With the Pixel 9a leaks coming thick and fast, we have a pretty good idea of what Google’s next mid-range phone is going to look like – and it’s left me feeling a little underwhelmed.
In recent days, hands-on video footage has leaked (via Shane Craig ) of the Google Pixel 9a being handled. Together with previous leaked renders and specifications , the Pixel 9a is already a known quantity.
However, it’s not the lack of novelty that leaves me feeling a little flat ahead of the Pixel 9a’s rumoured 19 March unveiling.
Feeling a little flat
From the looks of it, the Pixel 9a will ditch the Pixel 8a’s curvaceous design language for something a little more in line with the Pixel 9 . That’s all predictable enough, as it belongs to the same family.
However, I had (and still have) a bit of an issue with the way the Pixel 9 range looks, as you can see in my Pixel 9 Pro XL review . I realise I’m a bit of an outlier among tech reviewers, but I was downright disappointed by Google’s new design language.
Yes, the new flattened out look that the Pixel 9a will also be adopting looks and feels leaner, tighter, and more modern than the Pixel 8 family. These are more premium phones, worthy of their price bumps.
However, they also look a lot more generic, with a lack of the distinct flavour that previous Pixel phones had started to exhibit. To be perfectly blunt, they look a lot like iPhones .
In their defence, the rest of the Pixel 9 series uses premium materials with tighter tolerances than before. However, going by these Pixel 9a leaks the new phone looks, if anything, more plasticky than the preceding Pixel 8a. Especially in this featured black colour which somehow looks like a knock-off Pixel.
That’s not where the disappointment ends, either…
Shane Craig
Tech visor
There was one stand-out design feature that rescued the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro , and Pixel 9 Pro XL from the full me-too effect. All featured distinctive camera modules that look quite unlike anything else.
No, they’re not the width-spanning visors of previous generations, which melted alluringly into the side frame. But they do make quite the statement, quite literally standing out from the rest of the phone.
They also supplied a handy ledge for propping a holding finger underneath, minimising slippages.
The trouble is, this distinctive design element is completely absent from the Pixel 9a. Unless all these leaks are way off target (possible, but highly unlikely), the Pixel 9a’s cameras will lie almost flush with the body, with no sign of that distinctive flash of metal all but bisecting the rear glass.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Spot the difference
In short, the Pixel 9a is going to look even more like an iPhone than its big brothers in the Pixel 9 family.
In this case, that means the recently announced iPhone 16e with its pared-back single camera element. Needless to say, the iPhone 16e will be the Pixel 9a’s main competitor in the mid-range smartphone market along with the Samsung Galaxy A56 , which looks to be quite stylish based on leaks.
Is this an unfortunate parallel, or is it by design on Google’s part? It’s impossible to tell, but it’s an odd decision that makes the Pixel 9a a much less distinctive proposition any way you cut it.
Google Pixel 8a
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.
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