The well-rounded mid-ranger
The design of the rumored Google Pixel 10a feels uninspired compared to the Motorola Edge 2025, but Google may be getting everything else right. The phone should have a better chipset with sharper optimizations, less bloatware, and a much longer software update promise.
Pros
- "Boosted" Google Tensor G4 chip onboard
- Rumor suggests Google could slim down the camera bump
- We could see a brighter display and Qi2 magnets
Cons
- Limited improvements compared to the Pixel 9a and earlier
- Only two rear cameras
- Slow wired and wireless charging speeds
The stylish mid-ranger
The Motorola Edge 2025 is a midrange phone that looks like a flagship one, complete with a thin design, an anti-slip vegan leather back, and a triple-camera rear system. Under the hood, though, the specs reflect this phone's price point. The phone has a slow MediaTek processor and slow RAM to match, with minimal planned upgrades and a ton of bloat.
Pros
- Triple-camera setup highlighted by 50MP main sensor
- IP68 protection for extreme durability
- Fast 68W wired charging
Cons
- Slow processor and RAM
- Only two Android OS upgrades promised
- Sluggish performance and Motorola bloatware onboard
Motorola's Edge 2025 is a tale of two phones. It's stunning on the outside, sporting an industry-leading IP69 durability rating and a unique PANTONE vegan-leather back. The Motorola Edge 2025 also offers a rare triple-camera system on the back, which you don't always see at this price point. However, things start to go awry on the inside. There's a slow processor and limited software update support that hurt the value proposition of the Motorola Edge 2025.
The Google Pixel 10a is shaping up to be the polar opposite of the Motorola Edge 2025. It's not exciting from the outside. The phone is a basic slab with a generic design and won't include the staple Pixel camera bump for the second straight year. On the inside, though, we're expecting another custom Google chip with all the performance optimizations that come with it.
The choice between the upcoming Google Pixel 10a and Motorola Edge 2025 might prove to be one between style and substance. Here's how we expect the two midrange Android handsets to compare.
Google Pixel 10a vs. Motorola Edge 2025: Pricing and availability
The Google Pixel 10a is expected to launch earlier than usual this year, with the reveal rumored for Feb. 18, 2026. This leaked date comes from Evan Blass, who confirmed pre-order and retail availability on X (formerly Twitter). Pre-orders will open on that date, but general retail availability won't come until March 5, 2026, per the rumor. The price is expected to stay the same as the Pixel 9a, which retailed for $500 at launch.
The storage configurations are tabbed to remain identical to the prior generation, too. The Google Pixel 10a base model will likely offer 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage, while the upgraded model should provide 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. For the second straight year, we're expecting both configurations to be available in every colorway.
The Motorola Edge 2025 launched at a high $550 retail price when it debuted in June 2025. That price point proved to be steep, considering the underpowered hardware. You do get 256GB of storage for that price, which is cheaper than the expected cost of the 256GB Pixel 10a.
Notably, the price of Edge 2025 models has come down since its initial release, and you can find it as low as $400 at the time of publishing. That will certainly help Motorola compete with Google and creates a decent value proposition for the Edge 2025.
Google Pixel 10a vs. Motorola Edge 2025: Design and display
The design is a major tick in favor of the Motorola Edge 2025. While the last Pixel A-series model added IP68 certification for the first time, and the Pixel 10a should also offer it, Motorola takes that a step further on the Edge 2025. It supports both IP68 and IP69, the latter of which extends protection against high-temperature and high-pressure water jets. Plus, the Motorola Edge 2025 is also MIL-STD-810H certified.
Motorola's leather back on the Edge 2025 is one less thing to crack. All told, the Motorola Edge 2025 will be more durable than the Pixel 10a. You probably don't need IP69 certification on your smartphone, but it's a nice bonus.
The largest differentiator between the Motorola Edge 2025 and the Google Pixel 10a will be the phones' form factor. The Edge 2025 packs a punch with its 6.7-inch pOLED display, which dwarfs the 6.3-inch screen we expect to see on the Pixel 10a. The overall body is larger as a result, with the Edge 2025 measuring 161.19 x 73.06 x 7.99 millimeters. This might not be ideal for people who like compact phones, but it's great for those wanting the size of a flagship with the price of a budget device.
Although the Motorola Edge 2025 is taller than the Google Pixel 10a's rumored dimensions, it is expected to be thinner and lighter. It'll be almost a millimeter thinner and nearly five grams lighter, if current projections hold. This might help the Edge 2025 feel slimmer and more modern in the hand despite the larger overall footprint.
Both phones use pOLED panels with refresh rates that can hit 120Hz. The Motorola Edge 2025 is slightly sharper at 446 pixels-per-inch (ppi), whereas the Pixel 10a should come in at 422ppi.
The wild card here is whether the Google Pixel 10a supports Qi2 charging. Google added inbuilt magnets to the Pixel 10 series for complete compatibility with the Qi2, MagSafe, and Pixelsnap ecosystems. If the Pixel 10a gets the same treatment, it could be easier to charge and use accessories with this mid-ranger than with the Motorola Edge 2025.
Google Pixel 10a vs. Motorola Edge 2025: Hardware and specs
Google isn't expected to make major changes to the Pixel 10a hardware, and current rumors point to the company keeping specs mostly the same as the Pixel 9a. To that end, we might see a recycled Tensor G4 chip appear on the Pixel 10a. It could be a "boosted" variant, but still might be the same processor we saw on the Pixel 9a. Rumors also claim the memory allotment will remain at 8GB, so those hoping for more may end up disappointed.
That still may be enough for the Pixel 10a to beat the Motorola Edge 2025 on the hardware front. It's using a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chip and 8GB of slower LPDDR4X memory. In our testing, we found the Edge 2025 to feel sluggish and slow at times as a result of the underpowered hardware.
Category |
Google Pixel 10a (rumored/expected) |
Motorola Edge 2025 |
|---|---|---|
OS |
Android 16, seven OS updates to Android 23, seven years of security updates through 2033 |
Android 15, two OS updates to Android 17, three years of security updates through June 2028 |
Display |
6.3-inch pOLED, 20:9 aspect ratio, 2,424 x 1,080 (422 PPI), 60–120Hz, up to 1,800 nits (HDR) or 2,700 nits (peak brightness), Gorilla Glass 3, Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors |
6.7-inch pOLED, 2712 x 1220 resolution (446 ppi), 120Hz refresh rate |
Chipset |
"Boosted" Google Tensor G4 (4nm), Arm Mali-G715, Titan M2 |
MediaTek Dimensity 7400 |
RAM |
8GB LPDDR5X |
8GB LPDDR4X |
Storage |
128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 |
256GB uMCP |
Rear camera 1 |
48MP Quad PD Dual Pixel, ƒ/1.7, 82º, 1/2" image sensor, Super Res Zoom up to 8x, OIS, 4K at 60fps |
50MP, Sony Lytia 700C, f/1.8, 1.0μm pixel size, 2.0μm quad pixel binning, quad PDAF, OIS |
Rear camera 2 |
13MP UW, ƒ/2.2, 120° FoV |
50MP, ultrawide + macro, 120-degree FoV, macro vision, f/2.0, 1.28μm quad-binned to 12MP, PDAF |
Rear camera 3 |
N/A |
10MP, telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.0, 1.0μm, OIS |
Front camera |
13MP, ƒ/2.2, 96.1º |
50MP, f/1.9, 1.28μm quad-binned, PDAF |
Ingress protection |
IP68 dust and water resistance |
IP68/IP69, MIL-STD-810H |
Connectivity |
5G bands, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC |
Security |
Optical in-screen fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock |
Optical in-screen fingerprint sensor |
Audio |
USB Type-C 3.2, stereo speakers, 2 mics |
USB Type-C OTG, stereo speakers |
Battery |
5,100mAh, 30+ hour battery life, 100 hours with Extreme Battery Saver |
5,200mAh |
Charging |
23W wired, 7.5W Qi-certified wireless |
68W wired (not included in box), 15W wireless, USB PD 3.0 |
Dimensions |
154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm, 185.9g |
161.19 x 73.06 x 7.99 mm, 181g |
Colors |
Obsidian, Porcelain, Peony, Iris |
PANTONE Deep Forest (vegan leather back) |
The software situation for the Motorola Edge 2025 is rough, too. It shipped with Android 15 and was only guaranteed to come with two major OS upgrades. When it released, Android 16 was already available, putting it behind from the start. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 10a should launch with Android 16 and come with seven years of full OS upgrades thereafter.
One area the Motorola Edge 2025 exceeded expectations is the camera system. It includes four total cameras, and they're all solid. There's a 50MP primary shooter, a 50MP ultrawide camera, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP selfie camera. That's a standout array for a phone in this price point, and it'll be hard for Google to beat it.
The Google Pixel 10a is expected to ship with a 48MP main camera, a 13MP ultrawide, and a 13MP selfie camera. The main camera is decent, but the Edge 2025 likely clears in every other area of the camera hardware.
Google Pixel 10a vs. Motorola Edge 2025: Which should you buy?
We came away disappointed from our time with the Motorola Edge 2025, and that gives Google an easy opening to solidify the Pixel 10a as the best Android mid-ranger. The Motorola Edge 2025 simply lagged and stuttered too much for a phone costing $550, and the mere two years of Android OS upgrades pales in comparison to Google's seven years of complete support. Motorola's frequent deals and carrier promotions make the price more palatable, but it's not enough.
Unless you need a premium design and a triple-camera rear system, your money would likely be better spent on the Google Pixel 10a.
While we don't know exactly what the Pixel 10a will offer, it's safe to assume a few things. One, that the phone will at least be powered by the Tensor G4 chip (or newer) and that it will come with at least seven years of Android OS upgrades. That alone is enough to make the Pixel 10a a better buy than the Motorola Edge 2025, so it's worth waiting for.
The sensible option
While Motorola is making it tough to invest in mid-rangers lacking in software support, Google is doing the opposite. The Google Pixel 10a should come with seven years of full Android OS upgrade support, starting with Android 16. It's an easy phone to buy into and be assured it'll last for years to come.
The flashy choice
Motorola's specs and software support make the Edge 2025 a tricky device, but it's hard to argue with the phone's style. The vegan leather back, IP69 durability rating, and great screen help the Edge 2025 punch above its weight class.
