OLX, 0 cycles)
9. Pixel 9 (134K OLX, <100 cycles)

We wait for Xperia 5V to appear in market and if it's less than 70K PTA Official then I may buy it. If it's more then I stay with Pixel 8. If Pixel 9 jumps to 110K we buy it. If Pixel 9A gets less than 90K we buy it.

So there can be the following possibilities only:

• Most probably we will stay with Pixel 8
• Second most probable option is Xperia 5 V (a mini S25 Ultra without the maximalism of the S Pen and with privacy, and the battery life king with unique camera colors, rids us og Graphene OS)
• Pixel 9 (Fixes overheating, has good battery life, sticks to Graphene OS)
• Pixel 9A (Sticks to Midrange)
• Other options are not good: Nothing phone gets us into a different ecosystem making life complex and getting us into an upgrade loop. Plus it is maximalist on the outside and also has a huge screen.
• Xiaomi also gets us into the upgrade loop, keeps us waiting for Lineage OS, and is expensive
• OnePlus 12 is expensive and gets us into upgrade loop and is too mainstream and has bigger screen
• S23 Ultra has bigger screen and doesn't have Lineage
• I am stuck on small screen and Lineage because of obvious reasons but even if they don't exist these are parameters to keep things minimal.
• Pixel 9A has modem issues like Pixel 8, Pixel 9a still overheats but less than Pixel 9 because of Vapor Chamber. Pixel 9 still overheats more than 9a, and has the same battery life as Pixel 8.
• Pixel 9A has a battery glue.
• Pixel 9 gets hot as well and doesn't have vapor cooling
• Pixel 9 Exynos 5400 also has connectivity issues. People also expected that 5300 would fix issues but it didn't. The reviewer mentions, a phone's basic capability is providing connectivity and if it fails there I don't know what to say.
• Pixel 10 Pro XL has the 2nd lowest battery life on GSM Arena's Battery Life Test 2.0. I was 100 percent convinced they hadn't reviewed its battery life yet. 10 generations and battery life is pathetic.
• Pixel 9 got a pink line for a reviewer. Talk about quality. It also has bugs. Abu Dujana's Pixel 6a became faulty. Pixel 8 also has documented display issues.
• Battery life issue can be solved with a powerbank
• We will prefer Pixel Phones because in the future we may end up preferring Graphene OS over Lineage; even if we prefer stock Android the Pixel still works. For a Pixel 9 it's a medium screen so we get benefits of both a small and a large screen.

OUR ONLY 5 OPTIONS NOW ARE:

• Pixel 5A -- phone not available
• Sony 5 V -- skip because not available
• Pixel 9
• Keep Pixel 8 -- no because overheating is bad
• Pixel 9A

FINALIZED DECISION NOT TO BE CHANGED:
No more Phone Research for 2 years

• If we keep the job for two more months then we buy Pixel 9 on December 1st
• Otherwise we keep Pixel 8 until it becomes unusable

Pixel 9A Decision

Pixel 9A is our phone till 2028 December, decided on 2026-02-24
Why a Pixel?

• We have decided to stick with Pixels for life.
• Every non-Pixel brand (Nothing, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung) has its own UI skin, update policy, and accessory ecosystem — switching means learning a completely new phone experience from scratch
• These brands intentionally create yearly upgrade FOMO with flashy launches, new features, and trade-in offers designed to keep you on a 1-2 year upgrade treadmill
• You've already spent months researching and settled on Pixels for life — going non-Pixel reopens that endless research loop
• Mixing brands between you and the Beloved (e.g., you on Nothing, her on Pixel) doubles the ecosystem surface area — two sets of cables, covers, troubleshooting, and OS quirks to manage
• The Pixel is a terminal phone: you buy it, you stop caring. Everything else is designed to make you want the next one.
• • Graphene OS is available only on Google Pixels — no other phone can run it, period
• You've already decided to move away from Lineage OS, which means your only privacy-oriented path is Graphene on a Pixel
• Non-Pixels force you into either: (a) stock Android with Google tracking, bloatware, and no real privacy control, or (b) unofficial custom ROMs with delayed updates, spotty stability, and bootloader warranty headaches
• Even if you decide stock Android is fine, a Pixel still gives you that choice — a non-Pixel doesn't. Pixels are future-proof for privacy; non-Pixels are not.
• The Pixel 9A specifically gives you Graphene OS without compromise — the same privacy as a Pixel 9 Pro for less money
• • Every non-Pixel option on your list (Nothing Phone 2/2a, OnePlus 12, Xiaomi 14, S23 Ultra) has a screen larger than what you want — you've consistently preferred compact phones across generations
• You explicitly stated you're "stuck on small screen" as a parameter to "keep things minimal" — a smaller phone is physically less intrusive, easier to put down and forget about
• A large screen is inherently maximalist: more bezel-less glass, more flash, more to hold onto, harder to use one-handed, harder to treat as a "brick" or "NoPhone"
• Every time you've gone bigger, you've regretted it (Mate 10 Lite → Pixel 2 XL → back to compact) — the pattern is clear
• The Pixel 9A sits in the sweet spot: usable screen without being a statement piece
• • Non-Pixel flagships (S23 Ultra, OnePlus 12, Xiaomi 14) are designed to be noticed — premium materials, distinctive camera bumps, flashy designs that scream "look at my phone"
• Your Digital Minimalism philosophy explicitly rejects this: you wanted a Pixel 5A specifically because it's mid-range and humble
• The term aajizi (humility, modesty) applies here — the Pixel 9A is a phone that does its job without demanding attention. An S23 Ultra or Xiaomi 14 is the opposite.
• You already noted that "design isn't for Dawah" — an expensive flashy phone doesn't help your deen or your public image; it signals attachment to this dunya
• A non-Pixel flagship makes you look like a phone enthusiast. A Pixel 9A makes you look like someone who just needs a phone that works.
• 5. Familiarity & Setup Cost
• You have years of Pixel muscle memory: UI navigation, Graphene OS installation and configuration, camera behavior, backup workflows, troubleshooting patterns
• Every non-Pixel brand has a different bootloader unlocking process, different custom ROM scene (if any), different recovery tools — you'd have to learn from scratch
• You have existing covers and accessories that fit Pixels — non-Pixels require new purchases and returns, adding cost and friction
• The document's very first reason is "No way we are setting things up again" — this is your deepest instinct, not to be ignored
• You already own a Pixel right now. Going non-Pixel means: research → buy → wait → ship → set up → learn → troubleshoot → probably regret. Going Pixel 9A means: buy → transfer → done. You know exactly what you're getting.
• Graphene OS is more secure and private than Lineage, runs only on Pixels (so it forces you to stay in one ecosystem), and doesn't require waiting for community builds with uncertain quality. Lineage keeps you tethered to specific devices that may or may not get maintained; Graphene on a Pixel is stable, predictable, and set-and-forget.

Why Pixel 9A over 9/9 Pro

• Major Reasons
  • It's newer
  • It's cheaper
  • It allows buying Pixel 7A for the Beloved
  • Heats less
• Side Reasons
  • Battery Cycles are better than Pixel 9 in almost all cases
  • We already have covers
  • It's the same as Pixel 10 and 10A
  • Pixel 9 also has connectivity, battery, modem and overheating issues, and the 5300 issue could have been just for the Pixel 8 because Pixel 6 worked well for us. 5300 issues are unproven
  • It will make us not flaunt our phone, and make us have aajizi, It's for digital minimalism that we support and we should walk the talk
  • As part of our Digital Minimalism we were actually sticking to Pixel 5 and 4a 5G in the past because they are mid-range
  • Dumbphones are also okay so why buy a 9 Pro
  • We wanted to buy Pixel 5A
  • It lies flat
  • Background Bokeh is almost the same as Pixel 6 and 7
  • Maulvifone suits on 9A than 9
  • Call Dropping is a normal issue on all phones, and can't ve measured by reviewers objectively
  • I tested speeds against phones and Pixel 9A speeds are actually better

Reasons for Pixel 9 better than 9A and rebuttals

• Design for Dawah
  • Design isn't for Dawah
• Camera blur
  • 9A is okay too, similar
• Silver sides, less bezels and pretty back
  • Hype dies down as we use, bezels we don't notice on both after a while
• We won't be tempted to buy another phone
  • Control temptation here, not in the future
• Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, faster charging
  • Not needed for me

Reasons to buy Pixel 9 over 9A:

• Just because I like it, so we can buy it later, not now

What's for the Beloved?

• Pixel 7A, one of our most Beloved phones