Leaked Pixel 9a images show an interesting alternative to that camera bump

If you haven't been paying attention to the latest Pixel 9 conversation, most of it has been about the camera bump on the rear of the Android phone. Google switched from the camera bar seen since the Pixel 6 models, to a new design on the Pixel 9.

Now, a new leak suggests that the Pixel 9a might not follow suit.

The Pixel "a" series is Google's more affordable device range, so far stretching to a set of ear buds and an annual phone release.

The Pixel 9a would be expected to be announced in May 2025 and this really is the first that we've seen of the new phone. It needs to be approached with some caution, however, because the source is a little suspect.

The photos were shared by ShrimpApplePro on X, claiming that the images were found on "some random post on Facebook". The original post comes from a private group on Facebook, although it was subsequently stated that the source "probably got forced to delete it since he's an employee".

That raises more questions than answers, but let's look at what we've got.

The pictures purport to show the Pixel 9a, firstly from the front, but with an angle that shows off the flat display. This is similar in design to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. It appears to have a matte finish, which is what we'd expect from the Pixel 9a, with the gloss finish reserved for the Pro models.

The second image shows the back of the phone, with a logo on the rear suggesting this is a prototype, but more importantly, no camera bump at all. Instead, the cameras are set into the rear of the phone for what looks like a flat finish.

Is the Pixel 9a going to cut back the camera hardware?

Moving away from the design on the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro models would be out of character for Google. The Pixel 8a sat close to the Pixel 8 in terms of design and many would expect a similar look and feel from a 9-series Pixel device.

But, there's an interesting piece of context worth mentioning here: in an interview with The Verge after the launch of the Pixel 9, Claude Zellweger – director of design at Google – said that the bump on the rear of the phone was “the most efficient way to package these camera modules”, before going on to suggest that "designers might someday use thinner hardware because the computational photography and AI post-production techniques… could fill in gaps."

That raises a question about what hardware the Pixel 9a might offer. Losing the bump suggests that the cameras are more compact, so might also be less capable than the Pixel 9 models that have just launched. Could it be that Google is going to reduce the hardware and put the emphasis on the AI to deliver results instead?

That would certainly deliver a slimmer device design, but we'd also expect that if the physical camera hardware was reduced, so would be the price. The Pixel 9a could be a future contender for best cheap phone in 2025, but it might come with come significant changes.