Google’s Pixel 9A will launch on April 10th
Google has announced that it will release the Pixel 9A in the US, Canada, and the UK on April 10th. The budget-friendly device was initially expected to launch shortly after its reveal on March 19th, but Google delayed it to investigate a “component quality issue.”
The Pixel 9A will arrive throughout the rest of Europe on April 14th, while Australia, India, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia will see the device on April 16th. Google says the phone is “coming soon” to Japan. You still can’t preorder the Pixel 9A on Google’s site, but you can sign up to get notified when it’s available.
When asked about the delay, Google spokesperson Matt Flegal told The Verge that “rumors and speculation regarding this delay are false.” He added, “A passive component in Pixel 9a didn’t meet our rigorous quality standards for device longevity and rather than ship it, we made the difficult decision to delay the on shelf and take corrective action on the small number of affected units.”
The Pixel 9A starts at $499 and comes with a larger display than its predecessor, an upgraded Tensor G4 chip, and a design that ditches the Pixel’s prominent camera bump for a flat back. Despite having support for Google Gemini, it runs a more limited version of the AI model, resulting in it missing features like Pixel Screenshots and Call Notes.
Update, March 28th: Added a statement from Google.