New Pixel 9a to drop camera island for sleeker look, leaked images suggest
A series of renders of what is reportedly Google’s upcoming Pixel 9a phone surfaced recently online. The images come from notable tech leaker OnLeaks, who shared his findings with the news site Android Headlines.
Also: The Google Pixel phone I recommend to most people is not a flagship (and it’s $200 off)
Before diving deep into the renders and seeing what they show,
These renders display an early build of what could be the Pixel 9a, so take them with a grain of salt. Leaked details on unreleased products are always subject to change. That said, the prototype phone in these images is quite interesting.
One especially noteworthy change: The prominent camera bar on the other Pixel 9 models is no longer there. Instead, the rear lenses sit almost flush with the phone’s back, surrounded by a small ring. Next to the ring is the flash bulb.
Android Headlines claims the Pixel 9a inherits the same camera layout as the standard Pixel 9 smartphone. The 50MP wide-angle lens sits next to a 48MP ultrawide camera, and the telephoto option seen on the higher-end models isn’t here.
The touchscreen doesn’t appear to be different from the Pixel 9’s; it still has a prominent bezel around the glass and a pinhole in the center for the selfie camera. Hardware specs were not included in the leak; however, Android Headlines expects the mid-range to be similar to the Pixel 8a, which launched earlier this year.
The Pixel 9a could have a 6.1-inch display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage space. The publication speculates the smartphone will run the Tensor G4 chipset, just like the other Pixel 9 models, and house a larger battery.
It is also possible that the Pixel 9a will launch with Android 15. The next version of Android OS — not yet released — is expected to roll out on October 15. Lastly, Android Headlines states the upcoming phone may be the last to use “a Samsung-designed processor.”
Also: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: I tested both and the winner is not so obvious
Back in May 2024, Android Authority found information on a “publicly available trade database” suggesting that next year’s Pixel 10 series will have a Tensor G5 processor manufactured by chipmaker TSMC without any input from Samsung. Whether this means the next generation of Pixel phones will see a significant performance upgrade remains to be seen.
It’s unknown when the Pixel 9a will launch. But if history repeats, we could see a May 2025 release. The Pixel 7a and Pixel 8a came out in May 2023 and May 2024, respectively.
