Google Pixel 9a leaks suggest a dramatic redesign is on its way
Google’s next budget-friendly phone is around the corner, and it might look very different
📱 The Google Pixel 9a just leaked in new renders
📸 Google might drop its signature camera bump on the back
🤖 Pixel 9a will reportedly include Android 15 out of the box
📅 The Pixel 9a release date is rumored to land some time in early 2025
Hot on the heels of our Pixel 9 Pro XL review, Google is gearing up to introduce its next budget-friendly Pixel A-series phone to the world, and we have a fresh leak detailing what to expect.
The latest Pixel 9a leak shows new renders of the phone thanks to OnLeaks and Android Headlines, who are both responsible for leaking the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra, as well as the entire Pixel 9 lineup leading up to its release. The renders point to a device that looks practically the same as the Pixel 9, except with one glaring design decision that some will undoubtedly find disappointing.
No more camera bar on Pixel 9a?
While the front of the Pixel 9a looks like any other Pixel, the back is a completely different story. Instead of a bar on the back to house the cameras and flash, Google appears to have decided to integrate the camera sensors directly into the body of the 9a, keeping the back panel flat, characterless, and far from as eye-catching as the Pixel 8a. The look reminds me a lot of the Essential Phone from 2017, except with a larger cutout for the bigger cameras on the Pixel 9a.
This, my friends, will be a very divisive change if true. Google has made it a signature part of its Pixel design since the Pixel 6, and to see the company walk away from it – even for just one phone – is sad. It’s a cool look that stands out among the competition, and it’s a shame that it’s going to get a whole lot more boring once the 9a rolls around. Here’s to hoping the Pixel 10 retains the signature camera visor.
It’s a bit thinner, ships with Android 15, and launches next year
Other than that, the Pixel 9a looks like any other Pixel phone with a big screen, skinny bezels (albeit thicker than the flagship Pixels) bezels, and a metal frame. The phone will be a bit thinner and lighter than the Pixel 8a was, according to Android Headlines, and it’ll ship in four colors: Porcelain, Obsidian, Peony, and Iris (a blue-ish, purple-ish color).
The report suggests that the phone will come with Android 15 out of the box, and it’s likely that the Pixel 9a will be the last to support a Google Tensor chip that wasn’t manufactured by Google. Up until now, Samsung has been making the chips inside Pixel phones, but that’s expected to change with the Pixel 10 later in 2025 which is reported to be the first completely designed, engineered, and manufactured by Google.
As for the Pixel 9a, if history is any indication, you can expect the Tensor G4 as well as around 8GB of RAM.
Google is expected to announce the Pixel 9a in 2025. We’ve seen Pixel A-series phones launch at the I/O developer conference in May before, so that could be when we see this device for the first time. Stay tuned.