For the last few years we've become used to most high-end camera phones sporting hefty camera bumps, somewhat negating the general industry trend towards slimming down the rest of a phone. But refreshingly it seems Google is going in a different direction with the upcoming Pixel 10a. In a short official teaser video, we can see Google's next entry-level Pixel will have a completely flat back; its camera island being completely flush with the rest of the rear panel:
So however thick the Pixel 10a ends up, it'll be exactly that figure, with no exceptions or 'excluding projections' asterisk.
While many will likely appreciate a high-performing camera phone that doesn't rely on a huge bump to enclose its camera modules, it's not like Google has been a major offender in this area, at least not with its a-series offerings. The current Pixel 9a has a very similar camera island to the 10a, but just ever so slightly raised. The previous few a-series phones had a more prominent visor-style camera bumps, but again, even their projection was relatively minimal.
As for what camera hardware Google is expected to pack inside the Pixel 10a, well, don't get too excited, as it's likely to be identical to the Pixel 9a's set-up. That means the same 48MP f/1.7 wide angle module, paired with a 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide snapper. We've got no reason to think Google will be adding a telephoto module to the 10a, as this would bring it too close in performance to the full-on Pixels. However when you have rivals like the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro which does include a 2x telephoto camera in a phone that costs less than the Pixel 9a, Google won't always be able to stick with a two-camera system for its a-series phones.
The Pixel 10a will be available for pre-order on February 18th at the Google Store.
