The Pixel 9a has leaked so thoroughly that YouTubers are reviewing it
The release of the Pixel 9a is apparently very near, because after a regular cadence of leaks about the yet-to-be announced budget phone, at least two YouTubers have reviewed it early. Both The Mobile Central and Sahil Karoul have Google's new phone and released reviews that confirm a lot of the information that trickled out about the budget phone since the Pixel 8a was released.
The biggest and easiest to grasp are the visual changes. The Pixel 9a doesn't have Google's trademark camera bump, opting instead for cameras that are nearly flush with the plastic back of the phone. The aluminum frame and front of the 9a are more familiar if you've used Pixel 9, though the 9a does have to have a lower-resolution 6.3-inch 1080p display, with what looks like slightly larger bezels, too.
The main reason you opt for a Pixel over another budget Android phone is access to Google's custom camera and AI features, powered by the company's in-house Tensor chips. Both videos confirm the Pixel 9a uses the Tensor G4 and features a 48-megapixel wide and 13-megapixel ultrawide for photos and video. Photography performance seems on par with the Pixel 9, but video seems to suffer at night. The phone is rumored to come in multiple finishes: a light purple "Iris," black "Obsidian," hot pink "Peony," and a white "Porcelain." Only the purple and white models are shown in the videos, but that seems like as good a confirmation as any that the other colors will be available, too.
Google originally released the Pixel 8a a week before its I/O developers conference in 2023, so a March announcement of a Pixel 9a would be a bit earlier than usual. It does fit with the rumored March 19 launch Android Headlines reported, though.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-pixel-9a-has-leaked-so-thoroughly-that-youtubers-are-reviewing-it-200943966.html?src=rss