The Google Pixel 4a just apparently slipped through another certification agency which gives us a better idea of its specs. We also found out that the Pixel 3a is no more. Read on for all the details!
Original article, February 1, 2020 (6 PM ET): Without a doubt, the Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL were some of the most exciting devices launched last year. For under $400 you got most of what made the Google Pixel 3 great, including that amazing camera. Now it’s 2020, and all eyes are on the Google Pixel 4a.
Ostensibly, the Pixel 4a will attempt to replicate what the 3a series did: slash out the expensive hardware aspects of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL while retaining the super-fast Android updates, rear camera experience, and Pixel-exclusive software features.
That’s a tall order, but Google seems up for the task. Below, you’ll find everything we know so far about the Google Pixel 4a. Be sure to bookmark this page as we’ll update it often as new rumors come to light.
Google Pixel 4a: Name and release date
The Google Pixel series has stuck to the same naming convention since its inception. With that in mind (along with the leaks we’ve already seen), there’s little doubt as to the name of the upcoming mid-range entry in the series. Outside of some crazy situation arising, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see the Google Pixel 4a launch as Google’s next mid-ranger.
Unfortunately, sources close to Android Authority have confirmed there will be no Pixel 4a XL this year. This might be disappointing for some fans of the Pixel 3a XL, but this will likely reduce production costs for Google and help keep the Pixel 4a at a reasonable price.
In early April, a few pictures of some Pixel 4a packages surfaced online, which appear to confirm the name. The images look pretty legit, but we should still take them with a grain of salt.
The name might be solidified, but when exactly will the Google Pixel 4a land? Google launched the Pixel 3a series at Google I/O 2019, so it seemed reasonable to assume at first that it would launch the follow-up around the same time. Unfortunately, Google I/O 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We expected Google to go ahead with an online-only launch of the new phone on or around the same time anyway, but that didn’t come to be.
Eventually, evidence popped up that suggested Google moved the general sale date to June 5, 2020. This led us to believe the Pixel 4a would land at the confirmed Android 11 event on June 3. Of course, that didn’t happen, either.
Now, we expect the device to land on July 13. The phone has already hit the FCC, the IMDA, and Taiwan’s NCC (which are usually the last steps before a phone launches), so the release can’t be far off, whenever it might be.
Interestingly, a known tipster hinted that the Google Pixel 4a could launch in July, but only go on sale in October. Another leaker reports that the phone could have a different name and could be part of the Pixel 5 lineup slated to launch later this year. You can read all about these bizarre claims here.
Google Pixel 4a: Design
As has become the norm, we already have a decent idea of what the Google Pixel 4a will look like thanks to serial leaker @OnLeaks. The renders below, based on CAD files supplied to factories that actually create the devices, tell us the most basic information about the Pixel 4a with relative certainty.
Check out the renders for yourself below:
As one would expect, the phone looks like a pared-down Google Pixel 4, which makes perfect sense. The square-shaped camera bump on the back of the device is a dead-ringer for the one on the Pixel 4 series, albeit with only one lens. The white colorway, Google “G” logo, and orange-colored power button all carry over from the Pixel 4.
However, there are some differences here. The matte-black ring that envelops the Pixel 4 body is absent, the selfie camera is housed in a display cutout, there’s a headphone jack present, and there’s a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor here, too. The fingerprint sensor and display cutout make sense, though, as it would hardly be cost-effective to transfer all the face unlock tech from the Pixel 4 series to the Pixel 4a.
Interestingly, 9to5Google later reported that the Google Pixel 4a might not come in the white and orange colorway depicted above. The outlet claims it will come in at least two color variants: the usual Just Black and a new Barely Blue. 9to5Google notes that depending on how “barely” blue the new blue color is, it could replace the white variant we see in the renders above.
Related: Having trouble with face unlock on your Google Pixel 4? You’re not alone.
A couple of months after those renders surfaced online, alleged photos of the smartphone matching them also surfaced online. The device in these photos appears to sport a black chassis with a white lock button instead of the white and orange combo seen in the previous renders. It also comes in what appears to be an official Google Pixel fabric phone case. If this is true, this fabric cover is unlike any we’ve seen from Google before.
We’re not fully convinced that the images above are 100% legit. If you look closely at them, there’s no visible speaker grille at the top of the phone to hear phone calls. Though it’s possible we just can’t see it, this still raises a red flag. Also missing is the clock in the status bar of the phone. Two of the photos don’t show the clock where it’s supposed to be, casting another shadow of doubt on the legitimacy of the images.
On the other hand, a YouTube video posted by TecnoLike Plus reveals an alleged Google Pixel 4a that falls in line with these leaked images and renders. In the video, we get a better look at the camera cutout in the left corner, the 3.5mm headphone port at the top, the square rear camera housing featuring a single shooter in the lower right, and the rear fingerprint scanner we expect to see on the Pixel 4a family.
With the supposed launch of the phone not far off now, we’ll know soon enough whether the above leaks were correct or not.
In the meantime, check out the leaked renders of the alleged Pixel 4a XL below. As mentioned before, we’ve known for some time that there won’t be any XL variant of Google’s new mid-ranger. However, a report outed renders of the scrapped phone based on information obtained from a popular leaker. The canceled device would have apparently had a punch-hole camera and the same size as the Pixel 3a XL.
Contact Information:
Hadlee Simons
C. Scott Brown
Tags:
, Wire, United States, English
Contact Information:
Hadlee Simons
C. Scott Brown
