Google Pixel 9a Leaks Suggest to Withdraw From It’s Iconic Camera Design

According to recent reports, Google plans to release its Pixel 9a around Q1 2025, with shipping in the first quarter of 2025, probably around March 2025. It follows the trend of Google usually unveiling its cheaper ‘a’ versions of a new model several months after the high-end phones are out. There is little known about the specifics of the Pixel 9a, but we are hoping that the phone will retain some of the design and hardware of the flagship Pixel 9. Like most affordable Pixel phones, it will keep some essential Google experiences intact.

However, a new Pixel 9a leaked design shared by OnLeaks shows a new design, although critics have said it looks like a low-cost iPhone. The latest model comes with flat edges and symmetrical bezels, which may hide the identity of the Pixels brand.

The Pixel line’s most noticeable design element has always been the camera bar that distinguishes the Pixel smartphone from other Android smartphones. However, if the Pixel 9a is to deviate from this significantly enhanced design, it won’t be easy to distinguish it from other relatively affordable Android phones.

Just in case you missed it, this is the #Google #Pixel9a! 👉🏻 https://t.co/6zj33UQQ7M pic.twitter.com/eiKOVqx4ow

— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) October 1, 2024

Google’s daring design decision in 2021 of migrating the Pixel 6 to a camera bar has been carried over to subsequent models, including the Pixel 6a, 7 series, and now the Pixel 8 series. Unlike most Android smartphones with the typical camera bumps, especially on the backsides of the device, the Pixel comes with an elaborate, chrome, visor-like camera bar that highlights its mighty camera capabilities. If the Pixel 9a were to abandon this underline, it might lose the character of a device and all the integrity that Google’s Pixel line boasts.

Pixel, “a” series in the past, has been about the promising camera performance and Android experience at a relatively lower price. In the case of Pixel 9a, Google is expected to retain the high-end camera that is already trending in those series and probably employ artificial intelligence to develop it further.

As Google plans to release the Pixel 9a in March 2025, the smartphone may well become quite interesting in the context of Google’s portfolio. However, as we await more details, there is a worry that moving away from the iconic camera bar design will reduce its appeal in a crowded mid-tier segment.