Google Pixel 9a leaks at a lucha libre match, leaving nothing to the imagination

Google’s latest flagships, the 9 series, have been selling steadily since they are some of the best Android phones you can get today. However, the company’s budget offering, the a-series, still bears last year’s moniker. The Pixel 9a launch is nearing and we’re already catching rumors coming in thick and fast. However, in typical Google fashion, it appears the device’s design and camera performance has leaked well ahead of the official unveiling.

Several details about the Pixel 9a have already leaked previously, but besides the design renders and a few marketing images, we haven’t seen the design sporting the nearly flat back panel. That changed recently, when a YouTube creator uploaded a Shorts clip showing off the phone’s design from all angles in a shade of black. Even if this is a pre-production unit which the creator claims he received from a subscriber, we believe there’s no room for Google to walk back on design changes now. So, we will see the first camera bump-less Pixel in a while launch soon.

The clip confirms the phone will have a flat display with vertical sides and a nearly flat back panel, with sharply rounded off corners all around. However, Pixel design language is retained through the pill-shaped camera cutout and rear flash placement.

We get a look at imaging and video performance too

Lucha libre in all its glory

The short clip also featured video samples and still images supposedly recorded on the Pixel 9a. In typical Google fashion, the color science is surprisingly accurate, almost keeping up with the other device used to record the Shorts. The videos of the Lucha Libre match show the 9a’s remarkable sharpness and detail retention at the full resolution of the primary rear camera — supposedly a 48MP sensor. Zooming in to around 2x also retains sufficient detail, but typical artefacts of a smaller sensor, such as limited contrast detail, start to show.

However, using digital zoom past that point shatters any illusion of sharpness and clarity, with most faces rendered as pasty blurs lacking depth, even in the photos.

That said, selfie camera performance is also decent in the few seconds we get to witness it. As for the ultrawide camera, which could be a 13MP sensor, Google seems to have done a good job ensuring that switching lenses isn’t jarring or noticeable. Colors and lighting remain comparable, although there is far less detail in the ultrawide shots.

We will reserve our final verdict on the camera performance for when the Pixel 9a launches, since YouTube compression and other factors are currently in play. A leak from Jan suggested you won’t need to wait until Google I/O 2025 for this device, since pre-orders for this budget phone could open later in March.