Alleged photos of the Google Pixel 9a leaked, and it looks nothing like its flagship siblings

Just less than a month after the launch of the Google Pixel 9 series, alleged real-life photos of the brand’s next-generation midrange smartphone, the Google Pixel 9a, have been leaked online. Shared by X (formerly Twitter) user ShrimpApplePro, the two photos of the device were found in a private Facebook group, which is now believed to have been deleted.

Pixel 9a looking nothing like the Pixel 9 flagships?

The leaked photos show a black unit of the alleged Google Pixel 9a, sporting a boxy shape with flat sides and rounded corners, a design trend used by many recent Android smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S24. The mid-range Google phone can also be seen sporting glass front and rear panels, surrounded by an aluminium frame.

At the front, the alleged Google Pixel 9a’s bezels although much thinner than the ones found on the iPhone SE, are still chunkier than the Google Pixel 9 flagships. The Pixel 8a which was launched back in May this year (2024) also featured thicker bezels than the Pixel 8 flagships.

What’s surprising though is the Pixel 9a’s back design, which looks nothing like the flagship Pixel 9 lineup. The Pixel 8a as well as previous iterations of the Pixel A series smartphones all shared similar-looking designs with their flagship counterparts.

Instead of the humungous camera bump found on the Pixel 9, the alleged Pixel 9a sports a much smaller and almost flushed camera island, featuring two cameras, presumably a regular wide angle and an ultra-wide angle shooter.

The camera island is horizontally aligned and is located at the top left of the device, with an LED flash placed right next to it. This design somewhat reminds us of the Essential Phone (PH-1) launched years ago. At the bottom of the device, we can see a SIM tray, a USB-C port, and a speaker.

Pixel 9a to be equipped with Tensor G4 chip, launching this year?

ShrimpApplePro also mentioned that the Google Pixel 9a could be making its launch as soon as the “end of this year”, and is now in mass production. The upcoming mid-range Google phone is also said to be powered by the Tensor G4 chip, the same chip found underneath the hood of the recently launched flagship Pixel 9 series. Four colour options are expected to be offered with the Pixel 9a, including silver, and black as shown in the leaked photos.

However, we would take this information with a pinch of salt as the Google Pixel 8a just made its launch a couple of months ahead of this year’s Google I/O. It’s also unusual for a Pixel A device to sport a drastically different design than the flagships.

The Google Pixel 9 series is the first Google smartphone to be officially sold here in Malaysia. Consisting of the Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL, prices of the Pixel 9 series in our market range from RM3,999 all the way to RM7,999.

Missing here in Malaysia, however, is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold which unfortunately won’t make its entry into our market. Google says it will bring its next-generation foldable smartphone to Malaysia instead. So local fans of the Pixel Fold series will just have to keep on waiting.