The other factor that could play a role in improved battery life for the Pixel 9a involves the chipset the phone is likely to use. We'd expect the Pixel 9a to follow the lead of previous A series models and use the system-on-chip found in current Google flagships. That's the Tensor G4, which bodes well for the new phone's power management features.

That delay was, according to Google, down to a “component quality issue”, but the company didn’t get more specific. Now, though, someone else has. According to leaker @techauntyji posting on X (via Phone Arena),

The Pixel 9a is now expected to start shipping in April instead of March, and even preorders have yet to open on the Google Store.