TL;DR
- Google has revealed that the Pixel 9a has the Exynos Modem 5300 rather than the newer Exynos Modem 5400 seen in the Pixel 9 series.
- This is despite the fact that the Pixel 9a uses a Tensor G4 processor much like the Pixel 9 range.
- Previous Pixels with the old modem were criticized for their cellular reception and battery life.
The Google Pixel 9a is finally here, and the new phone is equipped with the Pixel 9 family’s Tensor G4 chipset. However, it turns out that the Pixel 9a processor has received a significant connectivity downgrade.
Google told Android Authority that the Pixel 9a used the old Exynos Modem 5300 rather than the Exynos Modem 5400 seen on the Pixel 9 series, despite sharing what is otherwise the same chipset.
This might be a major downgrade in practice as earlier Pixels with this modem, particularly the Pixel 6 series, suffered from disappointing cellular reception and poor battery life on cellular data. Google made good progress on these issues over the years, but eventually switched to the Exynos Modem 5400 with the Pixel 9’s release last year.
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The new modem supports the 3GPP Release 17 standard (enabling satellite connectivity) and much higher peak downlink speeds. Samsung also claimed that the Exynos Modem 5400 offers improved efficiency and stability over its predecessor. So adopting the new modem in the Pixel 9a would’ve been a good way to address any reception, heating, and battery life concerns.
Google’s decision to stick with the old modem in the Pixel 9a isn’t a total surprise, though. Back in September 2024, we exclusively reported that the Pixel 9a would use a Tensor G4 chip with the Exynos Modem 5300.
