Google Pixel 3a Reportedly Coming to Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint

The Pixel 3a, reportedly debuting at Google I/O tomorrow (May 7), isn’t just going to give fans of Google’s phones a less expensive midrange option. They’ll also have more options for buying the Pixel 3a than any previous Google handset.

CAD renderings of Google’s rumored phones (Credit: @OnLeaks/91MobilesMultiple carriers will reportedly offer the Pixel 3a, which would be quite a departure from Google’s previous approach to its smartphones. Ever since the first Pixel debuted in 2016, the only major carrier to offer Google’s flagship phone has been Verizon. (Google sold the phones through its own Google Fi wireless service and you could also buy the phone unlocked through Google’s store to use with the carrier of your choice — not that many people buy their phones that way.)

With the Pixel 3a, Google will be adding T-Mobile to the carrier mix. That’s according to 9to5Google, which updated a previous report on the Uncarrier testing the Pixel 3 on its network to confirm that multiple sources have now confirmed the Pixel 3a and 3a XL are bound for T-Mobile.

That won’t be the only new carrier offering Google phones, apparently. Over the weekend, Android Police reported that Sprint will also sell the Pixel 3a. That information is courtesy of an anonymous tipster who sent the news site an image of a Pixel 3XL display from a Sprint store. Putting two and two together, the site concluded that Sprint will likely offer the Pixel 3a as well, assuming the Pixel 3 is destined for that carrier.

MORE: Google Pixel 3a Rumors: Release Date, Price and Specs

Based on the latest rumors, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL would be available from T-Mobile and Sprint in addition to Verizon and Project Fi.

Google has plenty of incentive for broadening the ways you can buy one of its smartphones. Just last week, the company reported that Pixel 3 sales were slumping, trailing sales of the Pixel 2 over a comparable period. Making its phones available through more sources would presumably allow people to buy a Pixel phone through the carrier of their choice, making it more likely for them to consider Google’s phones.

Offering less expensive phones might also spark Pixel sales, and that seems to be a big motivator behind the rumored Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. One source has claimed the midrange phone will start at $399 — a significant discount from the $799 Pixel 3. The Pixel 3a XL also boasts a lower starting price — $479, according to the same source.

Reportedly, Google will be able to cut the cost on this phone by opting for a less powerful processor and less expensive materials, but the Pixel 3a and 3a XL will offer the same cameras as their more expensive counterparts.

We’ll find out if Google is really serious about making its phones available through more carriers during tomorrow’s Google I/O keynote. Watch this space to see who’s selling the Pixel 3a and how much you’ll pay for this new phone.