Hands on photos of the Pixel 4a XL that almost was

Yesterday we got a look at some renders of the Pixel 4a XL that has now been cancelled alongside the Pixel 4a that is expect to launch now in early July. While the 4a is a little larger that last years 3a and strikes a “middle ground” we should expect lots of people to cry that they wanted a lar

ger (or smaller) device in the 4a line up.

Now we’ve gotten some real world images of the device that clearly made it all the way to prototype phase before being killed off my the Google Hardware team. So what has surfaced? Turns out it’s a replacement back plate for a 4a XL that has been listed for sale on eBay.

The back plate closely matches the leaks we have been seeing for the Pixel 4a and the renders from yesterday. It carries the now familiar Google colours with a white back and orange button, despite current leaks indicating the Pixel 4a will only release in “Just Black” and “Barely Blue”. There’s a very Pixel feel to the overall simple design. We’re grateful that the rear fingerprint sensor is still there and the large square camera bump is also prominent.

While it’s fun to see what might have been unfortunately it seems that the larger Pixel 4a is relegated to the almost was category.