Does the Google Pixel 9a have a 120Hz screen?

    By Patrick Hearn
Published March 20, 2025

The Google Pixel 9a is a mid-range device with few compromises, and it promises to offer one of the best values of any phone. The handset has a lot of changes: Google ditched the camera bump, installed a new processor, and increased the screen size, all without increasing the price.

With Apple’s “midrange” device releasing not long ago in the form of the Apple iPhone 16e, it’s easy to draw comparisons between the two. The Google Pixel 9a is a more affordable device, and it beats the iPhone 16e in multiple ways.

Yes, the Pixel 9a supports refresh rates between 60 and 120Hz. Its screen has a resolution of 1080 x 2424 with just over 422 pixels per inch (PPI) and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display reaches a peak brightness of 2,700 nits — more than enough to comfortably use even in direct sunlight — and up to 1,800 nits with HDR enabled.

So what does this mean for you? The variable refresh rate means the Pixel 9a can adjust on the fly, preserving power and prolonging battery life without sacrificing smoother animations and transitions. Compared to the iPhone 16e which does not have a 120Hz refresh rate, the Pixel 9a has a clear advantage.

For many users, an increased refresh rate is a luxury rather than a necessity. That said, it offers a lot of benefits over a lower refresh rate display. Faster refresh rates help to reduce motion blur during fast-moving videos and games, and it also helps minimize eye strain.

And it gets even better for photographers. The Pixel 9a has one of the best camera setups you can get for a phone in this price range. The refresh rate will also help when editing videos taken on the phone, zooming in during photo editing, and much more.

If you like mobile gaming, a higher refresh rate can give you an advantage. This holds especially true in competitive games where precision and response time is important. The display might not be the deciding factor for many buyers, but it’s a nice perk for anyone already looking to get their hands on a Pixel 9a.

Related Posts

You can now turn Spotify Wrapped into a multiplayer party with your friends

• Wrapped Party lets you create a private room and invite friends to join.• Each person sees their own stats alongside everyone else’s, side by side.• It works on both iOS and Android and supports up to 9 people in a room.

You could soon ask ChatGPT how healthy your week really was

As noted by MacRumors, Strings inside the app reference health categories such as activity, sleep, diet, breathing, and hearing, suggesting the range of data that could be shared.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is cool, but I’m more psyched about the future it teases

It’s surreal to see a device like that come to life. At least on the global stage. Huawei has already done it a couple of times with the dual-folding Mate XT pair, but that device leaves an exposed screen edge, runs a non-Android experience, and remains far away from the Western markets, including the US.