None Phone (4a) Pro Review: A close second

Battery life has been more than adequate. The 5,080 mAh cell easily lasts me a full day, with over seven hours of screen playback time. I recently broke my leg, so I usually sit in one place and talk on my phone. I often end up with 20 percent left by 9pm or so, and the (4a) Pro has been able to handle hours of watching Instagram Reels without a problem (don’t judge). It recharges fairly quickly, although I still think nothing should be added to wireless charging as an alternative method of operation; It is supported by the Pixel 10a phone.

Initially, when I set up the phone, it would not connect to my eSIM. I had to manually turn on the eSIM functionality after setting it up, and I was then able to connect it to my carrier, Google Fi. Thankfully, I haven’t had any connectivity issues since then. The phone should work on all major US carriers, though you may have to do some extra legwork if you’re using AT&T or Verizon (and their carriers). Subsequent MVNOs) to whitelist the phone on the network.

Three cameras

Photo: Julian Chocato

Outside of design, what makes the (4a) Pro unique at this $499 price is that it’s one of the only phones with a triple-camera system: a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 50-megapixel telephoto zoom that offers 3.5X zoom. I use telephoto cameras constantly on a smartphone, so having them available here on a mid-range phone is much appreciated.

I was very happy with the results of the cameras. Images look quite natural and detailed, with pleasing colors and good exposure. The big drawback is that the cameras don’t offer great low-light performance, especially compared to the Pixel 10a. It can struggle in high-contrast scenes and is prone to shutter lag, so you’ll need to remain steady when shooting. However, I’ve used the 3.5X zoom so many times that I can forgive these shortcomings, simply because it’s a rarity in a $499 phone. Heck, the last one $599 for iPhone 17e It has only one camera.