The Google Pixel 9a Finally Got a Release Date

Finally, Google’s newest phone has a release date: Thursday, April 10 for the US, UK, and Canada. Europe gets it on April 14, and then it arrives in Australia and Asia on April 16.

Whatever the mysterious component quality issue was, Google still won’t say. Just as Google spokesperson Matt Flegal told The Verge last week by email, “We’re checking on a component quality issue that’s affecting a small number of Pixel 9A devices,” Google continues to keep the specifics under wraps.

You still can’t preorder one, which I think is strange. I’d assumed Google wouldn’t allow for preorders after it was announced because the delay, coupled with a vague “sometime in April” release date, made the situation too vague for comfort.

You can only sign up to receive a notification of when you’ll be allowed to preorder or buy a Pixel 9a. At least we’ve got a specific date by now.

a worthy mid-range phone

Pixel 9a, a budget version of the Pixel 9 that debuted last August, is a contender for the most hotly anticipated phone release right now. Now that the iPhone 16e has released with a sort of flopping, not-quite-a-dud-but-meh sound, all eyes are on Google to see whether its direct competitor, the $499 Pixel 9a, can sour the Apple’s appeal.

Given that it starts $100 cheaper than the iPhone 16e, it stands a good chance of doing just that. Being that it descends from the $799 Pixel 9, both Pixels the same Google Tensor G4 chip, but the Pixel 9a has 8GB RAM instead of the Pixel 9’s 12GB.

The 6.3″ OLED display, with a maximum brightness of 2,700 nits, is the same between both devices. The budget phone’s Wi-Fi 6E is slightly older than the Pixel 9’s Wi-Fi 7, and the Pixel 9’s camera is more advanced.

As I wrote in my piece covering the Pixel 9a’s announcement, “(The) difference in specifications isn’t that huge. It’s similar to the gap between the iPhone 16e and iPhone 16, just with the Pixel 9a doing it for $100 less.”