The Pixel 9a is set to release in a few months, around March 2025. The Pixel 8a was released in May last year, and it was a successful, compact, affordable Pixel, except for thermal issues, which were a result of the restrictive compact body, and the chipset, which doesn’t have great efficiency or thermal control. As a result, the battery was a problem as well. The pricing wasn’t “affordable” in a lot of regions, too.
Despite earlier leaks of Pixel roadmaps that said Google would cancel the “a” series, it looks like they’re here to stay. The Pixel 9a might finally fix the battery problem. The Pixel 8a has a 4500mAh battery. That’s relatively tiny for a 2024 phone. The Pixel 9a is apparently bumping that up to 5100mAh. This is a good battery capacity that might brute-force the chipset efficiency trouble. Battery capacity is seldom a good measure of battery life. However, it is still going to feature a better overall battery than the Pixel 8a.
Instead of releasing the phone in May, Google is moving the schedule a bit earlier and launching it in March. They’re changing the SOC to the Tensor G4- or a downclocked version of it. Theoretically, this is also good news for efficiency. According to Android Headlines, the phone will feature a different main sensor.
Disturbingly, the sensor could be Samsung’s GN8 sensor. In terms of sensor size, it’s a step down from the 7a and 8a. They feature 1/1.7″ sensors, while the GN8 is a tiny 1/2″ sensor. This makes no sense, and it seems like Google is deliberately cutting costs.
The rest of the specs are standard. Tensor G4, 8/ 128GB and 8/ 256GB options, UFS 3.1, 6.28″ compact phone with 1700 nits peak and 120Hz refresh rate. The ultrawide and selfie cameras share the same IMX712 13MP sensor.
The battery is getting an upgrade to 5100mAh and still very slow 23W charging. It’ll get the latest Android 15 version out of the box and will also have a 7-year major update policy. It maintains IP68 water resistance. It still has an optical fingerprint scanner, as per the leaks. Google did not update it to an ultrasonic one.
There’s also a new design without the camera visor and a completely different rear design with flat sides. The expected price is the same as last year, at 499$. If Google adds proper cooling systems to their cheaper phones, they will still struggle with thermals. Unfortunately, the leaks do not mention it.
