Google Pixel 9a spotted at wrestling event — here a live look at what it can do

Pixel 9a render
(Image credit: Evan Blass)

The Google Pixel 9a continues to make a strong play to be the most leaked phone of all time.

Clips of the handset have previously been shared on Threads and it’s popped up in the background of a Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge video too. Now, in an even more incongruous setting, it’s shown up at a lucha libre wrestling event.

The leaker is once again Alexis Garza, the YouTuber who published the S25 Edge video before. On YouTube Shorts, the leaker uses the phone to capture the various body slams of wrestlers some distance from the ring.

Google Pixel 9a y Lucha Libre. #smartphone #wwe #google #luchalibre #wrestling - YouTube Google Pixel 9a y Lucha Libre. #smartphone #wwe #google #luchalibre #wrestling - YouTube
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Some of the video is of the phone itself capturing video, which must have looked pretty strange to wrestling fans around him, but it does once again confirm what the Pixel 9a will look like in its Obsidian Black colorway.

As previously revealed, the iconic camera bar — a calling card of Google handsets since the Pixel 6 — has been removed and replaced with a small pill-shaped camera bump, only slightly raised from the phone’s backplate.

We also get a look at what the phone’s camera interface will look like, and while the video quality itself looks solid, it’s nothing we wouldn’t expect, with the phone capable of capturing at 0.5, 1x and 2x digital zoom via its 48MP/13MP dual-camera array.

The Pixel 9a at a lucha libre wrestling event.

(Image credit: Alexis Garza / YouTube)

A lack of an optical zoom lens is typically as a trade-off you make when buying one of the best cheap phones, but it could be a problem for Google this generation. Both the Nothing Phone 3a and Nothing Phone 3a Pro have proven that you can include a dedicated telephoto lens while still keeping costs down, with the handsets selling for $379 and $459 respectively.

The Pixel 9a, meanwhile, is expected to sell for the same $499 as its predecessor. For that, it’s rumored to match the regular Pixel 9’s 6.3-inch 120Hz OLED screen, Tensor G4 chipset and 128GB of internal storage, albeit with 8GB RAM, rather than 12GB. While the dual camera won’t be as good as the Pixel 9’s 50MP/48MP array, it is set to have 400mAh more battery, with a 5,100mAh cell anticipated.

While the Pixel 8a it’s set to replace came out last May, Google is strongly rumored to have brought things forward in 2025, with the Pixel 9a tipped to be revealed in just six days on Tuesday, March 18.

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.

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