- High-quality renders of the Pixel 9a are now out, hinting towards a departure from Pixel 9's design.
- Pixel 9a may not feature a camera bar, and it could sit flush with the back panel.
- The rest of the design remains similar to the vanilla Pixel 9 with the display featuring slightly thicker bezels.
The Pixel 9 (review) series has made quite the name for itself thanks to the improved hardware and AI features. Like each year, it’s time to shift focus toward the A-series Pixels, which usually launch mid-year. It looks like we already have high-quality leaked renders of the Pixel 9a that give us a good look at what to expect. Here’s everything you need to know.
The renders come from Android Headlines and are in line with the real-world images of the Pixel 9a that leaked a few months ago. One of the first major differences you will see right away is the completely flat camera module. There’s no camera bar or island like the Pixel 9 series.
It is atypical for an A-series device to not possess the design elements of the same year’s Pixel models, but here we are. Accompanying the dual cameras is an LED flash, but the rest of the back is pretty clean.
Besides, the front looks identical to the vanilla Pixel 9; the bezels are prominently thick, though. The volume rocker and power buttons are on the right side. Additionally, the SIM card slot is at the bottom, along with the Type-C port and downward firing speaker.
Specifications-wise, we may not see a major leap from the Pixel 8a. We expect it to have the same 6.1-inch 120Hz display, 8GB RAM and 128GB base storage as its predecessor. However, the 9a could feature the latest Tensor G4 (benchmarks) instead, albeit an underpowered one. That’s because of the IPoP (Integrated Package-on-Package) tech instead of FOPLP (Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging).
The Pixel 9a could be the last Pixel to use Samsung Foundry’s manufacturing process, as Google is moving to TSMC’s manufacturing node for the Tensor G5. Besides, expect the Pixel 9a to come with Android 15 out of the box, unlike the Pixel 9 series.
We do not have a concrete release date yet. But judging by the timelines for the previous A-series models, we’re expecting the Pixel 9a to launch in May 2025. As for the pricing, it’s too soon to comment; although, we’d be surprised if Google bumps it up.
We were under the impression that Google may abandon the Pixel A series altogether as OnLeaks had previously suggested “this may be the last Pixel Xa series device”. While we had our reasons to believe so, we now know that’s not happening.
What are your thoughts on Pixel 9a? Do you like the different design approach Google is taking, or would you have preferred to see a Pixel 9-like camera island? Let us know in the comments.
