Google Pixel 9a hands-on video leaks – what it reveals about the forthcoming phone

The Google Pixel 9a has appeared in a remarkable hands-on video online, giving us an early glimpse at the phone expected to be announced in the coming weeks. But this isn’t just any video leak, oh no, this is something completely different.

If you’ve been following tech for as many years as I have, then you probably think that you’ve seen it all. That might be an influencer sharing a video early, perhaps someone in a factory giving a sneak peek in a bathroom. But never before have I seen a leak centred on a lucha libre wrestling match.

However, that’s what we have here – the unannounced Google Pixel 9a on a day trip to the wrestling. The leak comes from Alexis Garza, who claims that the phone was supplied by a follower. We’re treated to some action in the ring – including a clown (I wish I was joking) with the action spilling out into the crowds.

Google Pixel 9a y Lucha Libre. #smartphone #wwe #google #luchalibre #wrestling - YouTube

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But what do we learn about the phone? At this point, I’d say that we learn absolutely nothing that's new.

The video that has been shared is a YouTube Short, so I suspect that more will come in the future, but this was shot at the wrestling in Reinosa, Spain, with the narrator telling us that he’s sharing video and photos from the phone.

What’s impressive is that the audio comes across cleanly (although an external mic might have been used) and it’s clear that switching between the lenses of the camera we still get nice clear results.

The colours look nice and bright and there’s no shortage of detail either. It’s a bit of fun, but it’s also clear that the lack of a telephoto lens means that those closer shots don’t have the quality that you’d get from Google’s Pixel 9 Pro models.

What to expect from the Google Pixel 9a

The Google Pixel 9a is going to move to a flat design, dropping the camera bar as seen in this new video. There are two lenses on the rear, thought to be a new 48-megapixel main camera (replacing the 64-megapixel sensor on the Pixel 8a). It’s likely to offer digital zoom up to 8x, but I suspect that at 2x the result will be pretty good, as it will use sensor cropping.

The phone is thought to be powered by the Google Tensor G4 hardware – the same as in the Pixel 9 models – but with 8GB RAM. It should offer all the Google AI features that are on the company’s other phones.

A 5,200mAh battery is rumoured, as well as a 6.3-inch AMOLED display offering a 120Hz refresh rate. Leaks so far have suggested that the phone will cost £499 or $499, but we don’t have a clear date for its launch.

The fact that this appears to be a production model having a day out at the wrestling, suggests that the phone is ready to launch, so I’d expect the official announcement within weeks.