We are, in theory, only just over a month away from an official unveiling of Google’s newest midrange smartphone, the Google Pixel 8a. However, it seems you won’t have to wait until Google I/O 2024 to find out what Google has planned, as a leaker has just revealed everything we need to know about the latest entry in the Pixel roster.
The leak comes from established and productive leaker Yogesh Brar and contains just about everything you need to know about the phone prior to launch. While some of this information was already known from prior rumors or was just assumed, it’s illuminating to get what could be the phone’s final specs before Google is ready to whip the cloth away.
The leak doesn’t contain any images, but it does contain a healthy dose of speculative specifications. As mentioned, prior leaks had all but confirmed the presence of the (albeit underclocked) Tensor G3 chip, but the rest of the specs are a nice surprise.
Google Pixel 8a
– 6.1" FHD+ OLED, 120Hz
– Tensor G3
– 128/256GB storage
– 64MP (OIS) + 13MP (UW)
– 13MP selfie
– Android 14
– 4,500mAh (~)
– 27W chargingLaunch: May ($500-550)
What are your price expectations?
— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) April 5, 2024
The display was expected to stay at 6.1 inches, but the bump up to a 120Hz refresh rate from 90Hz was not. Neither was the addition of a 256GB variant, though whether that will be offered in the U.S. is currently unknown. The 4,500mAh battery is an upgrade over the Google Pixel 7a, and so is the jump up to a 27W charging rate, which would put Google’s midrange phone on par with the iPhone 15 Pro in terms of recharging speed.
It’s interesting the camera specs appear not to have changed. The 64-megapixel main lens and 13MP ultrawide lens look to be the same as those offered on the Pixel 7a, as does the 13MP selfie camera. However, Google’s strength has always been in software, not hardware, so it’s not wise to assume the same performance from the same lens when Google is tuning the software.
The price is listed as $500/$550, with the higher number presumably for the 256GB model. This is on par with the Pixel 7a’s price, and makes a lot more sense now the Google Pixel 8 starts from $699. In the previous generation of Pixel phones, the very close price proximity of the Google Pixel 7 made the Pixel 7a an awkward proposition, value-wise, and Google seems to have learned from that mistake.
As always with unverified and unofficial leaks, take a healthy pinch of salt and don’t do anything drastic with this information. However, as far as leaks go, these numbers are within the bounds of what we would be expecting to see on a new midrange Pixel, so even if they aren’t spot-on the money, they’re probably not far off.
We’re likely to know for sure at the keynote of Google I/O 2024, where it’s widely expected we’ll see the Google Pixel 8a officially revealed.
