Google Pixel 9a reviews already up, even though the phone isn't official yet

The Pixel 9a is supposed to be announced in a couple of days, but that hasn’t stopped it from leaking all over the place. And now people are publishing reviews of the phone – these are a lot more detailed than the hands-on videos we saw previously. Oh well, at this point it is tradition that Google phone launches are preempted by every leak possible.

That’s for Google to worry about, however, let’s have a look at the phone. We do appreciate the almost flush camera island on the back, though the bezels on the front are a bit too chunky for a phone in this price class. The 9a is supposed to cost $500/€550/£500 for a 128GB unit and $600/€650/£600 for a 256GB one. Those are the same prices as the 8a and certainly aren’t cheap for a mid-ranger.

Speaking of the camera, the first reviewer praised its color rendering – especially when it comes to skin tones. There’s no dedicated telephoto lens (but the Pixel 10 will have one), so only Google’s digital zoom is available. The phone’s low-light performance isn’t great, though.

The 5,100mAh battery lasts a day of use. However, performance of the Tensor chipset isn’t cut out for high-end gaming. The next review features benchmarks (they start around the 3 minute mark). The video isn’t in English, but the benchmark results are easy enough to read and include AnTuTu, Geekbench and 3DMark.

Here’s one more – this is a Google Pixel 9a vs. 6a comparison. Why not compare it against the 8a? Who knows.

Google hasn’t officially set a date yet, but we expect the search giant to unveil the Pixel 9a later this week. The next major event is Google I/O in May, which could include a preview of the Pixel 10 series to go with the launch of Android 16.