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The four colors and tweaked dimensions of next year's Google Pixel 9a may have already been revealed

Published: Oct 02, 2024, 2:32 AM

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Google is on the verge of breaking a negative record of sorts with the Pixel 9a, which has already been leaked a couple of different times despite not looking set for an official launch in the very near future.

While no one can say for sure that the device pictured out in the wild in prototype form more than a month ago and then depicted based on computer-aided designs earlier this week is legit and finalized, the folks over at AndroidHeadlines have a little too much information on the Pixel 9a for everything to ultimately prove a hoax.

Of course, all of this info comes from the "inside" and is in no way confirmed just yet, but recent history suggests Google may have once again lost control of an unannounced product.

Bay and Aloe are out, Peony and Iris are in

If you dig the eye-catching pink-coated Pixel 9 but can't afford Google's latest "vanilla" high-ender, you'll undoubtedly be excited to hear that the presumably lower-cost Pixel 9a is expected to mimic the Peony option of its pricier "cousin."

Iris, meanwhile, sounds like an entirely new hue for the Pixel family, replacing the current Bay paint job as a "bluish-purple option" likely to appeal to a lot of buyers who want to stand out from the future crowd of 9a owners, but maybe not as much as Peony adopters.

The Pixel 9a looks a bit... muted compared to the 8a in these leaked renders.

Peony and Iris will join the Porcelain and Obsidian colorways that are not going anywhere, which means that the Aloe flavor is also set to go the way of the dodo... and the aforementioned Bay model. All in all, the Pixel 9a's expected quartet of colors sounds pretty well-balanced and just diverse enough to potentially please all prospective buyers and cash-strapped Google fans.

The next-gen stock Android-running mid-ranger is also tipped to measure 154mm in height, 73mm in width, and 8.5mm in depth. Those dimensions are a little different from the Pixel 8a's numbers, although we're predictably not looking at any radical changes in this particular department.

Specifically, the Pixel 9a should be just a tad taller and narrower than its predecessor while lowering the overall product thickness by 0.4mm. There are no words on weight at this time, but it feels reasonable to fear a battery capacity downgrade of some sort.

What Pixel 9a upgrades should you expect?

If the battery size will indeed drop from around 4,500mAh due to that thickness reduction, Google obviously needs to offset this potential compromise and improve other aspects of the Pixel 9a compared to this year's already very well-reviewed Pixel 8a.

A jump from a Tensor G3 processor to the Tensor G4 that also powers the current Pixel 9 trio is naturally virtually guaranteed, and in addition to raw speed, energy efficiency will be aided by that upgrade as well, which means that the Pixel 9a may not offer weaker battery life than the 8a after all.

If the Pixel 9a ends up being affordable enough, its dubious design choices will undoubtedly be forgiven.

The dual camera setup sitting flush on the Pixel 9a's back, meanwhile, needs a big sensor boost to make up for that dubious design change, which... may or may not happen. The 120Hz refresh rate-capable OLED display is very likely to go largely unchanged (as there's not a lot of room left for improvement in the mid-range segment), and if the 8GB RAM count and entry-level 128GB storage option are also not revised, perhaps a price cut is possible.

Can we allow ourselves to dream of a $450 or so Pixel 9a with pre-installed Android 15 software and an increased focus on AI technology? Well, why not?

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.