Last year, Google released two fairly different “a” phones. Тhe Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a 5G shared the 4a moniker but the 4a 5G was closer to the Pixel 5 specs-wise than to the regular 4a. Both, however, stayed true to the Pixel line, offering Google’s own vision for Android and top-tier camera performance on a budget. But that was in 2020, it’s 2021 now and we’re looking towards the future where a Pixel 5a should be waiting for us.
Little has leaked about this device so actual information is quite limited, so for now we’ll fill the blanks with our best educated guesses. Over time, leaks and rumors will replaces those and we’ll make sure to keep this article up to date with the latest Pixel 5a leaks and rumors.
Jump straight to:Pixel 5a Price
Pixel 5a Release date
Pixel 5a Specifications
Pixel 5a Design and Display
Pixel 5a Camera
Pixel 5a Battery
Pixel 5a Price
Price is a sensitive matter, especially when it comes to budget phones. Even more so now as OnePlus is close to releasing its budget OnePlus Nord N10 in the US with a price tag around $400. The Pixel 4a costs $349, while the more expensive 4a 5G is $499. For the Pixel 5a, our expectation is that it will come somewhere in the middle, around $400-450. Considering the late release of the Pixel 4a 5G, Google might want to keep it around even after the release of the 5a, in which case it would make more sense to price the newer device at $400. Of course, the price will mostly depend on what specs Google decides to put in the phone.
Pixel 5a Release date
The budget Pixels are traditionally planned for release in the first half of the year but last year, as many other things, the Pixel 4a release was delayed by a few months. Hopefully, this year things will be back to normal, which would mean a Pixel 5a release in Q2, or around May 2021.
Pixel 5a Specifications
The specs of the Pixel 5a won’t be anything impressive, we can tell you that much even without leaks. There are two prime candidates for the system chip of the next budget Pixel: the Snapdragon 732G and the Snapdragon 690 5G. The 732G is the next generation of the chip that the Pixel 4a sports, however, it’s not 5G capable and it seems unlikely that Google will release a 4G-only phone in 2021. The 690 5G, on the other hand, fits the bill perfectly, as it will also allow Google to hit the $400 price tag and keep 5G on board.
Of course, there’s also the Snapdragon 768 5G, the replacement for the 765G. The 768 seems like an unlikely choice for the Pixel 5a as it will put it ahead of the Pixel 5 performance-wise and that’s not really a good look for Google’s flagship phone.
Overall, here’s what we think the base Pixel 5a specs-sheet will look like:
Pixel 5a Design and Display
When it comes to design, there’s only one leak that’s worth discussing right now. Images that are allegedly of the Pixel 5a were recently posted on SlashLeaks by a contributor with questionable reputation. As is tradition with such leaks, the image quality is quite low, leaving a lot to the imagination. You can see the photos below:
Despite the low quality, there’s one thing that’s obvious from the photos: the phone has a noticeable top and bottom bezels. On one hand, that’s very different from the design of the last three Pixel phones, which can easily be interpreted as the photos being fake/not of the Pixel 5a. On the other hand, one must ask why would someone trying to create fake Pixel 5a leaks use a device that’s so clearly not Pixel-like?
As we saw with the Pixel 4, Google doesn’t mind taking a step back in design if it means adding functionality it deems important. So, we might really be looking at the first live images of the Pixel 5a. Another thing that these photos suggest is that the Pixel 5a will have an under-display fingerprint sensor. That is somewhat suspicious as well considering Google went for a traditional rear-mounted fingerprint reader for its Pixel 5.
Hopefully, we’ll get more substantial leaks in the near future and we won’t have to play the guessing game anymore.
Pixel 5a Camera
Pixel’s camera hardware is long due for an upgrade but we doubt that will happen with the Pixel 5a. That being said, our expected camera specs won’t surprise you:
We think that there’s a pretty high chance of the Pixel 5a receiving the 4a 5G’s camera system, rather than a single-camera one like the Pixel 4a. However, that might make the devices too similar, so Google could be planning something else for the Pixel 5a to shake things up. Fingers crossed that’s the case, but until there are any leaks to hint at it, we’re sticking to the good old 12MP sensors.
Pixel 5a Battery
In the battery department, we expect the Pixel 5a to at least match the Pixel 5’s capacity, which is 4,080mAh. If the 5a has a larger body than the compact Pixel 5, we can even see a battery in the 4,200-4,400mAh range. With Google’s power-usage optimization algorithms, the result should be a very respectable battery life.
As for the charging, the now-standard 18W fast-charging is pretty much a given.
