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Google might release the Pixel 5a late this summer

The budget Android phone might arrive alongside Android 12.
By
June 28, 2021
Google Pixel 4a 5G in hand back of phone
David Imel / Android Authority
TL;DR
  • A leak suggests Google will announce and ship the Pixel 5a this August.
  • That might see it launch near Android 12.
  • The phone is believed to be a slight spin on the Pixel 4a 5G.

You might not have to wait too much longer for the Pixel 5a to reach your pocket. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said to expect a Pixel 5a release sometime in August, or roughly a year after the Pixel 4a made its debut.

That wouldn’t be completely surprising if true. The Pixel 4a release was pushed back to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and releasing the 5a earlier would have given its predecessor a short lifecycle. It would also see Google deliver the phone alongside or shortly ahead of Android 12. The company even hinted that a launch might be “in line” with the timing you saw for the 4a last year, although it didn’t narrow things down to August.

See also: The best budget phones you can buy

Whenever the release date might be, the Pixel 5a could be a highly iterative upgrade. Earlier leaks have hinted that it’s effectively a tweaked Pixel 4a 5G with a (hopefully) lower price point. You’d get dual rear cameras, 5G, a headphone jack, and possibly the same Snapdragon 765G chip. While that might be disappointing if you were hoping for a renaissance on par with the rumored Pixel 6, that could make it an easy pick if you want a capable phone without a huge outlay.

Google has so far only committed to a release in the US and Japan, although it’s likely to make the Pixel 5a available in Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world where Pixel phones are already available.