Google Reveals Off Pixel 10a With No Digital camera Bump

Goodbye, camera bump? That appears to be what Google is suggesting in a preview for the Pixel 10a phone launching on Feb. 18.

In typical Google fashion, the company just randomly dropped a video on YouTube announcing its next midrange Android phone. The 15-second preview shows the Pixel 10a off in full, leaving nothing to the imagination. As the successor to the Pixel 9a, the Pixel 10a should be priced similarly at around $500 (it’s currently available for $400 direct from Google).

See Pixel 9a at Amazon

Don’t expect too many cosmetic differences between the Pixel 10a and the Pixel 9a. The only major visual change might be that even flatter—maybe flush?!—camera bump? The Pixel 9a had a nearly flat bump, but the Pixel 10a might actually have no bump at all? You tell me what you think based on these screenshots.

As for specs, the Pixel 10a will likely be a watered-down version of the Pixel 10, the same way the Pixel 9a was to the Pixel 9. Leaks have suggested the Pixel 10a might stick with the Tensor G4 chip that was in the Pixel 9 series instead of using the Tensor G5 chip found in the Pixel 10, 10 Pro/10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold. RAM and storage configurations could also come in the same 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage as the Pixel 9a. However, the ongoing memory and flash storage shortage, which has been driving up prices across all consumer electronics that require those components, could affect how many models Google launches with.

It’d be great to see some kind of bump up to the Pixel 9a’s dual-lens camera system. The Pixel 9a has a 48-megapixel main and 13-megapixel ultrawide. An upgrade to the Pixel 9’s 50-megapixel main and 48-megapixel ultrawide would be welcome. I don’t have my hopes up, though, since the Pixel 10 actually got a downgrade to the Pixel 9a’s lower-resolution cameras.

Instead of hardware, Google will most likely focus the Pixel 10a’s mesaging around affordability and Gemini. AI features like “Magic Cue,” which suggests information or actions within select Google apps, and “Help me edit,” which uses Gemini to edit photos with only a text prompt, were big selling points for the Pixel 10 series last year. Expect to see the Pixel 10a pushed as more of an “AI phone” that helps you get more things done (and quicker) than yet another affordable midrange Android phone.

See Pixel 9a at Amazon