Google announced no less than four different versions of the Pixel 9 in August, but the Pixel 9a was not among them

Considering that “a” versions of Google's Pixel devices usually appear later, that is not unusual, but now that even the least expensive Pixel 9 costs $799, the same as the iPhone 16, for those on a limited budget, the Pixel 9a's immediate arrival is unlikely

With the Pixel 8a topping the list of best budget smartphones, what can we expect its successor to bring? Here is everything we know so far about the Pixel 9a

All three previous Pixel 'a' devices were unveiled in May at the annual developer event Google I/O

Next year, however, Google has something different in mind: according to Android Headlines, pre-orders for the Pixel 9a will begin in mid-March 2025 and will be in stores by the end of the month

The site claims that this will be a permanent schedule change, not a one-off And it is worth noting that the change coincides with the change for the regular number Pixel phones, which moved from a normal October release to an August release this year

It would be nice if the Pixel 9a kept the same $499 price point as its predecessor, but with the Pixel 9 series now starting at $799 (up $100 from the Pixel 8), that is not very likely Hopefully it will be closer to $549 than $599, but that remains to be seen

The Pixel 9a will reportedly look quite different from its predecessor, and the iconic camera rubber that has been part of the design since the Series 6 will be missing from the mid-ranger

As leaked renderings from Android Headlines and OnLeaks scattered throughout this article show, the dual camera system is now housed in an oval on the left side, flush with the back plate

This was also echoed by an earlier leak shared via ShrimpApplePro on X

From the front, things look more familiar, the hole-punch camera is the only one that carves a screen covering the entire area (albeit with a rather thick bezel)

Leakage

Leaked information also reveals the device's overall dimensions of 1521 x 727 x 89 mm In other words, if these numbers are confirmed, it will be slightly taller and slightly thinner than the Pixel 8a

As for colors, leaked information reveals Porcelain, Obsidian, Peony, and Iris These are, in less floral terms, black, white, pink, and bluish purple

According to Android Authority, the Pixel 9a, like the recent Pixel 9, is expected to feature the same Tensor G4 chipset The processing power is expected to be the same, but the same Exynos Modem 5400 will not be used, instead the 5300 seen in the Pixel 8 series will be used

This is likely due to cost savings that will be invisible to most users, but given that the 5400 is what powers the Pixel 9's Satelite SOS feature, it means that the Pixel 9a will likely lose its potential savior

Other specs are a bit of a mystery at the moment; Android Authority expects it to continue to have 128GB of storage and keep the 8GB RAM seen on the previous model; the Pixel 9 upped it to 12GB to support the Gemini AI feature so that's a bit of a disappointment, but not much to worry about given that the Pixel 8a kept its own in the AI department

Android Headlines claims that the battery could be “a little bigger” than 4,492 mAh, but it doesn't sound like we should expect a big leap forward

Rendered images show an array of dual cameras, but it remains to be seen if the 64MP/13MP wide and ultra-wide combination that first appeared on the Pixel 7a will be improved; the Pixel 8a takes great photos for its price point, but Google plans to make it even more advanced in 2025, hopefully

While an earlier launch date is expected, the Pixel 9a is still early days and there are still many unknowns, especially in the camera and battery departments

But even if it is a “steady” update, the Pixel 'a' series has always offered a great payoff between value and performance As it stands, if Google can still be price competitive in 2025, there is no reason to believe that will be the case this time around