Leaks about the Google Pixel 9a are starting to fly fast and furious, which means we're likely getting closer to a possible launch. And while there's plenty to be excited about with the Pixel 9a, from an upgrade to the Tensor G4 chipset that introduces new AI features to leaked specs hinting at a bigger battery, there's one feature that makes me fret for not just the Pixel 9a's future, but for smartphones as a whole.
Google look like it's getting rid of the camera bar on the Pixel 9a.
If you need reminding, the camera bar debuted with the Pixel 6 and has been a mainstay of Google phones ever since. An actual physical bar that spans the length of the phone and separates the upper third from the rest of the device's back panel, it's the home of the rear cameras on Google's handsets.
Why the Pixel's camera bar matters
It's safe to say the camera bar on Google phones is not universally loved, though it's held in high regard by the person who's opinion means the most to me — myself. I think the camera bar helps Google phones stand out in a sea of sameness, giving the Pixels an identity that other phones simply don't have.
Plus, there's a practical reason to embrace the bar. Because it stretches from one edge of the phone to the other, it keeps the Pixel from wobbling when you set down the phone scree side-up. Other devices lay more unsteadily on flat services thanks to camera arrays that jut out from just one area of the phone.
Well, the camera bar may appeal to me, but if you go by Pixel 9a renders, it doesn't capture the imagination of an even more influential group — whoever it is that decides what Google's phones get to look like. Based on leaked renders, that decision apparently means no bar for the Pixel 9a, just a pill-shaped oval housing the rear camera lenses in one corner.
I should have seen this coming, really. Recent Pixel releases have been making gradual changes to the bar, with last fall's Pixel 9 introducing a camera array that no longer stretched across the length of the phone but ended with rounded-off corners. It now seems inevitable that the horizontal bar is destined to shrink into nothing.
Not just Google
Google's likely Pixel 9a move comes at a time where it seems like phone makers all received an industry-wide memo ordering them to make their phones look less distinct, particularly when it came to lower-cost models. Just this past weekend, for example, Samsung unveiled a new look for its Galaxy A series models coming out in 2025. And while I need to see the phones in person to make a fair judgment, the initial images don't inspire a lot of hope.
I was a big fan of how past Galaxy A phones adapted a Samsung-wide design language by lining up the rear cameras vertically and letting them descend down the the phone with no camera array to constrain them. Instead, the cameras just rose out of the backs of Samsung's old phones every so slightly. It's a really stylish touch that makes the Galaxy A phones look like they cost a lot more than they do.
I don't think the same can be said of the new design being introduced with the Galaxy A56 as well as the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A26. The lenses are still vertical but now they're confined to an oval array. From the look, either device could be any other phone just as easily as they could be a Galaxy model.
Follow the Nothing Phone 3a's lede
Maybe the similar looks that midrange phones are adopting hits particularly hard for me right now, as I've just finished working on my Nothing Phone 3a review. And say what you will will about the glyphs and swirls and other flourishes adorning the back of both the 3a and its more expensive Nothing Phone 3a Pro counterpart, you would not conclude that the phones look boring. I'm not sure I even like the Nothing Phone 3a's look, but at least it's something different.
There's a practical element to the design of the latest Nothing Phones, too. The glyphs light up letting you know about notifications, highlighting alerts and even serving as a way of counting down a timer you set. Because of that, the exterior of the Nothing Phone 3a devices offer more than just a pretty face, but a functional one, too.
I'm not arguing that design is the only thing — or even the first thing — to look at when considering a phone. The Nothing Phone 3a earns my recommendation for its long battery life, colorful screen and a camera setup that's far more sophisticated than a $379 phone has any right to offer. When the Pixel 9a comes along, I'm sure if will have plenty to offer, too, that makes me overlook the lack of a camera bar.
But design is still important. And having a stylish device that appeals to you aesthetically adds an exclamation point to how you might otherwise feel about that phone's features. It's an important factor worth remembering, especially at a time when phone makers seem to be losing sight of it.
More from Tom's Guide
- Best Android phones
- 7 ways Google Pixel 9a could blow away the iPhone 16e
- OnePlus Open 2 could have been the best foldable of the year — so why is it not happening?
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