The Google Pixel 8a Won’t Follow The Pixel 9 Series With A Design Refresh
The Google Pixel 8a is the next smartphone that we expect from Google, before the Pixel 9 series launches later in the year. Thanks to the people over at Android Headlines, we now have a complete idea of what the Google Pixel 8a is going to look like, from every angle and in each colorway.
It’s been a while since the first Google Pixel 8a renders were dropped, but those only gave us a few images in a single color. We now know the Pixel 8a is going to come in Bay, Mint, Obsidian, and Porcelain colorways. On top of that, it’s not going to opt for a more modern design like the Pixel 9 devices are expected to. Instead, it’ll appropriately stay looking as part of the Pixel 8 series, with a curved frame and a visor that stretches from edge to edge.
As a bonus, we also got to know that Google plans to release silicone cases as first-party options for protection. It’s not sure whether these cases will come in all colorways as the pictures only show cases for the Mint and Bay colorways, and the phones look rather cute when snuggled up in them. I’ll assume that Google plans to release appropriate cases for each colorway though.
The Pixel 8a is expected to launch during Google I/O this year, which has been confirmed to be a two-day event occurring across May 14th and May 15th, so we’re expecting one of those two dates to be the lucky one.
What Do We Know About The Pixel 8a Specs?
The Google Pixel 8a is going to cut down slightly on what the Google Pixel 8 brought, but if previous “a” models are anything to go by, it is going to bring a lot of high-quality goodness for that price. First off, it will likely stick at the same $499 price point as the Pixel 7a, but rumor has it that it might get a price increase to about $569 (which is an odd number, and part of the reason for my skepticism).
However, even if does increase in price, we are expecting better specs. For instance, it should be coming with a 6.1-inch 120Hz FHD+ panel, a Tensor G3 chip, DisplayPort functionality, a 256GB storage option, and supposedly, a 5,000 mAh battery. The cameras are expected to stay the same as last year’s, which isn’t that bad considering Pixel cameras are great.
If all of these pan out, the phone will still be a good bargain for the price, but we just have less than a month to wait for confirmation, so we’ll be patient.
