For years now, smartphone makers have made the camera bump on devices bigger in order to chase camera improvements. Even if that kind of design makes cameras better, at times, it creates usability issues. With the Pixel 10a, Google took a new approach of entirely removing the camera bump and making a flat phone that lies completely on surfaces.

While this is a delightful change in the world of big camera bumps, Google hasn’t otherwise made major design changes with its newest budget smartphone. The Pixel 9a looked mostly the same, with a very small camera bump.

I have the plain old black unit, but Google offers the phone in Lavender (a mix of bright blue and purple), Berry (coral), and Fog (grey-green tone) colors.

The screen size of 6.3 inches is the same as last year’s device, but the display is now brighter at 3,000 nits. Google is using the Actua series of screens it used with other Pixel 10 series of devices to make it more usable in bright conditions. The display is capable of getting to a 120Hz refresh rate, but the unit ships with it set to 60Hz, so you will need to manually change that through the phone’s settings.

Build and specification-wise, the Pixel 10a goes toe-to-toe with the Pixel 10, with a few differences. For instance, the Pixel 10 has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and the back. The cheaper 10a has a plastic back and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the front. The budget device also has a bigger battery of 5,100 mAh, as compared to 4,970 mAh on the base Pixel 10. The Pixel 10 Pro XL has a battery of 5,200 mAh.

There are only small differences between the Pixel 9a, the Pixel 10a, and the Pixel 10, most of them having to do with performance and compute power. The obvious hardware difference is that the budget series of phones use the Google Tensor G4 CPU, as compared to the Tensor G5 with the Pixel 10. The Pixel 10 Series of phones charges at 30W through USB-C, up from the 23W charging capacity of the Pixel 9a. Wireless charging is supported at 7.5W for the Pixel 9a, 10W for the Pixel 10a, and 15W (magnetic) for the Pixel 10.

The battery bump and new charging capacity are helpful as the battery lasts easily throughout the day, including using your regular apps, a few hours of video watching, and light gaming. Plus, the brighter display makes the device better for all-around experience in different lighting conditions. Yes, the 10a has chunkier bezels than its more costly cousins, but it doesn’t make for too much of a difference in daily usage. After all, you’re getting the device for a much lesser price than a flagship.

The Pixel 10a uses the Tensor G4 chip, which was also used in the Pixel 9a. That means there are no performance gains this year, which you might notice if you switch between a lot of apps. Because of the chip and the 8GB RAM combo, the Pixel 10a can’t run the updated Gemini Nano model, which means it has fewer on-device AI features than the Pixel 10a series.

The feature list not available on the Pixel 10a includes notification summaries, the Pixel screenshot app, Magi Cue (which gives you suggestions across apps like Gmail, Messages, and Maps), call notes, and on-device call translation.

The phone features a 48-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera, which is the same as last year’s device. The main camera is fine for most conditions, even in low light. But given the older and smaller sensor on the ultrawide, it tends to lose some details. Plus, it doesn’t have autofocus.

The Pixel 10a has a camera coach AI feature that can guide you to take a shot of an object. This feature guides shot framing to make sure an object sits better in a photo. There is also Auto Best Take, which merges photos to create the best take from the bunch of shots, which is useful when you take images of a group. The phone also has support for up to 8x super-res zoom, but the processing and quality aren’t as good as the Pixel 10, which offers up to 100x zoom through this feature.

Notably, some AI features might make it to the Pixel 10a through a Pixel Drop, as Google often manages to make them work on older models.

Google offers seven years of software updates with this device, which is crucial to get both operating system updates, along with feature drops and security updates. While this is not Pixel 10a exclusive, the phone has a quick share feature that now works with AirDrop. This means I could simply transfer photos, just like I did for this story, to my MacBook within a few taps. Previously, I had to connect the Pixel 10a to my MacBook with a USB-C cable.

At $499, good battery life, a bright display, and faster charging are things going in favor of the Pixel 10a. For this price, the phone offers good value for money in a light and flat design. However, if you have had last year’s Pixel 9a, there is no reason to change. Plus, the Nothing 4a Pro for $499 offers tough competition to Google’s budget device with better specifications, such as a bigger and brighter screen, a more capable Qualcomm processor, a dedicated telephoto lens, and faster charging speeds of 50W.

Amazon’s investment in “Project Hail Mary” has reaped substantial rewards, as the film recently outperformed “Creed III” to become the company’s highest-grossing film of all time.

This was a considerable gamble, with an estimated budget of about $200 million. Such a hefty figure is significant for any movie, especially one that isn’t a sequel or part of a current franchise. Rather, it’s adapted from a bestselling science fiction novel by Andy Weir, whose earlier book “The Martian” was successfully turned into a film a decade earlier. 

Additionally, “Project Hail Mary” stands out for being quite unique. For extended periods in the film, Ryan Gosling is the sole human performer on screen, portraying a scientist who collaborates with a rock-like alien to uncover the reason behind the dimming of several stars — including our own.

However, after just 10 days in theaters, “Project Hail Mary” has generated an estimated $164.3 million in North America, alongside $136.2 million internationally, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Domestically, it experienced only a 32% drop in its second weekend, earning $54.5 million, indicating that its final box office totals are likely to rise significantly once it concludes its theater run.

This positions “Project Hail Mary” as the biggest success of 2026 thus far, as well as one of the most triumphantly non-franchise, non-sequel films of the last ten years. 

This is encouraging news for what is now referred to as Amazon MGM Studios. The company’s film-making aspirations have transformed over the years, evolving from distributing smaller, critically praised films like “The Big Sick” and “Manchester by the Sea” to more recent acquisitions such as the MGM movie studio (prompting a dispute over control of the James Bond franchise) and announcing plans to release 14 films in theaters annually.

Prior to “Hail Mary,” those films — including “After the Hunt,” “Mercy,” and the contentious “Melania” documentary — appeared to underwhelm audiences.

Courtenay Valenti, Amazon’s film head, informed The New York Times that the impressive opening weekend of “Project Hail Mary” affirmed the company’s approach of producing “big, bold entertaining commercial films.” Furthermore, more titles are set to grace theaters soon, such as “The Sheep Detectives” featuring Hugh Jackman in May, followed by a “Masters of the Universe” reboot in June.

This week, OpenAI revealed that it is discontinuing its Sora application and associated video models merely six months post-launch.

During the most recent episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I discussed the implications of this decision for OpenAI and the broader industry. To a degree, this action aligns with what we’ve been observing regarding OpenAI’s pivot towards enterprise and productivity solutions as it moves closer to a potential IPO.

In fact, Kirsten noted that OpenAI’s choice to close Sora reflected “a maturity level that was encouraging to witness in an AI lab.”

However, the termination of Sora—alongside ByteDance’s indicated postponement in the global rollout of its Seedance 2.0 video model—might serve as a wake-up call for creators of AI video technologies, and for advocates who assert these tools will imminently usurp Hollywood.

Below is a preview of our discussion, shortened for conciseness and clarity.

Anthony: It’s important to point out that it’s not merely the app. Personally, I found the app notably unappealing, as did others, due to its premise of a social network devoid of actual users, filled only with irrelevant content.

Beyond the app, it appears OpenAI is essentially scaling back nearly all its video-related activities. The Wall Street Journal, which initially reported some of this information, suggests that OpenAI is prioritizing business-centric products and enterprise solutions ahead of a possible public offering, indicating that this consumer-focused social app—and video endeavors in general—are not currently key priorities.

Sean: I never really engaged with [the app]. The concept itself didn’t resonate with me for several reasons. And, you know, this serves as a good reminder that OpenAI—without intending to disparage them in any way—probably recognized, internally, the element of chance involved in ChatGPT’s success.

Clearly, there is something valuable for users, and I don’t want to diminish that, because achieving the reported usage statistics is indicative of a genuinely working model—and even more so that it has been maintained and evolved into something that remains relevant for users over time.

However, when Sora launched, it exuded an air of, “We’ve created the most successful consumer product ever, and now we’re duplicating that success with this. We’re going to include Disney and all this other content.” This serves as a stark reminder that there isn’t always a guaranteed shortcut to creating the greatest consumer products, and there must be intrinsic value for them to endure.

Kirsten: I actually commend OpenAI for this choice, as we often jest about the concept of “move fast and break things,” but there is merit in companies that can rapidly iterate and discontinue underperforming products without feeling a sense of defeat. There was significant financial investment involved; the arrangement with Disney amounted to a billion dollars. However, without access to their financial statements, we can only speculate about their expenditures and any long-term value.

While it was intriguing to explore the possibilities they could produce, their decision to shut it down, in my view, reflected a maturity level that was positive to see from an AI lab.

Anthony: In terms of implications for OpenAI, this action appears to align well with the strategy we’ve been hearing regarding their future direction. It doesn’t seem like a severe setback for how we perceive the future of generative AI.

Especially in the video realm, it is notable that this coincides with recent developments surrounding Seedance, ByteDance’s generative AI model for video. Reports indicate that [Seedance 2.0 has] been delayed due to engineering and legal considerations, specifically regarding “Can we integrate IP protections into this?” which seems to have been an overlooked issue previously.

Thus, we find ourselves at a crucial reality check moment. There were numerous exaggerated claims, including those from Hollywood insiders proclaiming, “This is it, we’re done—just input prompts and create films.” Reality has shown that, for numerous technical and legal reasons, the path to that outcome is far more complex and distant.

Sean: Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that this decision is one of several occurring since Fidji Simo began overseeing daily operations. This has brought a significant shift within OpenAI. As we move further away from her taking the helm for these consumer products and determining their fates, it will likely become easier to retrospectively assess how pivotal this moment was for the company.

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Waymo has announced it is currently providing 500,000 paid robotaxi rides weekly. While this figure is modest compared to its human-driven ride-hailing equivalents, such as Lyft and Uber, what I found particularly compelling was the growth trajectory of rides, expansion into new markets, and how these factors relate to its fleet size. We created a chart (which you can check out below) to illustrate this rapid scaling. 

However, this scaling brings new challenges, such as the unavoidable situations where robotaxis can become immobilized, similar to those that occurred during the California blackout in December. This leads to inquiries about what occurs when a robotaxi gets stuck — and who is responsible for getting it moving again? 

Senior reporter Sean O’Kane explored Waymo’s system (which includes its dedicated roadside assistance team), along with six incidents where first responders had to intervene and manually operate the stranded Waymo. In several instances, robotaxis became immobilized amid emergencies: A police officer responding to a mass shooting in Austin earlier this month had to first relocate a Waymo robotaxi out of the way. 

At the core of his findings, Sean noted that when Waymo’s vehicles are stuck, the company depends on public services funded by taxpayers to extricate its vehicles.

Depending on who is consulted, opinions on this matter vary from being unacceptable, not a significant issue, or somewhere in between. In a recent session, San Francisco District 4 supervisor Alan Wong mentioned that many of his peers concur that “our first responders shouldn’t serve as AAA.” 

For those who may brush this off, I recommend they consider what lies ahead.

This issue extends beyond Waymo. Several companies are aiming to launch paid robotaxis in the U.S. this year, such as Motional and Zoox. Tesla, which operates in Austin, harbors significant ambitions as well. Each company may operate with varying systems and levels of dependence on first responders.

A little bird

Someone close to Uber recently relayed a piece of information regarding Waymo, with whom the ride-hailing company has formed alliances in several cities. This source indicated that it takes up to 30% longer for a Waymo robotaxi to reach a destination compared to a human driver due to the careful nature of the robot car and its tendency to evade possible challenges such as unprotected left turns. (Important note: I’ve experienced multiple Waymos, and these vehicles can indeed manage left-hand turns, yet they can pose difficulties, explaining why robotaxis might choose to avoid them.)

Have a tip for us? Reach out to Kirsten Korosec at [email protected] or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or contact Sean O’Kane at [email protected]. 

Deals!

Zipline, a U.S. autonomous drone delivery and logistics startup, has been operational for several years. Recently, its success in home delivery and ongoing global expansion has allowed it to attract further investment. 

The company announced it has secured an additional $200 million, augmenting its previous funding round first disclosed in January. This extra capital, which includes contributions from crypto investment firm Paradigm, has raised Zipline’s recent Series H round total to $800 million. Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners, and Tiger Global participated in the initial phase that appraised the drone delivery startup at $7.6 billion.

My article focuses on why the startup has attracted such a wealth of interested investors. TL;DR: Its at-home delivery volume exceeded projections in January and February, with CEO Keller Clifton predicting similar performance over the next three months, compared to 2025.

Other intriguing deals …

NoTraffic, an Israeli traffic management software startup, secured $90 million in a Series C funding round led by PSG Equity, as reported by Axios.

Rivian received another $1 billion from Volkswagen Group after achieving one of its goals under a tech partnership between the two manufacturers. Approximately $750 million will come as an equity investment, while an additional $250 million will be either equity or convertible debt, contingent on which prototypes Volkswagen Group supplied for Rivian’s testing. (The specifics were not immediately clarified by the companies.)

Shield AI, a manufacturer of autonomous military aircraft, raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation. The investment was led by private equity firm Advent along with a JPMorganChase financing group.

Swish, a food delivery startup based in Bengaluru, secured $38 million in a Series B round led by Hara Global and Bain Capital Ventures. Other investors included Accel, Stride Ventures, and Alteria Capital.

Uber intends to invest in Verne, the robotaxi venture under Rimac Group. The unnamed investment, which sources indicate should be finalized in the next few months, forms part of a wider agreement that involves Pony.ai to introduce robotaxis to Europe, beginning in Zagreb, Croatia.

Notable reads and other tidbits

DoorDash has rolled out relief payments for drivers as the Iran-U.S. conflict drives fuel prices higher.

Harbinger, the EV trucking startup, is expanding its product lineup. This time, Harbinger’s chassis will be utilized in emergency vehicles for the 70-year-old company Frazer.

Faraday Future has been cleared by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC has ended its inquiry into the electric vehicle startup, despite recommendations for enforcement action last year from staff on the case.

Here’s a timely development. Flighty, the well-liked flight-tracking application, has introduced a new “Airport Intelligence” feature that provides users with real-time alerts and insights about airport disruptions, available across 14,000 airports worldwide. 

Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture between the two Japanese conglomerates, is abandoning the two Afeela-branded EVs it has been developing over the last few years. I received numerous press releases and invitations to view the Afeela through the years, and with each passing quarter, it became less probable that it would become a reality. 

Utah’s governor has signed a bill establishing a liability framework for autonomous vehicles. 

Zoox’s</strong purpose-built robotaxis are now navigating public roadways in Austin and Miami after nearly two years of testing its vehicles in those cities. The company plans to begin offering rides in both areas later this year as part of its early-rider initiative. Note: until it secures an exemption from federal authorities, Zoox cannot charge for rides.

One more thing …

Here are the outcomes from my inquiry regarding Rivian and its R2 robotaxi partnership with Uber. As a reminder, this was the scenario. Rivian aims to manufacture thousands of R2 robotaxis, incorporating the self-driving technology. Is this a distraction and a major risk OR is it vital for the company’s long-term trajectory?

Approximately 55% of respondents feel it’s a distraction, whereas 45% believe the pursuit of robotaxis is crucial to its long-term prospects. 

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