Google Pixel 8a Leaks: Here’s Everything We Know so Far
While Google still hasn’t officially revealed the Pixel 8a, we more or less have a very good idea of what the phone will be like thanks to a ton of different leaks online. At this point seems that Google’s hardware products are never safe from unwanted prying, although it’s admittedly nice to have an early sneak peek of what’s in store every now and then.
READ: The Pixel 8a Leaks again, this Time in Official Material
As such, we’ve put together a list of the Pixel 8a’s features and specifications, based on the leaks that we’ve seen so far. Bear in mind though that nothing is of course “official” unless Google says so, but on one hand it shouldn’t be too surprising to see some (or all) of these leaks come to fruition – with that said, let’s take a look!
Design and Display
Let’s start with looks – the Pixel 8a is expected to feature a design that closely resembles the base model Pixel 8 (as is tradition with the A-series) with a curved look, although it will come with a flatter and less-obtrusive camera bar. The phone will supposedly launch in several different colours including Volcanic Black, Porcelain, Blue, Azure, Green, and Aloe. It’s also predicted that the phones might feature a matte finish on the rear panel, similar to the Pixel 4a.
As for display, it’s rumored that the phone will retain the same 6.1-inch display featured on the Pixel 6a and 7a, although it will feature a much smoother 120hz refresh rate in addition to the same hefty bezels around the screen. There are other sources however that claim it will retain a 90Hz display, which in a way will be unsurprising since it is an A-series Pixel, after all.
Internal Specs
In terms of hardware, the Pixel 8a will launch with Google’s Tensor G3 chip inside, which is unsurprising given that the company has stuck to the same practice with the Pixel 6a and 7a. This time though, the 8a might come in a more generous 256GB storage serving (alongside 8GB RAM), as previous A-series phones only came in a single configuration.
It’s also said that the phone will come with improved charging speeds – as fast as 27W – especially when compared to last year’s Pixel 7a which featured a much slower 18W charging speed. For context, the flagship Pixel 8 model also features 27W wired charging. This in addition to a larger 4,942 mAh capacity battery, although others claim a smaller 4,500 mAh cell.
Recently though, newly-leaked marketing material seems to confirm that the phone maxes out at 18W charging speeds, even when used with Google’s 30W fast charger.
Cameras and Other Features
For imaging, the Pixel 8a might stick to the same sensor setup found on last year’s Pixel 7a, which ditches the 12MP Sony sensor used in several earlier A-series Pixel phones in lieu of a 64MP primary camera sensor, in addition to a 13MP ultrawide sensor and 13MP selfie camera. It will also come with a lot of the same AI photo-editing features seen on Google’s Pixel 8 flagships.
Interestingly, other leaks claim that the Pixel 8a will feature support for display-out functionality, which will allow it to output content onto external screens via a USB-C connection; it’s also expected to come with Android’s battery information tool in the Settings app.
Pricing
So far, leaks are still unclear as to whether or not Google will drastically increase the price of the 8a, although current leaks claim that it will be priced same as the Pixel 7a, which launched at $500 last year. Earlier reports suggest that Google could increase the price of the Pixel 8a to around 570 Euros, although a newer leak shows that the phone might be priced at around 550 Euros.
With all that being said, the Pixel 8a is shaping up to be a rather interesting handset, as all the info so far points to a device which goes neck-and-neck with the base model Pixel 8. In any case, we’re bound to find out more once Google I/O 2024 takes place soon.