A majority (56%) of high school students say that AI helps reduce the anxiety they feel about studying math. That statistic comes from to a March survey of 1,500 11th and 12th graders in the US and sixth-year students in the UK and Wales that was conducted by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Most of the students surveyed (61%) said that AI gives them instant help, feedback and clarification. The results point to anxiety in math education around learning in a nonjudgmental setting, such not having to ask questions in front of other students, and using AI to make math more accessible and understandable.

Results from teachers differed, however. Only 19% of 250 teachers surveyed agreed about AI’s anxiety-reducing effects, but nearly half of them (49%) said they see value in using AI to help learn math concepts rather than just seeking answer to math problems.

The organization released the survey results this week as part of its promotion of its annual MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, which this year is focused on global warming.

Editor’s note: The Pixel 9A is now in stores. Make sure to read CNET’s Pixel 9A review. 

The newly announced Google Pixel 9A has big shoes to fill. The affordable phone is the follow-up to one of my favorite phones from 2024, the Pixel 8A, which earned a CNET Editors’ Choice Award. With the Pixel 8A, Google found a sweet spot in terms of features, battery life, long-term software support and overall value. Fortunately, on paper, the Pixel 9A seems like an upgrade in nearly every way to last year’s Pixel 8A.

But the Pixel 9A faces added pressure, as its launch comes on the heels of Apple’s «affordable» phone, the $599 iPhone 16E. The new iPhone, while being the cheapest one Apple sells, is still well beyond the $500 sweet spot that the best affordable phones manage to hit. Fortunately, Google didn’t follow Apple and kept the Pixel 9A’s price at $499 (£499, AU$849), which puts it more in reach for people with a tighter budget, especially as US tariffs take hold and drive the cost of goods higher.

I used the Pixel 9A for about half an hour and was impressed with its build (it feels incredibly solid) and aspects of its new design. I genuinely like that the Pixel 9A’s back is nearly completely flat. However, the phone lacks the distinctive camera bar found on the rest of the Pixel 9 series, diminishing some of the Pixel 9A’s Pixel-ness, at least in appearance. Otherwise, on the screen and under the hood, it’s as Pixel as they come.

The Pixel 9A will be available at the Google Store and at retailers beginning April 10.

Pixel 9A design

The Pixel 9A looks different from recent Pixel A models. Like the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, the Pixel 9A has flat sides instead of the curved ones on the Pixel 8A. But Google’s design approach to the Pixel 9A challenges the boundaries of minimalism. The back of the phone is almost completely flat, with the camera bump sticking out just a hair. When I run my fingertip across the back, my nail catches on the lip of the camera bump, but not by much.

The Pixel 9A is a rarity in 2025: It can lay completely flat on a table or desk. It doesn’t wobble, though the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro with a camera bar don’t wobble either. But the Pixel 9A’s flat design takes things to the next level. And I am all-in on the Pixel 9A’s flat design.

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But the lack of a camera bar seems like a bit of a miss, as I had always found it visually striking on previous Google phones. The bar helped distinguish the Pixel from other brands’ handsets. And while most people will hardly ever see the Pixel 9A in its birthday suit, instead opting to clothe it in a case, the Pixel 9A looks more generic than eye-catching.

In the tug-of-war between form and function, Google went for function and, as a result, says the Pixel 9A is the most durable Pixel A device it has made. The back is made from 81% recycled plastic. I know some people will roll their eyes because of the plastic, but it looks good and still felt solid when I picked it up, and it likely helps keep the cost down. The phone has an IP68 rating for water dust resistance (compared with the Pixel 8A’s IP67 rating), meaning it can be submerged in water as deep as 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. 

The Pixel 9A is available in four colors: obsidian, porcelain, peony and iris. In person, I really liked the iris color.

The Pixel 9A has a 6.3-inch display encapsulated in a body nearly identical (it’s a skosh taller) to the Pixel 8A, which had a 6.1-inch display. The display’s peak brightness is 2,700 nits, which is nice step up from the 8A’s screen, which could hit 2,000 nits. So it’ll be interesting to see how its screen looks outdoors, especially under some bright California sunlight. On paper, the screen seems identical to the one on the regular Pixel 9.

Pixel 9A camera

In terms of photography, the Pixel 9A has a 48-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. The new main camera supports Google’s Macro Focus, which means you can get close to your subject — think like a food photo — and have it be in focus. In fact, Google accomplishes this with the main camera instead of using the ultrawide camera like many other phones do.

As for resolution, the Pixel 9A’s 48-megapixel main camera is a step down from the 64-megapixel main camera on the Pixel 8A. But more megapixels isn’t necessarily better, as Google proved for years leaning on its software to boost its photography over other phones with higher-megapixel cameras.

Also, the Pixel 9A has a smorgasbord of AI goodies found on the more expensive Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, such as Best Take for better portraits, Photo Unblur, Magic Editor for removing distractions, Night Sight for low-light photos and more. The 9A even has Add Me, which uses AR and AI to let photographers add themselves to a group photo. I’ve used Add Me on my Pixel 9 Pro several times and am always impressed with the results.

Previous Pixel A phones have always had a solid B camera that exceeded its price. I don’t think the Pixel 9A’s shooters will be as good as the ones on the Pixel 9 or 9 Pro, but I’m excited to see how they hold up, especially with the new 48-megapixel sensor.

Pixel 9A performance and battery

The Pixel 9A runs on Google’s Tensor G4 chip, the same one found in the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. That means it can support Google AI features and Gemini. Notably, the Pixel 9A comes with 8GB of RAM instead of the 12GB found on the Pixel 9 and the 16GB on the 9 Pro. But even with less RAM, Google guarantees the Pixel 9A will receive seven years of major Android OS and security updates (it comes out of the box running Android 15).

While the Tensor G4 chip didn’t win any awards for its performance in benchmark tests for computations or graphics, we found it plenty capable when we tested it in the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. Whether it was playing games, mindlessly scrolling news and social feeds, or just editing a photo, the G4 chip consistently performed well in everyday use. I hope the same will be true when I get to test the Pixel 9A.

In terms of power, Google says that the Pixel 9A has the largest battery of any Pixel A device. When I saw the battery’s capacity listed as 5,100 mAh, I double-checked that I wasn’t reading the specs for Samsung’s new Galaxy A phones announced at MWC. Technically, the Pixel 9A’s battery is bigger than that of any in Samsung’s new phones, including the $1,300 Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Pixel 9A final thoughts for now

In terms of everything else, the Pixel 9A has all the Pixel features you’d expect: everything from theft protection and Family Link (for limiting access and sharing) to Google services like Gmail and Maps. Surprisingly, the new phone doesn’t get Satellite SOS connectivity like the rest of the Pixel 9 line, but compromises always have to be made to help keep the price down.

The Pixel 9A comes with either 128GB or 256GB of storage, three months of Google One, three months of YouTube Premium and six months of Fitbit Premium. I look forward to spending more time testing the Pixel 9A for a full review, once I can get my hands on it.

Editor’s note: The Google Pixel 9A is now in stores. Make sure to read CNET’s Pixel 9A review. 

Google’s Pixel A series phones have always offered the essence of what makes the flagship models so great, but in a pared-back package with a more affordable price tag. The Pixel 9A is no different, with the same Tensor G4 processor as the Pixel 9 Pro, along with a 48-megapixel main camera and a vibrant 6.3-inch display. Not bad for $499.

But Apple has just released the iPhone 16E, a $599 phone that also aims to distill the flagship experience into a slightly more affordable package. So how do they compare? Let’s take a look.

Pixel 9A vs. iPhone 16E: design

The Pixel 9A is the larger of the two phones. Its 6.3-inch screen isn’t a huge step up over the iPhone 16E’s 6.1-inch screen, but it’s enough to maybe make playing mobile games on the move a bit more immersive. However, the iPhone’s display is marginally sharper as it crams more pixels into a smaller space, though whether you’d ever notice that difference is debatable. The Pixel 9A’s display has a variable refresh rate between 60Hz and 120Hz that helps make animations look smoother and gaming more immersive. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, has a screen locked at 60Hz.

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Pixel 9A vs. iPhone 16E: performance

The Pixel 9A runs the same Tensor G4 chip as the Pixel 9 Pro. It’s not a powerhouse processor, but it should offer solid performance for everyday tasks. However, when we reviewed the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, it returned fairly disappointing results on benchmark tests. The iPhone 16E uses Apple’s A18 chip, which delivered much better scores on benchmark testing for both processor power and graphical prowess. For sheer straight-line speed, the iPhone is likely the one to go for here.

Pixel 9A vs. iPhone 16E: camera

While both phones have 48-megapixel main rear cameras, the Pixel 9A also offers a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens. The 9A also macro images, meaning you can get close to a subject and have them in focus. We’ll have to wait and see how the camera quality compares on each phone, but those of you who want a more well-rounded photography experience may find the iPhone’s single rear camera limiting. 

Both the Pixel 9A and iPhone 16E come fully equipped to use their companies’ respective AI platforms (Gemini on the Pixel, Apple Intelligence on the iPhone), with both offering a variety of built-in AI tools for productivity and imaging. Take a look below at how the Pixel 9A’s specs stack up against the iPhone 16E.