There's a pleasant surprise about the Google Pixel 9a as it relates to pricing.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

This week, it leaked again that the Pixel 9a is avoiding a price hike, making it the third Pixel a-series phone in a row to land at a $499 price point. A $499 Pixel looks more appealing today than it did 12 months ago, for a few reasons. Not least of which: Apple's new iPhone 16e costs $100 more.

This is good news. While the U.K. endured a £50 increase from the Pixel 7a to the 8a, the U.S. saw prices unchanged, which made some worry that Google was simply delaying an inevitable bump for 2025. If these prices are confirmed as correct, that won’t be the case.

The Google Pixel 8a currently tops our list of the best cheap phones you can buy, but likely not for too much longer. The Pixel 9a is expected this month, and all signs point to it maintaining the line’s competitive $499 starting price for another year.

Eight wallpapers for the Pixel 9a have leaked They match four expected colors for the handset The phone could make its debut this month Sometimes it's not the specs, the design, or the features of an upcoming phone that leak out: it's the wallpapers.