The Google Pixel 9a could pack some big upgrades at the same price

The Pixel 7a and Pixel 8a made some compromises over their Pro siblings to reach their more affordable price point. With the upcoming Pixel 9a, though, it appears Google will bridge the gap between its mid-range and flagship Pixel phones. A new leak details the key specs of the Pixel 9a, revealing it will sport a larger display and a battery that’s even bigger than the Pixel 9 Pro.

The latest Pixel 9a leak from Android Headlines claims Google will bump the display size on its mid-range phone to 6.3 inches — up from 6.1-inches on the Pixel 8a. The screen will be able to dynamically adjust its refresh rate between 60Hz and 120Hz, so it will miss out on the Super Actua branding as its Pro sibling. The phone will apparently measure 154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm and weigh 186g, making it lighter than the Pixel 8a, which weighs 188g.

Internally, the Pixel 9a will reportedly use the same Tensor G4 chip as other Pixel 9 models. However, it might use an older Exynos modem and inferior packaging technology for cost reasons. While Google bumped the RAM to 16GB on its flagship Pixels this year, the Pixel 8a seemingly won’t get such an upgrade. It will purportedly still pack 8GB RAM and be available in 128GB and 256GB configurations.

While the Pixel 9a is a few months away from launch, leaked renders have already revealed its new design. A recent leak also revealed that the phone could use the same primary camera as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Pixel 9a could pack a really big battery

The report also states that the Pixel 9a will house a massive 5,000mAh cell, bigger than the Pixel 9 Pro’s 4,700mAh battery. Unfortunately, the charging speed may not get an upgrade, with wired charging maxing out at 18W and wireless at 7.5W. With such a large battery, charging the Pixel 9a from 0 to 100% can take a while at these speeds.

Interestingly, publication sources claim that despite such major hardware upgrades, the Pixel 9a will carry the same $499 price tag as the Pixel 8a. If true, this would make Google’s upcoming mid-ranger much more attractive and help it better compete with the best mid-range Android phones.

If the report is accurate, the Pixel 9a could be a lot closer in specs to the $800 Pixel 9, giving the latter a run for its money. Rumors even suggest that Google might bring forward the launch of the Pixel 9a by a few months.