Several rumors have pointed to a May unveiling for Google’s next budget phone, the Pixel 6a, and now new evidence has emerged that launch is approaching.
Frequent tipster Mukul Sharma says that the production of the Pixel 6a has started in some Asian countries, which is all the more proof that an announcement is not far off.
Google will likely reveal the phone during the Google IO, which will start on May 11, though it may not go on sale until July 28. The phone may get a wider release than the Pixel 5a, which was only available in the US and Japan.
The Pixel 6a is expected to re-use the design of the Pixel 6, meaning we can expect a horizontal camera bar and centered punch-hole cutout. The phone is expected to have a 6.2-inches display and smaller overall dimensions than the Pixel 6.
The handset is likely to retain the 12.2MP primary camera of its predecessor but may get Pixel 6’s 12MP ultrawide module as well as its 8MP selfie snapper. This could help it become the best budget camera phone of the year.
The phone will allegedly run on the same in-house Tensor chip as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro and leaked benchmark scores suggest Google has optimized the chip to give performance a boost. The SoC will presumably be mated with at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Pricing is still unknown and it’s hard to guess if the phone will cost more than the Pixel 5a, which retailed for $449, because the Pixel 6a is going to have a flagship chip, a new design, and better cameras.
Considering that competitor Samsung Galaxy A53 costs $449 and rival Apple iPhone SE 3 starts at $429, a higher starting price than the Pixel 5a could make the 6a uncompetitive, so Google may have some tough decisions to make.
