It’s still a few months away from launch, but there have been a lot of new leaks surrounding Google’s upcoming Pixel 9a midranger. In fact, a list of the phone’s upcoming specs pretty much reveal everything there is to know about it, in true Pixel-leak fashion. So for those of you curious enough about the Pixel 9a, here’s what we can expect when the phone launches next year.
CHECK OUT: Android 15 is Here: New Pixel Features that You Should Know!
Design Changes
One major change with the Pixel 9a is that Google is removing the camera bar, at least based on some recently-shared photos of the device (by Twitter/X user @feni_book online). Since the launch of the Pixel 6 series, Google introduced a camera bar design which was seen on other models like the Pixel 7 series all the way to this year’s Pixel 9 phones. With the Pixel 9a however, the camera design is a lot more basic, with just a camera window and LED flash.
The Pixel 9a will also come with a 6.2-inch display, a departure from the 6.1-inch displays seen on earlier A-series models. The screen will feature a peak brightness of up to 2,700 nits in addition to a 120Hz refresh rate, and will come with Gorilla Glass protection as well, which in this case is still Gorilla Glass 3 – not the most exciting development, but it’s Google playing it safe. In terms of colours, it looks like we’re also getting black and white, a Peony version (the Pink one on the Pixel 9 phones), and a newer “Iris” model which is expected to feature a bluish-purple look, all with IP68 dust and water protection.
Camera and Internal Specs
In terms of cameras, the Pixel 9a will come with the same dual-camera setup on most other Pixel models, although it will reportedly ditch the 64MP camera seen on the Pixel 7a and 8a, and instead will feature a higher-quality 48MP resolution camera. This will be accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and a 13MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.
As for performance, the Pixel 9a will also feature the Tensor G4 chip, which arrived with the Pixel 9 devices. While the Tensor G4 doesn’t exactly offer groundbreaking performance upgrades over the Tensor G3 from last year, it does come with better efficiency and thermal management thanks to a fairly newer modem from Samsung. On the other hand though, it’s also rumoured that Google will use an older modem for the version of the Tensor G4 on the Pixel 9a. Other details include 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage, and a 5,100 mAh battery.
Finally, Google will supposedly launch the Pixel 9a much earlier next year, at around March. The A-series Pixels were usually unveiled during Google I/O in May, although it looks like Google is shifting its launch dates as seen with the earlier release of the Pixel 9 phones. The phone will reportedly come priced at around $500.
