Google Pixel 4a release date, price, specs and leaks

After a longer than expected wait, the Pixel 4a is about to arrive — or at least that’s what Google seems to hinting at.

Rumors have pointed to a Google Pixel 3a successor for some time, with the new phone rumored to feature an improved processor, bigger screen and the same terrific camera features as its predecessor. But every time it’s looked like the Pixel 4a is ready to launch, we’re left waiting for Google’s budget phone to appear.

Last week, though, Google’s online store provided a hint that our long wait is almost over. A posting on the store suggested a new phone would be coming August 3 — that’s tomorrow — and while Google didn’t explicitly name the device, all evidence points to a Pixel 3a successor, especially since Google lists that phone as out of stock.

The timing is certainly right for a budget phone. OnePlus just took the wraps off a budget phone of its own, the OnePlus Nord, and our OnePlus Nord review review suggests any budget phone from Google will face some stiff competition. And the iPhone SE has proven to be a very popular phone for Apple, with its powerful processor and $399 price.

If Google can bring enough premium features to the Pixel 4a at an aggressive price, then it may have another winner of a midrange phone on its hands. Read on to learn everything we know about the Pixel 4a, including its potential release date, price, specs and more.

Google Pixel 4a latest news (updated August 2)

Google Pixel 4a release date

It’s been a moving target for the Pixel 4a’s release. The phone was supposed to launch in May, but the Pixel 4a was a no-show in large part because Google canceled its developer conference that month. Subsequent rumored launch dates came and went without a new Pixel.

But now the launch date is in sight: Google posted a teaser at its online store that points to an August 3 launch for a new phone. That date is in line with recent leaks from Jon Prosser that tipped an August 3 release. This would be just two days before Samsung’s Unpacked event for the Galaxy Note 20.

The delay appears to be because of the coronavirus pandemic and related market conditions. Prosser says it’s not because of any production delays.

Google Pixel 4a price

According to a leak from 9to5 Google’s Stephen Hall, the Pixel 4a will start for as low as $349. This would be $50 cheaper than the Pixel 3a and $50 less than the iPhone SE. Plus, the leak says to expect 128GB of storage to start, which would be double the 64GB offered by the iPhone SE. The Pixel 3a also started with 64GB of storage.

If you want more proof that the Pixel 4a could cost $349, a Reddit user shared a pricing survey Google reportedly sent out, which mentions a Pixel phone made of plastic that seemingly refers to the Pixel 4a. That phone is listed as $349 in the survey.

“What about the Pixel 4a XL?” you may be asking. Reportedly, Google’s not coming out with a larger version of its budget phone as the Pixel 3a XL didn’t sell as well as the 3a. Jon Prosser confirmed as much when reporting on one of the many different release dates for the phone. (A leaked Pixel 4a XL render shows what we’re missing without that model and we’ve got a look at potential Pixel 4a XL specs if the phone happens to appear after all.)

Google Pixel 4a design and colors

Like the Pixel 3a, the Pixel 4a is expected to have a full plastic body. Jon Prosser reports that the Pixel 4a will come in two colors — Just Black and Barely Blue. However, the blue model has apparently disappeared from the leakers’ listings, which calls into question when it may launch.

Leaked photos of the device that have surfaced on Twitter via TechDroider highlight how Google has evolved the Pixel 3a’s design into its next midrange handset. The two most noticeable design discrepancies with this year’s model appear to be the hole-punch camera cutout — evoking the Infinity-O displays on Samsung’s Galaxy S20 series of phones — and the square rear camera module, which strangely only carries one lens. This may have been done to establish a design lineage with the Pixel 4, which employs a dual-lens rear camera embedded in a similar-looking patch.

Google Pixel 4A .. Small + Powerful Camera + Better Design than Pixel 4/XL pic.twitter.com/aEdeyhgR9CMarch 7, 2020

On the top edge, the headphone jack from the 3a still appears to be present. That’s a pleasant surprise in the smartphone ecosystem, and one that users on tighter budgets who don’t already own wireless buds will appreciate. On the bottom, the usual USB-C port can be found, now the standard for all smartphones unless you’re Apple.

Meanwhile, at the back is the rear fingerprint sensor as well as the signature Google logo. This sensor was dropped in the transition from Pixel 3 to Pixel 4 because Google wanted people to use the Face Unlock facial recognition system. But since there’s no longer a big bezel at the top of the display to house Google’s Motion Sense radar tech, and no doubt the Soli radar sensor is too expensive to install on a mid-range phone anyway, this is likely why Google’s decided to go back to the old method.

If you want the specific measurements, Dave Lee provided some numbers: 144.2 x 69.5 x 8.2mm (5.7 x 2.7 x 0.32 inches). Comparing this to the current Pixel 3a, the phone is noticeably shorter, presumably thanks to the rumored swapping out of the bezel for a camera punch-hole, while the other dimensions are near identical.

All the above is further lent credence by new design renders created by Pigtou and xleaks, who developed the images below based off leaked CAD drawings. 

Much like previous images, the design render shows an evolution of the Pixel aesthetic, mixing in a modern near bezel-less display with the rounded utilitarian design of previous Pixel phones. And the rear fingerprint scanner is also present and correct, which some fans will welcome as the sensor has been praised for being responsive and able to reliably unlock a Pixel phone in a split-second. 

Speaking of CAD drawings, leaker @OnLeaks has added his own to the mix to show how the Pixel 4a might compare to different Pixel 5 models. In the case of the smaller Pixel 5, the two phones look to be virtually the same size. The Pixel 5 is expected to debut later in the fall.

I’m pretty certain I mentioned this before but I can confirm that Pixel 4a doesn’t have Active Edge. First of the Pixel line to leave it behind.May 18, 2020

One design difference between the Pixel 4a and previous Google phones is the lack of an Active Edge feature which allows you to squeeze the side of the phone to summon Google Assistant. 9to5Google’s Stephen Hall says the Pixel 4a won’t have that feature — one possible way Google is keeping costs down on this phone.

Google Pixel 4a display

Renders based on leaks provided by 91mobiles and Twitter user @OnLeaks have tipped us off another subtly-changed Pixel handset. Having finally ditched the signature heavy bezel, the Pixel 4a will apparently have a punch-hole selfie camera in the top left corner, set in a display that’s somewhere in the 5.7 to 5.8-inch range depending on who you listen to.

The most definitive word on the Pixel 4a’s screen size thus far has come from 9to5Google, which posted the rumored specs of the Pixel 4a. That report claims the phone will have a 5.8-inch OLED display with a full-HD+ resolution.

Google Pixel 4A AgainCredits – @raude2210 pic.twitter.com/jDzWCXsIQdMarch 8, 2020

That claim is backed up by benchmarks for a phone that fits the Pixel 4a’s description showing up on Geekbench. That post includes specs for the device, where the display is described as 5.81-inch OLED panel.

Some initial photos that appeared on both Twitter and Slashleaks, reportedly of the Pixel 4a, back up the rumor that the oversized top and bottom bezels are gone from Google’s upcoming phone. Those images show a punch-hole for the front camera replacing the bezel on last year’s models.

The Pixel 4 has a 90Hz AMOLED display, in either a 5.7-inch or 6.3-inch version. The Pixel 3a had an AMOLED panel too (albeit a not very bright one), so we should expect another one on the Pixel 4a. 

Whether Google will bring over the 90Hz technology it introduced with the Pixel 4 is debatable. It would be a great selling point for a mid-price phone, but the high cost of implementation, plus the fact it didn’t work that smoothly on the Pixel 4, may convince Google to play it safe and leave the Pixel 4a display at the standard 60Hz.

Google Pixel 4a cameras

Google’s last two phones, the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 4, had one and two cameras respectively. It looks like the 4a will take after the 3a, using only a single main sensor, presumably the 12.2MP one it used on its previous phones. That is a small pity since the Pixel 4’s 16MP telephoto lens is pretty good. 

Fortunately the Pixel series has always held Google’s amazing photo processing software as a secret weapon, meaning that often a single lens can do the job as well as multiple ones working together. That gives us faith that the Pixel 4a will ultimately land on our list of the best camera phones.

Fotos: #Pixel4a vs #RedmiNote7 12MP vs 48MPCual te gusta mas? pic.twitter.com/ULsU8pOlRoApril 30, 2020

A number of Pixel 4a camera samples have already leaked, and both sets of results look pretty impressive compared to the Redmi Note 7. The Pixel 4a particularly excels in low light, but even outdoor shots look more colorful and sharp. This bodes well for Google’s phone in its battle against the iPhone SE, which will relies on a single rear camera augmented by neural processing. 

On the front, and as far as we know nestled in a brand-new punch-hole cutout, the selfie camera is likely to once again be Google’s 8MP sensor. Whether the front camera will be the same as the 3a, or employ the slightly wider field of view of the Pixel 4’s lens, has yet to be determined.

The Google Camera app, which also contains references to code names likely to be the Pixel 4a models, was also shown by XDA Developers to contain code for a 24fps video mode. This, joining the 30 fps and 60 fps video modes that are staples for smartphone video, will be welcome news for videographers who want extra versatility in their frame rates for various mechanical and artistic reasons.

Google Pixel 4a specs: CPU, RAM and storage

While dueling rumors suggested that there were different CPUs headed to the Pixel 4a — one rumor pointed to the Snapdragon 730 while another suggested the Snapdragon 765 — it appears that the Snapdragon 730 will be the chip powering Google’s budget phone. That’s the chipset that showed up in recent Geekbench test results for the Pixel 4a.

The Snapdragon 730 is part of Qualcomm’s 7 series of mobile processors — good for less expensive midrange phones but no match for high-end processors like those from Qualcomm’s 8 series or the A13 Bionic in Apple’s current iPhone lineup. The Snapdragon 765 would have been a more powerful processor than the Snapdragon 730, and the former chipset includes a 5G modem. (The Snapdragon 765 chipset may be headed for the Pixel 5 instead.) 

Those Geekbench 5 results for the Pixel 4a suggest the phone will be no match for the performance of the iPhone SE, which you’d expect as Apple’s phone is powered by the fastest mobile processor we’ve tested. According to Geekbench, the Pixel 4a’s best result on the test measuring overall performance was a single-core score of 551 and a multicore score of 1655 — numbers that are well off the iPhone SE’s pace.

More significantly, the results suggest the Pixel 4a will have 6GB of RAM, consistent with what we’ve seen in previous Geekbench listings. That’s  an improvement over the 4GB of RAM in the Pixel 3a. 

Google Pixel 4a 5G

With evidence mounting that the Snapdragon 730 will power the Pixel 4a, it’s increasingly unlikely that this budget will be able to connect to emerging 5G networks.

However, 9to5Google has spotted a Google Pixel 4a 5G name in the Google app, which means that Google could be working on a separate 5G version of its handset. That model would likely have the Snapdragon 765G chipset inside and debut later in the year alongside the Pixel 5. 

Want more evidence that there’s a Pixel 4a 5G in the works? Boom, a discount carrier, had listed the Pixel 4a among 5G phones on its site. That could either be a listing error or it could indicate that a Pixel 4a 5G is on the way.

Google Pixel 4a wireless charging and battery

More battery is always good, but it’s quite desperately needed in the Pixel series. The standard Pixel 3a came with a rather small 3,000-mAh battery, and the XL had a 3,700-mAh battery. 

A listing at Taiwan’s National Communications Commission for a phone that has the same codename as the Pixel 4a confirms that the device will have a 3,140 mAh battery. That’s a slight improvement over the Pixel 3a’s power pack, but considering that phone still lands on our rankings of the best phone battery life, we’re expecting good things from the Pixel 4a. 

Pixel handsets have used 18-watt fast charging since the original Pixel debuted, and it wouldn’t make sense for Google to take a step backwards here. Therefore, the Pixel 3a will almost certainly be compatible with 18-watt charging, too.

The 3a did not feature wireless charging, and that feature also looks unlikely for the Pixel 4a. A recent listing for a clear Pixel 4a case with a kickstand from accessories firm ESR did feature an image of the handset charging wirelessly, but given that no other rumors about the phone have raised the possibility of wireless charging, we’re inclined to chalk that up to an oversight on ESR’s end.

Google Pixel 4a outlook

The Pixel 3a has been a popular phone, increasing Google’s handset sales by a large margin. Therefore the sequel has the perfect stage already set for it. However, the Pixel 4’s stumbles reinforce the need for Google to think carefully about which new features it transfers over to the Pixel 4a — especially now that Apple is challenging Google on the budget phone front with the iPhone SE.

It doesn’t look like the Pixel 4a will offer Motion Sense or Face Unlock, which is just fine with us. The latest camera processing software and Google Assistant improvements should be top of the list of things the new phone needs. 

A performance boost wouldn’t go amiss, and hopefully one of the new Snapdragon 7-series CPUs would help with that. And while a significantly upgraded display would be nice, it would be better to keep anything too advanced, like the Pixel 4’s 90Hz display, off the Pixel 4a if it’s in danger of raising the price significantly. 

The Pixel 4a doesn’t need to be revolutionary, just a solid update on the Pixel 3a. If Google plays it safe, its next foray into the mid-range handset market will no doubt do very well once again. We’re waiting to see what tomorrow brings on the new phone front at Google.