【I Am a Plaything】

The I Am a PlaythingPixel 9a now has an official release date.

According to Google, the Pixel 9awill finally hit store shelves in the U.S., Canada, and UK on April 10.

Google officially announcedthe Pixel 9a, the latest member of its Pixel 9a smartphone lineup, last week. The made-for-AI, camera-bump-less smartphone seems like a real steal at $499. However, there were issues immediately after Google's announcement.

The Pixel 9a was originally supposed to be available for pre-order on March 19 and hit store shelves on March 26. Based on those original dates, the Pixel 9a should've already launched, with early adopters having the device in hand by now.

However, shortly before the Pixel 9a was announced, Google postponedthe release date to an unspecific April date and dropped the pre-orders completely. The Verge later confirmedthat the delay was due to a "component quality issue" that Google discovered which affected a "small number" of Pixel 9a devices.

The whole issue kind of made for an awkward rollout, as Google was left announcing a new current-generation device that appeared ready for retail but without a release date. Still though, this timeline of events was likely preferably to Google having to fix the component issue with the device already in consumers' hands.

After stumbling out of the gate, Google is getting right back on track with the Pixel 9a. Mashable already has a comparisonpublished between the Pixel 9a and the base Pixel 9 model, and we'll have a hands-on review of the Pixel 9a when it's out. So, stay tuned for more Pixel 9a coverage.

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