Google has yet to unveil it’s much-awaited sequel to last year’s Pixel 8a, the Pixel 9a. Despite the phone still pretty much under wraps, we’ve seen a ton of online leaks go live, giving us a lot of details about the handset. A while back, a list of the phone’s upcoming specs paint a better picture of what we can expect once Google launches its more wallet-friendly Pixel model this year – speaking of “wallet-friendly,” more recent leaks have seemingly confirmed how much the Pixel 9a will cost upon release.
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Price Details
Let’s get this one out of the way – Google has probably decided that it will be sticking with the 500-dollar launch price moving forward, as new reports from Android Headlines indicate that the Pixel 9a will be priced at $499 when it launches, similar to the Pixel 8a’s launch price. It will supposedly come in a 256GB storage variant as well, although this one will be priced a bit more expensive at $599. No UK price details have been mentioned so far, although we’re hoping it’s a bit cheaper right here across the pond.
Google will supposedly launch the Pixel 9a around March, and while the A-series Pixels were usually unveiled during Google I/O in May, although it looks like the company is shifting its launch dates as seen with the earlier release of the Pixel 9 phones.
What Does it Look Like?
An interesting design element of the Pixel 9a is that Google has decided to ditch the camera bar, at least based on some supposed leaked photos of the device (by Twitter/X user @feni_book) online. Starting with the Pixel 6 series, Google introduced a camera bar design which was adopted by subsequent models like the Pixel 7 series all the way to last 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.
Leaks also claim that the Pixel 9a will also come with a 6.2-inch display, 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, which at this point is years olde now. 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
Inside, the Pixel 9a will feature the Tensor G4 chip, which arrived with the Pixel 9 devices. While the Tensor G4 doesn’t exactly offer groundbreaking performance compared with other flagship-tier chips such as ones from Qualcomm and MediaTek, it does come with better efficiency and thermal management compared to older Tensor chips. 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.
As for its 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.
