Google has followed up an ocean's worth of leaks with the official announcement of its Pixel 9a smartphone, which will retail for $499. Possibly the biggest change to the new A-series model is in its appearance,

Google just announced the Pixel 9A, surprising nobody because it’s been leaked to all heck. The camera bump is gone, it has a bigger screen, a Tensor G4 processor, and better water resistance, and it still starts at $499. It’s all looking like a pretty good deal, especially considering what Apple is charging for its new entry-level phone.

The Pixel 9a looks a little different from last year’s Pixel 8a. The corners aren’t as rounded and instead match that iPhone-like style the rest of the Pixel 9 family adopted. It’s boring until you consider the Pixel 9a shines in design in all the places Apple’s diehard fans wish the iPhone 16e did.