The first Google Pixel 8a cases suggest some big design changes

We’ve seen the leaks for months, and now we’ve got our hands on what could be the first batch of Google Pixel 8a cases from Poetic. These cases give us a proper idea of what the Pixel 8a should look like if Google unveils the new budget-priced phone at Google I/O 2024 next month, as we anticipate.

While the two rugged case models are great for folks who need extra protection, I’m particularly interested in what the other two case models reveal. The Poetic Neon Pixel 8a case showcases substantially rounder edges than the Google Pixel 7a has. As I noted in my Pixel 8 Pro review, rounded corners make phones much nicer to hold one-handed.

If the Pixel 8a has rounder corners, it would make the phone feel slightly smaller. Indeed, the Poetic Neon case suggests that the Pixel 8a could be ever-so-slightly smaller than the Pixel 7a, as I’m not able to fit a Pixel 7a into Poetic’s Pixel 8a case.

Poetic’s case designs seem to match up nicely with several Pixel 8a design leaks. Many times, case manufacturers can get ahold of “dummy” phone models before a phone’s release, allowing them to design cases based on early designs. As such, there’s always a likelihood that the final phone design could differ from what’s on offer here.

Either way, we hope Google doesn’t ditch the camera bar design on this phone as it looks like they might on the Pixel 9 and Pixel Fold 2.

Lastly, the inclusion of a MagSafe ring on the Poetic Guardian MagSafe Pixel 8a case tells me that the new Qi2 wireless charging standard is still not ready for prime time. Or, at the least, Google may not be willing to fork over any extra R&D for a budget-minded phone.

Android Central has reached out to Google about Poetic’s Pixel 8a cases, but the company did not get back to us in time for publication. We will update the article once we have more information.

The Pixel 8a is rumored to retail for around $500 but is rumored to see a bit of a price hike over the Pixel 7a. Thankfully, the best Pixel 7a deals will get you that phone for hundreds less than the rumored Pixel 8a price.