A convincing Google Pixel 9a hands-on video has mysteriously disappeared, but I think it could’ve been the real thing

• A video has surfaced which supposedly shows the rear panel of the Google Pixel 9a
• The video has since been deleted, but reuploaded by others
• We have no way to confirm whether the phone is real or fake, but it looks convincing

With the Google Pixel 9, Google Pixel 9 Pro, and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL all settling into spots on our list of the best Android phones, fans are naturally wondering when we can expect to see the long-rumored Google Pixel 9a join the lineup as this year’s mid-range Pixel handset.

Well, if a new hands-on video is anything to go by, we might not have to too long to wait. In a now-deleted YouTube short (via Android Authority), tech YouTuber Alexis Garza showed off the design of a convincing-looking Pixel 9a.

Though the original video has been pulled, fellow YouTuber Shane Craig re-uploaded the five-second clip to Threads, where it's still live at the time of writing.

Post by @shanec.irl

View on Threads

In the clip, Garza holds the Pixel 9a to the camera and rotates the phone to show the rear panel, camera system, side rails, and buttons.

Everything seems to match what we’ve heard via the latest Google Pixel 9a rumors, from the lack of a camera bar to the squared-off edges that make the Pixel 9a look much more like the mainline Pixel 9 than the previous-generation Pixel 8a. The buttons appear to be standard fare, with just a power button and volume rocker on the right-hand side of the phone.

The Pixel 9a shown in the video features a dual camera system, which we expect to be comprised of a 48MP main camera and a 13MP ultra-wide camera. As mentioned, the camera bar – iconic to the Pixel series since the Google Pixel 6 – is nowhere to be seen, with the cameras instead residing in a pill-shaped cutout that sits almost flush with the rest of the chassis. A large flash module sits to the right of the cameras.

Personally, even as an outspoken fan of minimalist phone design, I think this is a very plain-looking aesthetic. I appreciate the utility-focused build, but it looks like there’s very little to set the Google Pixel 9a apart from its competitors save for, well, how very little there is to it.

We don’t get a look at the front of the phone in Garza’s clip, but the phone seems to be about the size we’d expect – recent rumors point to a 6.3-inch display for Google’s next mid-ranger, up from 6.1 inches on the Google Pixel 8a.

And if this close-up wasn’t enough, the same device showed up in the background of another since-deleted video posted by Garza depicting a similar hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Of course, the device in Garza’s video might be a fake, but if so, it’s a very well-made one that would presumably take serious investment to make. The speed with which the video was uploaded and removed could certainly prompt some speculation. Personally, I think the device looks too expensive and well-made to be a phony, though I have no idea how Garza got their hands on it (and this is, of course, just my personal opinion).

In any case, the Google Pixel 9a is tipped to release on March 19, so we might find out how accurate this strange hands-on is sooner rather than later. Has this leak got you more excited for the Google Pixel 9a? Let us know in the comments.

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