Google's Pixel 11a won't look different, but it's getting the upgrade that matters

Published Sep 29, 2026, 12:13 PM EDT Sanuj is a freelance tech journalist with over six years of experience covering smartphones, wearables, and consumer technology. He currently writes for Android Police, Tom's Guide, Android Central, Android Authority, and Pocket-lint. He has previously contributed to publications like Pocketnow and MakeUseOf. Since the start of 2025 alone, he has tested over 30 smartphones. He has also attended major global trade shows including MWC (2024, 2025, 2026) and IFA (2024, 2025), along with launch events hosted by Google, Samsung, and other leading Android brands. When he's not writing about tech, you'll find him sipping a cup of chai, scrolling Twitter, and reading updates about his favorite football club, Chelsea FC. Feel free to reach out to him via email at sanujb6 [at] gmail [dot] com. Sign in to your Android Police account We just got our first look at the upcoming Google Pixel 11a, and it looks pretty much the same as the previous-generation device. Google has settled into a pretty predictable launch cycle, releasing its flagship Pixel series around the beginning of Q4, which is what we recently got with the Pixel 11 lineup. And now, the wait begins for Google's next mid-range phone, which is expected to arrive sometime in Q1 next year. Thankfully, the first renders of the Pixel 11a have already leaked. The leak comes courtesy of @OnLeaks (via Android Headlines) and showcases the Pixel 11a with a very similar design to the Pixel 10a that launched earlier this year. The leaked phone is shown in a new purple colorway, but otherwise, you're getting virtually the same design, including the oval-shaped flush camera module that doesn't protrude from the back. Even the dimensions are nearly identical. The Pixel 11a reportedly measures 153.46 x 72.35 x 9mm, compared to 153.9 x 73 x 9mm for the Pixel 10a. In addition to purple, the report claims the Pixel 11a will be available in black, green, and a new silver finish. The bigger upgrades could be hiding underneath Thankfully, there could be some more meaningful upgrades underneath. The Pixel 11a will reportedly be powered by the Tensor G6 chipset, the same chip found inside the flagship Pixel 11 series. That's particularly interesting because Google skipped a similar upgrade with the Pixel 10a. Despite the Pixel 10 series moving to Tensor G5, Google kept the older Tensor G4 inside the Pixel 10a, essentially giving it the same generation of chipset as the Pixel 9a. It looks like Google could correct that with the Pixel 11a by bringing Tensor G6 to its cheaper phone as well. The display is also reportedly getting slightly brighter. The Pixel 11a is said to reach 2,250 nits of peak brightness, up from 2,000 nits on the Pixel 10a. We don't know the rest of the specs just yet, but we expect more information to leak as we get closer to the launch. It's a little disappointing to see Google seemingly sticking with essentially the same Pixel A-series design for another generation. From these renders, it almost looks like the same phone in a few different colors. That said, there are still plenty of unknowns. We don't yet know whether Google will bring Qi2 wireless charging to the Pixel 11a, which could make it a much more compelling mid-range phone. It's also unclear whether Google will bring over the new MediaTek modem from the Pixel 11 series.