GOOGLE PIXEL 8A: INFORMATION, LEAKS, ESTIMATED COST, AND EXPECTED RELEASE DATE
With one Google Pixel launch behind us, it’s time to start looking forward to the future. And while we’re sure there’s plenty on the table for Google’s future hardware lineup — new tablets, smartwatches, foldables, you name it — there’s one device we know for sure is on its way. The Pixel 8a is set to succeed last year’s Pixel 7a, and assuming it receives the same attention and care we recently saw with the Pixel 8, it could be one of the best budget phones of 2024.
With only a month to go until launch, early looks at the potential design of the upcoming A-series phone have begun to surface. Here is all the information we currently know about the Pixel 8a, including its improved design and upgraded CPU.
Google Pixel 8a: Features and design
Source: Android Police
An updated version of the Pixel 8 from the previous year.
Even though the Pixel 8a hype cycle is still early, we’re still getting early glimpses at what Google’s next midrange smartphone will look like. Early images of what appears to be a Pixel 8a captured in the wild were released before the business had the opportunity to make a live announcement about the mainline Pixel 8 series on stage.
View these photos with caution as they appear to combine aspects of the whole Pixel 8 series with the standard A-series compromises. The dimensions and shape of this model are comparable to those of the Pixel 8, although it has more curved corners than any previous Google design. While that’s nothing new for this midrange lineup, the front bezels are bigger than what came with the company’s 2023 flagships.
Renders from the dependable Onleaks website, which show a gadget that resembles the real-world model that was leaked, confirm these photographs. The color has been altered to a pink hue that matches Pixel 8, but other than that, not much has changed. It’s a chunkier, more curved version of the Pixel 8 design. It appears to resemble an older model of iPhone from the front.
These early images match a reported Pixel roadmap from late 2022 and are consistent with what we would anticipate from a budget-friendly version of the Pixel 8. According to that source, the company’s ability to launch the Pixel 8a depended on how well the Pixel 7a did in sales.
And just for kicks, how about one more leak? Late in January, the Pixel 8a retail box surfaced online, displaying the black smartphone with the same very curved design that had been the subject of earlier rumors. The official Google render and its potential implications for the design of the Pixel 8a are perhaps the most intriguing aspects of this leak, rather than the box itself. Rather than the reflection shown on the Pixel 8’s box, the shine down the left side of this photograph appears to mirror how the Pixel 8 Pro is presented on its box. This could indicate that the Pixel 8a will come with a matte surface, but we won’t know for sure until there are more verifiable leaks — more hands-on, essentially.
Regarding the specifications of the Pixel 8a, don’t anticipate anything extraordinary. Both Google’s Tensor G3 SoC and 8GB of RAM seem inevitable; the firm hasn’t yet distinguished the A-series with a slower processor. With its quicker 90Hz refresh rate and 5W wireless charging, the Pixel 7a was primarily designed to move Google’s midrange portfolio closer to the flagship series in terms of power. We may be switching to a 120Hz screen this year with a peak HDR brightness level of 1,400 nits, according to recent rumors ahead of I/O. This is a significant increase over the Pixel 7a’s 1,000 nits rating, exactly matching the Pixel 8’s panel. I hope that Google’s midrange screen quality improves as well because the Pixel 7a’s display seemed a bit subpar in comparison to the other models in the lineup.
Source: Android Headlines
The phone has finally surfaced in all four of the disclosed colors, and it matches the shop data exactly. Expect Google’s upcoming smartphone to have options in Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Mint, just like its elder Pixel 8 brothers. That last one may seem familiar, but the phone appears far more colorful than we would have thought from these blurry images.
Google Pixel 8a: Software
AI is everything.
There is little doubt that Android 14 will be installed on the Pixel 8a out of the box. We also anticipate that it will receive Google’s identical seven-year OS upgrade pledge, extending support for the company’s upcoming midrange phone until 2031, because of its presumed Tensor G3 processor.
But from here on out, things become a little hazy. Despite the Pixel 8 employing the same CPU, Google started limiting some functionality to the Pixel 8 Pro last year. It’s logical to assume that features like Video Boost and Zoom Enhance won’t be available on the Pixel 8a, just as they won’t be on the Pixel 8.
Could Google, however, do one better with this? It appears that the business is now open to dividing up functions among devices, especially in cases when cloud-based gimmicks like Video Boost are involved. Is it possible that Magic Editor—one of the company’s most popular picture tools—will only be available on flagship phones in the future, depriving A-series owners of this valuable tool?
Probably not, though. It’s definitely not time to panic until we hear verifiable rumors about Google’s plans for the software of the Pixel 8a. However, you will be let down if you think that Pro-level functionality will eventually find their way into the A-series.
Google 8a : Cameras
Maintain the status quo.
Source: Smartprix
Because of Google’s magic post-processing, the Pixel 8a’s sensors aren’t as important as what happens when you press the shutter button. Thus, we wouldn’t anticipate significant hardware changes from the corporation. The same leaks that informed us about the brighter, quicker display also state that this year’s model would have the same 64MP f/1.9 primary sensor as the previous version combined with an ultra-wide lens.
It should not be shocking to learn this. Google had been utilizing the same set of sensors for several generations at a time until recently. Fortunately, the company’s photography prowess doesn’t shine on modern sensors anyway.
Google Pixel 8a: Release date and price
Your next Pixel may cost you extra money.
Source: Smartprix
Throughout 2023, Google raised the prices of the Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro. At first, our intuition told us that those amounts would probably stay the same, at least for a generation. After all, Google had every reason to maintain the present tiers at $500, $700, and $1,000, respectively.
Regrettably, that may not be true. Leaks from a German store suggest that the Pixel 8a may retail for about 570 euros, or roughly $550 in the US. That represents an additional increase in price for a phone lineup that is meant to prioritize cost above all else. Google may have its work cut out for it given the fierce competition from similarly priced handsets like the OnePlus 12R. It sounds like it will be in new areas, if not new countries, such as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Not too bad.
Regarding the release date, this year try to plan a relaxed summer schedule. The A-series always launches in the middle of the year, however that date tends to change over the year. Having said that, May 14th is set aside for Google I/O, and since the Pixel 7a was released on the same day as the event, it wouldn’t be shocking to see it happen again this year. Recently, four distinct Google-made smartphone models—possibly multiple Pixel 8a variants intended for different markets or carriers—passed the FCC, perfectly timed for a spring release.
Google’s greatest Pixel features, but at a lower cost.
Source: Smartprix
We believe that the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro represent some of Google’s best Android phones to date, and that this is just the beginning. Google’s next A-series phone may be among the greatest products you can purchase this year and save you some money if it can duplicate that success. Time will tell, but since this is a Pixel launch, there will undoubtedly be a lot of talk about the Pixel 8a before its unavoidable release.
Note:
Four more leaked photos of the Pixel 8a, which display the smartphone in each of the four rumored colors, have been added to this article.