Over the last few years, we’ve gotten used to a pretty reliable formula for Pixel launches. Every fall, Google rolls out its flagships, followed by the mid-range Pixel A launch a few months later in the spring. Usually, that mid-ranger takes most of its cues (and all of its internals) from the flagships, giving us a great chance to recommend the full Pixel experience without the full Pixel price.
This year, though, the Pixel 9a tried something new. It picked up the biggest battery on any Pixel to date and ditched the iconic camera bar because the great minds at Google figured out how to slim everything down. The result is a mid-range Pixel with its own identity, and it already has me thinking about what’s next.