Google Pixel 9a Teardown: Inside Look Reveals Cooling Focus
Just as the Google Pixel 9a is set to launch officially into store shelves, PBKreviews provided a preview inside. They did a full teardown of the new phone, and it's remarkable, especially in light of rumors the launch date was delayed so that Google could iron out some overheating concerns. Let's see what they found.
A New Look, Inside and Out
One of the first things you might notice on the Pixel 9a is the new camera module. That ugly camera bump is gone. Now the lenses rest almost flat against the phone's back. Google has described this change before, but the teardown lets us see how it carries over into the internal layout.
Getting inside the Pixel 9a requires some careful messing about, as ever. The back cover is glued on, so heat and plastic spudger are applied to gently persuade it off the chassis. Underneath is a plastic cover that holds several key components:
- LED flash
- Wireless charging coil
- NFC module
- Graphite film – a key component for dissipating heat
Cooling Measures Revealed
Under these top layers is where the cooling narrative actually comes into play. Copper film is laid out to strategically cover the processor, memory, and other heat-producing elements. Thermostat paste is applied to the processor, RAM, and storage to assist with heat transfer further. And most notably, perhaps, is that there is an evaporator (most likely a vapor chamber, although not so specified) placed under the battery, stretching down below the motherboard itself.
All these cooling capabilities suggest that Google was in no joking matter about heat handling inside the Pixel 9a, especially in light of speculations of being behind schedule releases due to potential overheating issues. It looks like Google developers did go extra mile to render the device as smooth and stable.
Battery and Repairability
While Google does have a pull-tab sticker for easy battery removal, the teardown revealed it wasn't so effective. The battery did actually require some "brute force" to take out, suggesting battery replacements won't be that easy.
Generally, the Pixel 9a scored a 7.5 out of 10 on PBKreviews' maintainability scale. Points were deducted primarily for the challenge of swapping the battery and the intricacy of swapping other components like the speaker and charging port.
Final Verdict
The Pixel 9a teardown is an interesting insight into Google's design choices, particularly their apparent focus on thermal management. Whether or not these cooling steps will be enough to fully eliminate any overheating issues in real-world use is to be discovered later in user reviews and extended testing. Nevertheless for the time being, it's clear Google has made the most of keeping things cool inside their new mid-range Pixel.
