Google Pixel 4A: Possible August launch, official render, and everything else we know so far

Last year, Google released the Pixel 3A and 3A XL in early May, timed with the opening day of its annual developer conference, Google I/O The two devices were excellent mid-range smartphones, giving owners a superb camera experience at half the cost of the company’s flagship smartphones. 

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A year later, rumors, leaks, and speculation about its successor, the Pixel 4A, are at an all-time high as we wait for Google to officially unveil its newest phone. Thanks to a new leak from Google itself, the Pixel 4A is all but confirmed, but the release date is still a mystery. 

What will it be called?

• We assume Pixel 4A

Tech companies are creatures of habit, as are consumers, so we can only assume Google will stick with the same naming scheme as last year and use Pixel 4A as the name. 

We still don’t know what the “A” means, but one could assume it means “Affordable.”

Images posted to Twitter by TechDroider appear to show the Pixel 4A’s box, confirming the name and giving us a glimpse at the design. 

Wait, what about the Pixel 4A XL?

• It doesn’t look likely

Good question. Last year, Google released two sizes of its budget-friendly phone, but rumors about the 4A line all point to a single, smaller device. 

Sources have told Android Authority to expect only the Pixel 4A this year. Something that’s backed up by the number of leaks and reports, all of which only feature one phone. 

What will the Pixel 4A cost?

• All signs point to $399… maybe less

Google launched the Pixel 3A priced at $399, and that price makes sense one year later. But with competition from Samsung’s Galaxy A51 and Apple’s iPhone SE at that price point, Google might price the 4A a little lower to make it more attractive. 

In fact, according to 9to5Google managing editor Stephen Hall, the Pixel 4A will launch at $349 with 128GB of storage. 

Evan Blass — who has a long history of accurately leaking tech products before they’re announced — posted a series of what appears to be marketing pictures on Twitter in early March. The photos show a Pixel 4A billboard, confirming the design (more on that in a few), as well as showing a list price of $399. 

When will the Pixel 4A launch?

• July is no longer the rumored date
• Aug. 3 is the current speculation
• It went through the FCC in June, so it shouldn’t be too long now

Google I/O 2020 was supposed to start on May 12, presumably the same day we were going to see the Pixel 4A make its debut. However, due to COVID-19, Google canceled I/O, leaving any potential launch date a total mystery. 

There was speculation that Google would announce the Pixel 4A alongside Android 11, originally slated for a June 3 announcement. Google canceled those plans, and instead
announced Android 11
without much fanfare. 

So, what’s next? After multiple dates, including July 13, floating around as possible announcement dates, Jon Prosser is now claiming that the Pixel 4A may not be announced until Aug 3. There’s no clear reason as to why the launch has continued to get pushed back.

In late June, what’s presumably the Pixel 4A passed through the FCC, gaining certification for sale in the US. Hopefully, it won’t be much longer now. 

What does the Pixel 4A look like?

• It has the same camera square as the Pixel 4
• The display has a hole punch in the top-left corner
• Yes, there’s a headphone jack

We had a good idea of what the 4A will look like, not only from the supposed packaging leak but from a series of renders published on 91Mobiles, courtesy of Twitter user OnLeaks, who has accurately leaked phone designs and information in the past. But, thanks to a more recent mixup by Google, the Pixel 4A was spotted on the Canadian version of the Google Store (shown above). The Pixel 4A will look similar to the Pixel 4 — albeit with a hole-punch display and a fingerprint reader on the back. 

A familiar square camera array is on the back of the phone, with the power button and volume rocker on the right side. The top of the phone is where you’ll find the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack. 

There are plenty of renders and even a video 360-degree walkthrough of the supposed design on 91Mobiles. 

If hands-on videos are more your speed, check out this YouTube video from TecnoLike Plus. The device that’s shown off in the video all lines up with previous leaks and rumors. 

What about Pixel 4A specs and features?

• It should mid-tier phone with mid-tier specs
• 5.81-inch screen
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor
• 128GB of storage

If you’re hoping for flagship caliber specs from the 4A, it’s time to lower those expectations. The 4A is a mid-tier phone, and leaked benchmarks (from that hands-on video above) reveal a competitive phone when it comes to performance, but nothing that will blow away even the Pixel 4. 

We don’t have any hard confirmation of most specifications, but 91Mobiles and OnLeaks included rumors specifications along with the renders. 

Those include a display of 5.81-inches, a 3,080mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, 6GB of memory, 12.2-megapixel rear camera, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. 

9to5Google also reports that there will only be one camera on the back, and matches the claim of the front-facing camera having a resolution of 8 megapixels. 

With any luck, we won’t have to wait much longer to see the Pixel 4A’s announcement. To that end, I’d imagine it will begin shipping around the same time — if not the same day. 

What do you think about the Pixel 4A? Is it the budget phone you’ve been waiting for? Or have you already made up your mind?

Article source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-pixel-4a-release-date-features-price-and-news/#ftag=RSSbaffb68