Leaked Google Pixel 8a images have us worried about this phone’s design

Google Pixel 7a review back angled sticky notes
The Google Pixel 7a (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are set to land on October 4, and while the Pixel 8a probably won’t launch alongside them, we have now seen leaked images of the phone, and they’re not promising.

The images – shared by leaker Abhishek Yadav on X (via Phone Arena) – show a phone with very curved corners, which is a major departure from the Pixel 7a. It also has quite big bezels, and while the Pixel 7a’s bezels aren’t small, the ones here look as though they might be even larger.

Other details include a dual-lens camera in Google’s distinctive camera bar, and a blue finish that’s slightly lighter than the Sky Blue shade we’ve seen leaked for the Pixel 8 Pro.

We actually quite like the color, but the combination of the curved corners and the big bezels really doesn’t look great. The standard Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are known to have curvier corners than their predecessors, so this design isn’t surprising or unlikely, but it looks as though the corners might be even more curved on the Pixel 8a.

Either way, the phone in these images certainly looks less attractive than the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro do. However, it’s worth noting that aside from the fact that it’s possible these images are fake, it’s also possible that the design of the Pixel 8a will change before launch.

The Google Pixel 7a only landed in May, so we’re not expecting to officially see the Pixel 8a for many months yet. As such, this is probably an early prototype, and may well be subject to change. We certainly hope so, because with a design like that, it might struggle to rank among the best Pixel phones.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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