What you need to know
- Google has officially teased the Pixel 10a, but early signs point to a very safe and uninspiring upgrade overall.
- The Pixel 10a launches on February 18, with a familiar design that looks almost identical to last year’s Pixel 9a.
- Leaks suggest minor refinements like a flatter camera bump and software features, but no meaningful design changes.
It’s Pixel time. After weeks of leaks and speculation, Google has officially teased the Pixel 10a, and from what we’ve seen so far, it looks like it’s shaping up to be a fairly boring upgrade.
The season for new smartphones is here, and while much of the attention has been on the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, other devices like the Nothing Phone 4a lineup and the Pixel 10a are also expected to launch soon.
A leak last month suggested that Google was planning to launch the Pixel 10a in the second half of February or March, and that now appears to be confirmed. Google has officially posted the Pixel 10a teaser on the Google Store page, confirming that the phone will launch on February 18.
The teaser shared on YouTube shows the Pixel 10a in what looks like the same flagship, slightly tacky blue color Google used for the base Pixel 10 last year. It also reveals the full design of the device, which is unsurprisingly very similar to last year’s Pixel 9a. Google has also confirmed that the Pixel 10a will be available for preorders on February 18.
Before Google’s official teaser, a major leak from Evan Blass had already shown us the Pixel 10a in full. Alongside sharing the same imagery used in Google’s teaser, Blass also revealed the phone from multiple angles. The images also suggested that we could see features like Gemini Live and Call Assist on the Pixel 10a.
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One small change from the Pixel 9a to the Pixel 10a, based on current renders, is an even flatter camera design. The Pixel 9a’s rear camera was already much flatter than other Pixel models, though it still protruded slightly. The Pixel 10a appears to make the camera almost completely flat. That said, we’ll know more once we have the device in hand.
Android Central’s Take
It’s honestly getting a little boring. While Google made meaningful improvements with the Pixel 10 series and was rightly praised for them, the Pixel 10a looks like a very underwhelming follow-up.
Many of the Pixel 9a’s issues, including the chunky front bezels and uninspired design, remain unchanged, even if there are some internal upgrades. I’ll reserve final judgment until I’ve used it, but for now, this phone is not doing much to excite me
