The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, the company’s most recent top Pixel devices, have already been unveiled by Google, but many people are more interested in the Google Pixel 7a, a less expensive variant.
Because it is significantly less expensive than the other versions in the lineup, the Pixel A series frequently offers the greatest value in the smartphone industry.
Here is everything we currently know about the Pixel 7a, which may set the standard for mid-range Android phones in 2023.
When will the Google Pixel 7a be released?
The Google Pixel 7a hasn’t been given a formal release date as of yet, but the company typically makes its A-series of Pixels available in the summer, frequently following their introduction at its yearly I/O conference.
A purported internal Pixel product roadmap obtained by Android Authority predicts that the 7a will launch “around Google I/O in April or May,” which is precisely what has been prophesied for the device.
Here is how the prior models aligned in order to help place that prediction into perspective:
- Google Pixel 6a: July 2022
- Google Pixel 5a 5G: August 2021
- Google Pixel 4a 5G: October 2020
- Google Pixel 4a: August 2020
- Google Pixel 3a: May 2019
There are a few exceptions, like the Pixel 4a 5G that was released in October, but that specific model was unique in that it signaled the switch to 5G rather than a new iteration of the product. The 5a 5G was distinct from its brothers in that it was only released in the US and Japan, as opposed to their worldwide sales.
Although a report from GSMArena revealed that Amazon is already allowing people to sign up for launch notifications about the phone, which could indicate an earlier arrival than we anticipated, we’d say it’s a safe wager that the Pixel 7a will be unveiled in the summer of 2023. A separate story from Nikkei Asia claimed that Google had placed an order for 4 million of a brand-new a-series gadget, which could debut in early 2023. Time will only reveal.
How much will the Google Pixel 7a cost?
Again, there is no formal news on the price of the Pixel 7a as of yet, but we can get an idea by looking at the models that came before it. The Pixel a-series initial costs are as follows:
- Google Pixel 6a: $449/£399
- Google Pixel 5a 5G: $449
- Google Pixel 4a 5G: $499/£499
- Google Pixel 4a: $349/£349
- Google Pixel 3a: $399/£399
As you can see, the cost has fluctuated a little over the past few years, but it generally falls between $449 and £399, which is the same as what we saw with the Pixel 6a. It’s uncertain whether Google will extend the same bargain to the Pixel 7a due to the present rate of inflation and fluctuations in global currencies, but we hope it will.
What are the Google Pixel 7a specs and design?
Though we won’t likely see the 7a for a few months, there have been a lot of rumors as usual. Google is not good at keeping its forthcoming devices under wraps, and in March the phone was fully exposed via images from a Vietnamese website called Zingnews.
The phone shown above is allegedly a prototype rather than a finished product, and after the photos were first published online, the device was remotely secured.
In addition, Phonecompares published images of a purported Pixel 7a with the model designation GHL1X, 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage that resembles the leak from above quite a bit.
The absence of the mic hole next to the flash on the rear gives the phone an extremely identical appearance to the standard Pixel 7. It has a more recognizable camera pill form but shares a comparable overall appearance to the Pixel 6a.
The images below, which surfaced online even earlier from the typically trustworthy OnLeaks and were shared with SmartPrix, support the design disclosures and provide some additional details.
Unsurprisingly, the phone resembles a hybrid of the more current Pixel 7 series and the older Pixel 6a quite a bit. The front of the phone has a bulky chin and a thick border, which identify it as a less expensive device even though it uses the same metallic camera bar design as the 7 phones.
According to OnLeaks, the phone will be slightly bigger than the 6a in each measurement, 152.4 x 72.9 x 9.0mm, but not noticeably so. (that phone measured 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9mm).
The 6a lacks a 3.5mm audio jack, just like the other new Pixel phones. According to reports, the phone will also come in two colors at launch: white and dark grey. Google will undoubtedly come up with its own odd titles for the styles, though.
Following the appearance of an early device in the palms of a fan in Vietnam, we can also see the phone in use. It has been captured in images and a brief video, both of which corroborate the device’s 90Hz refresh rate display and reveal a design that largely resembles what we’ve seen so far.
Pixel 7a hands on by a Vietnamese person on Facebook, can confirm 90Hz is therehttps://t.co/YhuCl7kfpe pic.twitter.com/qViNpbWS1E
— No name (@chunvn8888) January 3, 2023
Aside from the design, what about the specs?
Debayan Roy on Twitter has also posted these alleged specs for the 7a:
Pixel 7A
• 6.1" FHD+ 90Hz OLED
• Tensor G2 , LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1
• 64MP Sony IMX787 + 12MP UW
• 5W wireless charging
• Android 13 pic.twitter.com/qGVzFQoKiZ— Debayan Roy (Gadgetsdata) (@Gadgetsdata) March 9, 2023
Since each iteration typically uses the same processor and the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro already have the Tensor 2, it is expected that the Google Tensor 2 SoC will be included in the Pixel 7a.
9to5Google machines that show up in the Android source code have been monitored by Google, and their identities have almost definitely been determined. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were two of them, and the Pixel Tablet and Google’s first flexible were two more. Going by the alias “Lynx,” this leaves one unaccounted for.
The website speculates that this may be the Pixel 7a, which makes sense, but claims the phone is receiving some significant improvements. This is due to the fact that the term “Lynx” has also been connected to features like a triple back camera, wireless charging, and a ceramic frame. In truth, some people had even suggested that Lynx might not be a mid-ranger at all, but rather a super-premium Pixel 7 Ultra.
Kuba Wojciechowski, a leaker, has conducted his own study, and the puzzle is starting to come together. He believes that the 7a will include some of those rumored Lynx features, such as wireless charging, though it will only be capable of slow 5W rates.
Prior rumors suggested that Lynx would have three cameras: a 50MP 1-inch Samsung GN1 as the primary camera, a 64MP 1-inch Sony IMX787, and a 13MP Sony IMX712. Currently, according to Wojciechowski, the GN1 has been abandoned, leaving the phone with the combination of an IMX787 and an IMX712, a more reasonably priced set of sensors that are compatible with the dual camera shown in OnLeaks’ mockups. A 13MP face camera, also using the IMX712, will be included.
One more piece of information is provided by Wojciechowski: the Pixel 7a will have a Samsung-made 90Hz refresh rate display, which would be a nice improvement over the Pixel 6a’s 60Hz and address one of its largest drawbacks. As was already stated, the early squad seen in Vietnam seems to have verified that.
