The Google Pixel 9a is the next stepping stone for mid-range Pixel devices and like every a-series smartphone, it should be THE phone to get for those who were eyeing a Pixel 9 but find it pricey. While the Pixel 9a launch might seem far, several leaks have already surfaced, confirming many specifications, including the design, camera, and battery size. Here’s a roundup of everything we know about the upcoming Pixel 9a so far.
Pixel 9a: Potential Release Date
The Google Pixel 9a may launch as soon as March 2025. According to Android Headlines, Google could move up the timeline of all of its future Pixel releases. The Pixel 9 series launched in August this year, two months earlier compared to the Pixel 8 series. And, from the looks of it, the Pixel 9a launch could be moving up as well. The same goes for the Android 16 release.
Pixel 9a: Design and Display
The leaked Pixel 9a renders revealed a unique design. It’s a departure from previous A-series models, which typically mirrored the design of the mainline Pixel devices at the time.
For starters, the front of the Pixel 9a looks familiar to the Pixel 9 (review), albeit with a thicker chin and bezels. Google is taking a different approach for the rear panel. As per the renders, the 9a’s back doesn’t have a camera bar or island like the Pixel 9. Instead, the rear cameras may sit flush with the back panel, giving it a look that’s quite unlike Pixels. It reminds us of the back design of the Essential Phone.
As per recent leaks, the 9a measures 154.7 x 73.3 x 7.9 mm, making it a tad bit wider, longer, and slimmer than its predecessor. The device is expected to feature a bigger 6.3-inch FHD+ 120Hz display with 2000 nits peak brightness. The larger footprint means the phone will be comparatively harder to hold than Pixel 8a which features a 6.1-inch display and smaller dimensions. I’m sure the display will still be better than the iPhone 16’s *cough cough.
Pixel 9a: Hardware
The Tensor G4 from this year’s Google flagship could possibly power the upcoming A-series. Like each year, it might be an underpowered version. The Tensor G4 (benchmarks) itself isn’t a significant upgrade from the G3, so there isn’t much of a reason to upgrade (so far) if you own a Pixel 8 or 8a. If you were hoping Google would add the latest modem, reports suggest Google will stick the old modem to 9a’s Tensor G4 and not the Exynos 5400 from the Pixel 9.
Google is expected to switch to TSMC’s manufacturing process next year. The bump to 3 nm manufacturing node will happen with Tensor G5, which could debut with the Pixel 10 series and Pixel 10a down the line. Recent leaks also suggest that Google is working on a Tensor SoC for Pixel Watches.
As for the internals, you can expect the Pixel 9a to feature UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5X RAM, like the Pixel 8a. The base variant could also retain the same specifications, i.e., 128GB storage and 8GB RAM. We would’ve loved to see the base RAM bumped to 12GB but that’s not happening. There will be a 256GB storage variant too with the same amount of RAM.
Coming to software, the Pixel 9a will be the first Pixel to launch with Android 15 out of the box, since the Pixel 9 series didn’t launch with the new Android version. The phone will have the same 7-year update promise as the Pixel 9.
Pixel 9a: Cameras
Recent leaks suggest the Pixel 9a will boast a 48 MP camera and a secondary 13 MP ultrawide camera. Accompanying them will be a 13 MP front camera. The primary shooter is a downgrade on paper from Pixel 8a’s 64 MP camera. It could be the same primary camera as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold with an f/1.7 aperture (vs f/1.89 on Pixel 8a).
Pixel 9a Battery Size
As mentioned earlier, Google may not incorporate the latest Exynos 5400 modem like the Pixel 9 series. Other than that, the 9a should support Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, Ultrawide Band, 5G, LTE, and most notably, a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port for charging and display output.
Since the 9a has a larger footprint, it is probably what allowed Google to add a 5,000 mAh battery, which is 11% bigger than Pixel 8a (4482 mAh). Unfortunately, the charging speeds will remain the same (18W). It is a bummer considering Pixel 9 charges at 30W despite having a relatively smaller battery. A bump to 25W at least would’ve made things much faster; Alas.
Pixel 9a: Pricing and Colorways
Google’s Pixel a-series has always been budget-oriented, coming at less than $500, and we expect nothing different from the Pixel 9a. The Pixel 8a with pretty decent improvements was priced at $499 for the base 128 GB variant, and we expect the same for the Pixel 9a.
Coming to the colors, all the leaks so far point toward the phone arriving in four colorways — Porcelain, Iris, Obsidian, and Peony.
What are your thoughts on the Pixel 9a? What else do you think Google should add to make it a more compelling mid-range offering? Let us know in the comments below.
Sagnik Das Gupta
