Google has taken the wraps off the Pixel 9a today, a phone that has leaked about a thousand times in recent weeks, as is the Pixel tradition. Still, there are some things to know about this phone you can’t glean from leaked renders or a YouTube unboxing. This phone maintains the same $499 price tag as last year’s A-series phone, but it has a larger battery, a new camera, and a simpler design that ditches the camera bar of other recent Pixel phones.
The Pixel 9a has the same flat aluminum frame that has been in vogue on smartphones for the past few years. Unlike the more expensive Pixels, the back is plastic instead of Gorilla Glass. Google says it’s made of 81 percent recycled material, and the aluminum is 100 percent recycled. Apparently, these percentages are a record for the Pixel series, if that’s something that matters to you.
