The Google Pixel 9a is here and it has a brand new look, some new features, a tempting price, and a very tough time ahead of it. The curvy shape of the Google Pixel 8a has gone, replaced by a flat rear panel and flat sides. Not only that, but the iconic Pixel visor-style camera module has disappeared too, and the two cameras have been integrated into the back of the phone. That’s right, there’s no camera bump at all, making it look very unusual in 2025.

Whether you already miss the best design Google has ever come up with on its phones will be down to your personal taste, but if you get the Pixel 9a in the right color, it’ll still make a statement. Along with the ordinary Porcelain and Obsidian (white and black to you and me) models, there are two eye-catching versions: the purple Iris and the red-pink Peony. The Pixel 9a has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, the rear is made from plastic, and the chassis is aluminum.

On the front is a 6.3-inch Actua Display screen with a 1080 x 2424 pixels resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a higher peak brightness than the Pixel 8a at 2,700 nits. The phone has Google’s Tensor G4 processor, 8GB of RAM, and the option of either 128GB or 256GB of storage space. Android 15 is installed, and Google will deliver seven years of software and security updates, plus it’s regular Pixel Drop updates too.

The camera features an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and 8x Super Res Zoom, plus a 13MP wide-angle camera, and for the first time on an A-Series Pixel phone, there’s a Macro Focus mode and Timelapse for Astrophotography feature. Google’s Add Me, Best Take, Magic Editor, and Magic Eraser AI features are also all onboard, plus Audio Magic Eraser and Macro Focus for video too.

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As you’d expect, Google Gemini is onboard with features including Circle to Search, the Pixel Studio image generator, and Call Assist. Gemini Live will be available on the Pixel 9a in the future. Google services like its theft protection, car crash detection, Find My Device, and Google VPN are also all part of the Pixel 9a. Other hardware features include a 5,100mAh battery for around 30 hours of use on a single charge, and an optical fingerprint sensor.

The Pixel 9a is available to order today for $499 or 499 British pounds, and will be released at the beginning of April with the exact date still to be confirmed. It joins the Google Pixel 9, the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which were all released towards the end of 2024. Why does it face a hard time? It has some serious competition in 2025 from the Nothing Phone 3a, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, the Samsung Galaxy A56, the OnePlus 13R, and the Apple iPhone 16e which are all available for around the same price. We’ll find put soon of the Pixel 9a can compete.