Google Pixel 9a

[limmk]

The cost of entry to Google’s flagship Pixel series has been on a steep upward trajectory, from $599 just two years ago to $799 today. No one likes price increases, and $100 more for this year’s Pixel 9 is undoubtedly a major drawback for those looking for an affordable flagship phone.

The era of the affordable Pixel flagship is over, but if there’s a silver lining here: It might actually make the Pixel A series more appealing. That’s assuming Google doesn’t cancel the range, a move rumored as far back as the Pixel 7a. Thankfully, that’s proved untrue so far, so let’s assume the series sticks around.

We reviewed the $499 Pixel 8a and thought it a very good, affordable smartphone, but by the time it launched, the flagship Pixel 8 was already regularly discounted, meaning there was often just $100 or less between them. With such a small margin, it’s almost always worth upgrading to the Pixel 8’s better build, faster charging, and more capable camera capabilities. If you’re still looking for a brilliant, inexpensive Pixel, I’d suggest grabbing the Pixel 8 before Google inevitably removes it from sale.

Google's affordable flagship era is over. Perhaps the Pixel 9a can reinvent it.​

Still, the Pixel 9 now has a wider price and hardware gap with the 8a and, presumably, next year’s Pixel 9a as well. While pushing the flagship Pixel 9 further out of reach is obviously not a good thing, the new specs, AI features, and price tag mean there’s a bigger space for the Pixel 9a to slot neatly into, giving us all a bigger reason to buy it. It’ll need some modest upgrades, though; otherwise, we might as well buy the 8a already.

Taking some of the Pixel 9’s latest camera upgrades or simply pinching the Pixel 8’s older setup would probably be the biggest boost Google could give the range. Brilliant photography on a budget has been a unique selling point for the A series that Google should continue to leverage. I’d love it if the 9a moved away from absolutely sluggish charging speeds too. Give us 21W at least or, preferably, match the Pixel 9, which still isn’t exactly speedy at 27W anyway. I can happily live with the lower build quality, slightly weaker display, and slower storage to keep the price affordable. It could probably even keep the same Tensor G3 processor while we’re at it, given that the Tensor G4 upgrades are minimal.

Then there’s AI — the cornerstone of Google’s latest flagship announcement. The Pixel 9 already misses out on the Pro-level AI features, and I don’t think budget customers would begrudge the 9a if it didn’t bother chasing the latest trend. Sticking with a low-cost RAM configuration would limit the Pixel 9a to the more basic Gemini features and wouldn’t make it particularly AI future-proof, but that’s probably fine. The existing Circle to Search, Photo Unblur, Recorder summaries, Gboard Smart Reply, and other features are more than enough to make for a compelling if not cutting-edge AI experience on a budget phone. We can leave all the fancy editing and other tools to the flagship models.

Skip the AI nonsense, focus on what makes the A series so great.​

With Google’s flagship series off chasing the iPhone and Galaxy money, the Pixel A series is now more needed than ever. It’s free to fill that much-loved space for an affordable Google phone with slick software and dependable photography and without all the nonsense that drives up prices at the ultra-premium end of the market. That formula worked for Nexus, it worked for the Pixel, and now there’s an opportunity for it to work (again) for the Pixel A series.

Of course, this could all be moot if Google increases the price of the Pixel 9a if/when it launches next year, re-closing the gap between its flagship and A products. That would be a mistake; blurred lines between its Pixel series’ haven’t worked particularly well in recent generations. It’s time to embrace their differences and build a Pixel 9a with its own identity, distinct from the Pixel 9. Make it happen, Google.

 

[masashi]

The cost of entry to Google’s flagship Pixel series has been on a steep upward trajectory, from $599 just two years ago to $799 today. No one likes price increases, and $100 more for this year’s Pixel 9 is undoubtedly a major drawback for those looking for an affordable flagship phone.

The era of the affordable Pixel flagship is over, but if there’s a silver lining here: It might actually make the Pixel A series more appealing. That’s assuming Google doesn’t cancel the range, a move rumored as far back as the Pixel 7a. Thankfully, that’s proved untrue so far, so let’s assume the series sticks around.

We reviewed the $499 Pixel 8a and thought it a very good, affordable smartphone, but by the time it launched, the flagship Pixel 8 was already regularly discounted, meaning there was often just $100 or less between them. With such a small margin, it’s almost always worth upgrading to the Pixel 8’s better build, faster charging, and more capable camera capabilities. If you’re still looking for a brilliant, inexpensive Pixel, I’d suggest grabbing the Pixel 8 before Google inevitably removes it from sale.

Google's affordable flagship era is over. Perhaps the Pixel 9a can reinvent it.​

Still, the Pixel 9 now has a wider price and hardware gap with the 8a and, presumably, next year’s Pixel 9a as well. While pushing the flagship Pixel 9 further out of reach is obviously not a good thing, the new specs, AI features, and price tag mean there’s a bigger space for the Pixel 9a to slot neatly into, giving us all a bigger reason to buy it. It’ll need some modest upgrades, though; otherwise, we might as well buy the 8a already.

Taking some of the Pixel 9’s latest camera upgrades or simply pinching the Pixel 8’s older setup would probably be the biggest boost Google could give the range. Brilliant photography on a budget has been a unique selling point for the A series that Google should continue to leverage. I’d love it if the 9a moved away from absolutely sluggish charging speeds too. Give us 21W at least or, preferably, match the Pixel 9, which still isn’t exactly speedy at 27W anyway. I can happily live with the lower build quality, slightly weaker display, and slower storage to keep the price affordable. It could probably even keep the same Tensor G3 processor while we’re at it, given that the Tensor G4 upgrades are minimal.

Then there’s AI — the cornerstone of Google’s latest flagship announcement. The Pixel 9 already misses out on the Pro-level AI features, and I don’t think budget customers would begrudge the 9a if it didn’t bother chasing the latest trend. Sticking with a low-cost RAM configuration would limit the Pixel 9a to the more basic Gemini features and wouldn’t make it particularly AI future-proof, but that’s probably fine. The existing Circle to Search, Photo Unblur, Recorder summaries, Gboard Smart Reply, and other features are more than enough to make for a compelling if not cutting-edge AI experience on a budget phone. We can leave all the fancy editing and other tools to the flagship models.

Skip the AI nonsense, focus on what makes the A series so great.​

With Google’s flagship series off chasing the iPhone and Galaxy money, the Pixel A series is now more needed than ever. It’s free to fill that much-loved space for an affordable Google phone with slick software and dependable photography and without all the nonsense that drives up prices at the ultra-premium end of the market. That formula worked for Nexus, it worked for the Pixel, and now there’s an opportunity for it to work (again) for the Pixel A series.

Of course, this could all be moot if Google increases the price of the Pixel 9a if/when it launches next year, re-closing the gap between its flagship and A products. That would be a mistake; blurred lines between its Pixel series’ haven’t worked particularly well in recent generations. It’s time to embrace their differences and build a Pixel 9a with its own identity, distinct from the Pixel 9. Make it happen, Google.

wait for next year I guess

 

[samferguson]

Might as well launch 9a as pixel 10 lite

 

[garychengjw]

At this point, A series should just cut off already.

 

[limmk]

// Vietnamese Pixel fan Facebook group

 

[garychengjw]

// Vietnamese Pixel fan Facebook group

Essential phone vibe

 

[limmk]

Essential phone vibe

The camera... Nothing 2(a) vibe

 

[Jurong640]

That's so expensive.

 

[limmk]

 

[limmk]

Google Pixel A series phones are regarded as some of the best budget Android phones, and for good reason. While they make some sacrifices when it comes to hardware, they more than make up for it with lower price tags and access to Google’s sought-after software and camera magic. Even better, the last iteration of the series, the Pixel 8a, came even closer to the flagship tier Pixels, with a brighter 120 Hz display and seven years of updates.

All this, however, put the A series Pixels in a somewhat awkward place — the Pixel 8a was so close to the Pixel 8, both in terms of price and hardware, that it seemed to be redundant. This might change soon, however. Thanks to a source inside Google, we’ve learned that Pixel 9a is coming with some important differences compared to the Pixel 9 series.

New processor, old modem​

As expected, the Pixel 9a — codename “tegu” — is coming with the Google Tensor G4, which we’ve already seen in the Pixel 9 series. The chip is a rather minor upgrade over the Tensor G3, but the change is welcome nonetheless.
Similarly to the Pixel 8a, the Pixel 9a uses a slightly different version of the G4 than the Pixel 9 series. While the silicon die inside the chip is identical, the plastic package differs. While the regular G4 uses FOPLP (Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging), the 9a’s G4 uses IPoP (Integrated Package on Package). According to Samsung, IPoP is thicker and hotter than FOPLP, but it is also cheaper, which explains the decision. In practice, the performance differences shouldn’t be huge, and the chip should still be a reasonable upgrade on last year’s model.

While the Tensor G4 wasn’t a huge upgrade to the Pixel 9 series, the new modem that was added alongside it was. The Exynos Modem 5400 has features such as Satellite SOS and support for 5G 3GPP Rel. 17, but more importantly, it runs considerably more efficiently and is cooler as a result.

Unfortunately, the new modem is absent from the Pixel 9a, which instead keeps the Exynos Modem 5300 that was used on the Pixel 8 series. The omission is disappointing, but it should hopefully let Google hit lower prices for the new device without sacrificing too much.

Google finally has an idea for the A series​

The previous A series Pixel devices hit somewhat of an identity crisis — they weren’t quite a budget bargain and were only a slightly downgraded version of the regular Pixels. The Pixel 9a might be the first affordable modern Pixel to break this trend. The use of the older modem is the first major “technical” silicon difference in the A series since the Pixel 6a, which started the trend of using the same SoCs as the regular Pixels.
Not only that, but a recent alleged photo leak shows the Pixel 9a with a completely different design than the older A series Pixels as well as the Pixel 9 series. However, we’re a bit skeptical about that one, given the Pixel 9’s premium design overhaul.
Still, it seems like Google might finally want the A series Pixels to be its own thing instead of slightly discounted variations of the flagship Pixels. It will be interesting to see if Google has the same idea for the rest of the Pixel 9a’s specs.

 

[limmk]

According to a new report, Google has plans for five new Pixel phones in 2025, unsurprisingly including a Pixel 9a and another batch of Pixel 10 devices.

Google’s 2024 Pixel lineup delivered five phones. There was the Pixel 8a, which launched in May, alongside the later launch of Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold in August, marking Google’s earliest flagship launch, and its biggest, since launching the Pixel brand.

For 2025, it appears the same plans remain in place.

Android Headlines has published five codenames that are claimed to be in use for upcoming Pixel devices, namely the Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

The codenames are as follows:

• Pixel 9a – Tegu
• Pixel 10 – Frankel
• Pixel 10 Pro – Blazer
• Pixel 10 Pro XL – Mustang
• Pixel 10 Pro Fold – Rango

The Pixel 9a’s “Tegu” codename has appeared before and falls in line with the reptile theme of the rest of the Pixel 9 series. “Tegu” refers to a species of lizard that can be found in Central and South America. Pixel 9 is “Tokay,” Pixel 9 Pro is “Caiman,” and Pixel 9 Pro XL is “komodo.”

Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 series once again shifts to a new type of animal for its codenames, moving from reptiles over to horses.

Notably, where Pixel 9 Pro Fold veered off from the reptile theme with the codename “Comet,” Pixel 10 Pro Fold is oddly using a codename that fits within the previous generation’s codename theme with “Rango.” This could suggest that this codename is some other device, but the report claims it will be released in the same timeline as the rest of the Pixel 10 series. A leaked roadmap in 2022 claimed that, in 2025, Google’s lineup could include a larger Pixel 10 or a Pixel flip-style foldable, so it could be either of those too. Google’s Rick Osterloh recently said that it’s not “focusing” on a “Pixel Flip,” but the door was very much left open to the possibility.

Whatever the case, these codenames give us a pretty good idea of what to expect in 2025. The Pixel 10 series is also expected to bring the switch for Tensor chips from production through Samsung to a fully custom design produced with TSMC’s more advanced process.

Google is also expected to be working on a new Pixel Tablet.

 

[limmk]

Google’s Pixel 9 series just came out a little over a month ago, but there’s one more model coming – Pixel 9a. As usual, we expect this to launch in the Spring, typically around Google I/O. But here’s an early look at the new design of the Pixel 9a, thanks to Onleaks.

One of the biggest design changes this year is the camera bar. It looks to be nearly flush with the back of the Pixel 9a, perhaps with a small ring around it that sticks out. It looks a lot like the LG V60 ThinQ from a few years ago. It does inherit the new camera layout as the Pixel 9, and is sticking with an ultrawide and a wide camera here. Another thing you’ll notice is those pretty large bezels. Though expected on a phone that’s going to be under $500, they are still very noticeable.

Google Pixel 9a will launch with Android 15 and 7 years of updates​

The Pixel 9a will actually do something that the rest of the Pixel 9 series couldn’t do, and that’s launching with Android 15. In fact, Android 15 still hasn’t launched – it’s expected to start rolling out on October 15. And it’ll also get seven years of updates, just like the Pixel 8a from earlier this year.

Furthermore, this could be the final Pixel device to use a Samsung-designed processor, as the Pixel 10 is set to receive a fully Google-customized processor made by TSMC. However, at the right price, this could be a pretty impressive phone to pick up next year.

We do expect that the specs will be very similar to the Pixel 8a, which included a 6.1-inch display, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It will ditch the Tensor G3 for the Tensor G4 of course, and the battery could get a tad larger. On Pixel 8a, the battery capacity was 4492mAh. Google’s Pixel 8a was announced on May 7, 2024, and we expect a similar date for Pixel 9a in 2025.

You can view the full 5K resolution of these renders here.

 

[limmk]

Google’s Pixel phones have always had great wallpapers. The first few generations amazed us with live wallpapers designed in collaboration with studios such as B-Reel and ustwo. Lately, Google has been releasing some great minimalistic static wallpapers. Some of them have been designed in collaboration with various artists, such as Andrew Zuckerman, who created the mineral-inspired wallpapers for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, while others — like the abstract floral Pixel 9 wallpapers — were presumably designed internally.

Recently, a set of wallpapers for the upcoming Pixel 9a leaked in low resolution. While not really usable as a phone background, the leak still gave us a decent idea of what to expect. Now, thanks to a source inside Google, Android Authority can provide full-resolution, uncropped versions of these wallpapers.
As we’ve seen before, the wallpapers are similar to what’s already available on the Pixel 9 series. The set consists of abstract artistic interpretations of flowers and is called “Swirling petals,” described as “a swirling display of abstract florals,” exactly the same as on the Pixel 9. The wallpapers in the set are named after flowers they were inspired by: Lilac (codename “iris” — purple), Daffodil (“porcelain” — white), Cherry (“raspberry” — pink), and Bluebell (“obsidian” — black).

Download the Google Pixel 9a wallpapers in full resolution here​

First things first, let’s go over how these wallpaper posts work. While it might be your first instinct, avoid simply downloading the images you see right below. These have been compressed and optimized for improved website performance. These are for demonstration purposes only and should be considered previews so you can look through the wallpapers before downloading the ones you want. Once you know which is your favorite Google Pixel 9a wallpaper, scroll down and click on the download button right under these previews. You can grab the full-resolution files from there.

Download the Google Pixel 9a wallpapers here

How to set the Pixel 9a wallpapers on other devices​

Do you need help setting up your new Google Pixel 9a series wallpapers? Let’s help you figure it out. Again, it’s important to remember that the previews you see above are compressed. Click on the download button above to get the full-resolution images.
You can download them straight to your phone or use another device and then transfer the wallpapers to the phone you’ll set them on. I like to use Google Drive to transfer files between devices, but you can use a physical cable, send yourself an email, etc. Just make sure not to use a method that also compresses images, as that would defeat the purpose of this process. We know apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp compress sent images.

Once the images are stored on your device, follow the steps below to set them as wallpapers. Keep in mind that the instructions may be a bit different depending on your device and Android version.

How to set a wallpaper on Android:​

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Go into Wallpaper & style.
3. Tap on More wallpapers.
4. Go into My photos and select the Google Pixel 9a wallpaper.
5. Customize your wallpaper and hit Set Wallpaper.
6. Pick whether you want to set the wallpaper on the Home screen and/or Lock screen.
7. Tap on Set.

​

Editor’s note: These instructions were tested using a Google Pixel 8a running Android 15 and an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 17.6.1. Some steps and menus may look different depending on your device and software version.

 

[limmk]

The Google Pixel 9a is the company’s upcoming mid-range handset. The Pixel 8a arrived in May 2024, so its successor is expected to follow in 2025. The ‘Pixel a’ series smartphones tend to be quite popular in the US, mainly due to their price tags. Google has been slowly raising the price tags over the year, but not by much, they’re still rather appealing purchase options.

This smartphone did start leaking out a while back, and we’re expecting the leaks to intensify in the coming months, so we’ll keep this article updated. We’ve released some information about the device, exclusively, while we’ll fill in the gaps with other rumors/leaks. With that being said, let’s see what will the Pixel 9a have to offer, shall we?

This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Google Pixel 9a (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. The last update was made on October 7, 2024.

// androidheadlines

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[limmk]

 

[limmk]

 

[limmk]

 

[limmk]

 

[limmk]

The Google Pixel 9a is getting a redesign for 2025, complete with a flat camera module, as we’ve already shown off. Now, we also see that Google is changing up the cameras a bit this year. It is ditching the 64-megapixel primary sensor for a 48-megapixel sensor. It’s likely the same sensor that is included in the rest of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

As you can see from the renders we shared a few weeks ago, the Pixel 9a still lacks a telephoto camera, but the ultrawide remains the same at 13 megapixels. The front-facing camera also uses the same 13-megapixel sensor. While the ultrawide and front-facing cameras are sticking to the same sensors as last year, the big upgrade here is in the primary camera. Despite the lower resolution sensor, it should provide better looking photos thanks to the larger size megapixels being used.

We can also confirm that Google Pixel 9a will get the “Add Me” Feature that the company debuted with the Pixel 9 series in August. This allows you to use AI to be in the picture with your group of friends or family, without needing to ask a stranger to take the photo.

How does the Pixel 9a camera setup compare to previous models?​

So, the Pixel 9a does get a slight upgrade over the Pixel 8a in the camera setup. How does it compare to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro (XL), though? Well, the Pixel 9a does get a larger sensor, though the 48-megapixel sensor is still a tad lower than the 50-megapixel primary sensor found on Pixel 9. It should be the same sensor as found on Pixel 9 Pro Fold, however. The Pixel 9a does miss out on a telephoto sensor of course. The same goes for that newly upgraded front-facing camera on the Pixel 9 Pro. The device also misses out on the upgraded ultrawide camera. It’s sticking with a 13-megapixel sensor here instead of 48-megapixels like the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro have.

The Pixel 9a is set to launch in mid-March 2025. So, we are less than six months away from the device going on sale. Which means we will be seeing far more leaks about the Pixel 9a in the coming months.