What you need to know
- Leaks surface about the Pixel 9a's cameras and suggest its primary lens could drop to 48MP from the Pixel 8a's 64MP.
- The ultrawide and selfie cameras are rumored to remain at 13MP.
- A drop in camera strength was speculated, especially following Google's Director of Design's comments about why the Pixel 9's visor was so large.
Rumors have surfaced regarding the camera strength of Google's next budget Pixel — and we can't say we're surprised.
The Pixel 8a featured a camera worthy of champ status, but the latest rumors from Android Headlines claim its successor might see a sharp change. According to its post, the Google Pixel 9a is rumored to debut with a 48MP primary lens instead of the strong 64MP of its soon-to-be predecessor.
The next budget phone is suspected to arrive with a dual camera array, with the second lens being an ultrawide sensor like the Pixel 8a. The publication purports the Pixel 9a will continue that trend at 13MP. The post adds that the centered punch-hole selfie camera will likely stick with 13MP, too.
If the Pixel 9a sticks with the same sensors as last year, we might know what to expect. The Pixel 8a's ultrawide sensor features OIS (optical image stabilization), an f/2.2 aperture, and a 120-degree FOV. On the other hand, the selfie camera also features an f/2.2 aperture with a 95-degree FOV.
The publication then claims the Pixel 9a's rumored 48MP primary sensor is the same one Google gave the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The company's foldable successor offers a 1/2-inch primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, OIS+EIS, and an 82-degree wide-angle view.
Moreover, rumors state the budget Pixel will feature the flagship Pixel 9 series' "Add Me" feature. The company debuted this during its keynote which, in layman's terms, is a function that pastes one snapshot onto another, giving the illusion that it was taken in one go. Add Me lets users get in on group photos as the photographer is typically the one that gets left out.
These camera rumors give us something to think about following the surprising alleged imagery of the Pixel 9a. The renders showed the device missing an iconic Google symbol: its large camera visor. It seems the Pixel 9a will offer a camera housing flush to its back panel with its LED flash nestled directly to its right.
The potential camera strength of this device was in question, especially after Google defended the massive Pixel 9 series bump.
The company's Director of Design for Pixel phones, Claude Zellweger credited consumer interest in photography and videography for the massive bump. People want to take better pictures/videos, but that comes at the cost of requiring larger sensors and lenses. This fact alone pushed what's possible for a camera array's thickness, which is why its recent Pixel 9 series housing is so pronounced.
With rumors consistently showing a Pixel 9a with a flush array, it makes sense why follow-up speculation drops its primary camera strength.
Other rumors state the budget Pixel could offer an 8/128GB (RAM/storage) configuration and a slightly larger battery than the Pixel 8a's 4,492mAh. Speculation about its display continues as rumors originally claimed 6.1 inches. However, a recent suggests the display could increase to 6.2 or 6.3 inches.
The Pixel 9a may debut in Q2 2025.
