If there’s any sign that Google’s multi-year experiment in designing its own smartphones has been a success, look no further than the Pixel camera bump. The prominent camera sensor “ledge” at the back of its Pixel phones is instantly recognizable, a sign of the company’s willingness to follow a more idiosyncratic line in terms of design and its commitment to camera features. Pixel phones have beenknown for their camera performancesince the first model, even if the camera bump is a newer addition. So it might be strange to learn that Google could abandon the camera bump on the Pixel 9a, based on renders of the new phone shared byAndroid HeadlinesandOnLeaks.
Google’sA-series phonesare typically announced the year after a new numbered release, featuring refinements, fixes, and fewer premium features so that they hit a lower price point. Up until now, an A-series Pixel has always at least looked like its more expensive counterpart, just with a smaller, dimmer screen, or a smaller camera bump. Now it seems like Google might be trying to make a more dramatic break between thePixel 9sthat came out in 2024, and the Pixel 9a it will presumably announce in 2025.
Google’s Pixel 9 is the iPhone of the Android world
Years of accumulated changes to the iPhone make the Pixel 9 looked simple and considered in comparison.
The Pixel 9a looks a bit like an iPhone 4
Camera bumps have become so commonplace that losing them feels retro
Based on the images OnLeaks and Android Headlines shared, the front of the Pixel 9a should look like the Pixel 9. Flat, with slim bezels, a hole-punch selfie camera, and an under-display fingerprint reader. The sides will also feature the same brushed aluminum that the Pixel 9 used, evoking the design of Apple’s iPhones since theiPhone 12.
The major departure is on the back of the phone. Rather than a pill-shaped camera bump that stretches from nearly one side to the other, the Pixel 9a’s two cameras are flush with the back of the phone, circled by a thin oval of raised metal, with a flash to their right. The size of the phone and its cameras are obviously different, but the thing it reminds me most of isn’t Google’s Pixel 9, and instead theiPhone 4, which also features a sleek flat back and aluminum sides. Unlike Apple, Google reportedly plans on offering the Pixel 9a in several fun colors, including one that wasn’t used for the Pixel 9.According to Android Headlines, the smartphone will come in the usual off-white Porcelain and black Obsidian, alongside the pink Peony that was introduced on the Pixel 9, and a new bluish-purple “Iris” color that should be original to the Pixel 9a.
The design change will likely be the most noticeable thing about the new device, though, and a possible suggestion that the way Google plans on differentiating between its flagship smartphones and the A-series Pixels is the presence of the camera bump. The more expensive smartphones with more powerful cameras get a bump, and the ones that are just good enough (or using last year’s tech) don’t.
The software, specs, and release window for the Pixel 9a
Details are slim, but not insubstantial
Beyond that, the remaining details of the Pixel 9a are still largely unknown. The phone is expected to ship withAndroid 15, which technically still hasn’t rolled out to current Pixel 9s, but includes stability improvements, a newPrivate Spacefeature for securing apps and notifications from the rest of your phone, improved support for folding phones and larger screens, and enhanced support for satellite communication. One imagines that some of the exclusive Pixel 9 features likePixel Screenshotscould also make the jump to the Pixel 9a.
While Google is reportedly working on bothdesigning and producing its own Tensor chipsfrom scratch for the Pixels in 2025 (previous Tensor chips have been based on Samsung’s Exynos line), Android Headlines writes that the Pixel 9a will still use the older designs, likely the Tensor G4 included on the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. That will make it the Pixel 9a the last of Google’s phones to use a Samsung-made Tensor chip. Aside from that, the specs are rumored to be similar to thePixel 8a, including “a 6.1-inch display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage,” according to Android Headlines.
One imagines that some of the exclusive Pixel 9 features like Pixel Screenshots could also make the jump to the Pixel 9a.
As to when the Pixel 9a will actually be available to purchase, Google typically likes to announce its A-series phones around it’s I/O developer conference. The Pixel 8a was announced on May 7th, 2024, a week beforeI/O in 2024. It would make sense for the Pixel 9a to be announced during that same window in 2025.
The Pixel line has never been in a better place
Regardless of how you feel about AI, Google’s on a winning streak
Whether a new design for the Pixel 9a makes all that much of a difference, it’s hard to deny that Google has had a good year for hardware. From the Pixel 9 to thePixel 9 Pro Fold, this year’s smartphones have been polished, performant, and AI-capable, if that floats your boat. I don’t think I’ve ever used a Pixel that’s felt as sturdy and premium as the Pixel 9 has felt in-hand. Sure, maybesome of its AI features can be a bit much, but it’s otherwise a great smartphone with a great camera.
Google Pixel 9
All signs point to that remaining true with the Pixel 9a, though it will be interesting to see how old a Tensor G4 will feel once there’s a wholly Google-made Tensor G5 to compare it to. Maybe Google’s Pixel 9a will be a harder sell.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold changed how I feel about book-style foldables
Google’s 2nd gen Fold is the first book-style foldable that actually fits into my life.
