Pixel 4a: Release date, specs and what we'd like to see from Google's next affordable phone

The Pixel 3a was a runaway success for Google

2019 hasn’t exactly been short of high-end phone launches, but one of our favourite new entries was a mid-ranger from Google. The Google Pixel 3a really stood out by offering the Pixel 3’s exceptional camera at an affordable price. Ahead of the search giant’s October launch event, it’s been claimed that the launch of the Pixel 4a range may be right around the corner − way earlier than expected.

In all honesty, we haven’t seen a huge amount else about the Pixel 4a leak, but read on for what we’re expecting (and would like) from the phone.

Pixel 4a release date

The Pixel 3a and 3a XL only came out in May, and though they’re the first ever entries in Google’s cheaper ‘a’ line, we assumed the company would refresh the range a year later. That tends to be how most smartphone makers operate.

However, a recent report has claimed that the Pixel 4a could launch in a matter of weeks. Highly unlikely as that may sound, please bear with us.

Now, it’s common knowledge that Google is planning to unveil the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL at an event on October 15.

However, in mid-September 9to5Google reported that it had discovered a potential reference to the Pixel 4a in the code of the Camera app on a “pre-release” Pixel 4. The reference was ‘Needlefish’, which has long been believed to be a code name for the 4a.

The line “this.isPixelCoral … this.isPixelFlame … this.isPixelNeedlefish” was reportedly spotted beneath the header “isPixel2019” in a line of code. ‘Coral’, by the way, has long been rumoured to be a code name for the Pixel 4, and ‘Flame’ has long been rumoured to be a code name for the Pixel 4 XL.

So it sort of adds up. That said, we’d still be very surprised if the Pixel 4a made an appearance on October 15.

Related: Forget the Pixel 4, it’s the cheaper Pixel 4a that I’m really excited about

Pixel 4a price

The Pixel 3a launched with an RRP of £399, with the Pixel 3a XL costing £469 − roughly half as much as the Pixel 3 (£739) and Pixel 3 XL (£869).

Though it’s unlikely that the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a XL will cost any less than their predecessors, we also don’t think Google would risk hiking up prices too much. That’s because the Pixel 3a range was a runaway success for Google, and the more expensive Pixel 3 line wasn’t.

In its Q2 2019 earnings call on July 25, three months after the launch of the Pixel 3a range, Google revealed that the 3a and 3a XL had already more than doubled sales of its handsets year-on-year. “With the launch of Pixel 3a in May, overall Pixel unit sales in Q2 grew more than 2x year over year,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the time.

Contrast this with Google’s admission during its Q1 2019 earnings calls. “Hardware results reflect lower year-on-year sales of Pixel, reflecting in part heavy promotional activity industry-wide given some of the recent pressures in the premium smartphone market,” Google CFO Ruth Porat had said on April 29.

The Google Pixel 4 | Image Credit: AnhEm TV/YouTube

Pixel 4a camera

Okay, it’s speculation time. If Google adopts a similar approach to the one it took with the 3a, we can expect the 4a’s headline feature to be its camera.

However, here’s where things get tricky. The Pixel 4 is expected to be the first ever Pixel phone to feature more than one rear camera sensor, and we don’t know if it’s really be feasible for Google to equip the mid-range 4a with such a high-end − and likely pricey − camera setup too.

What’s more, if − as has been rumoured − the Pixel 4a does launch at the same time as the flagship Pixel 4 line, why would anyone pay several hundreds of pounds more for a Pixel 4 than a Pixel 4a if they both had the same camera?

It seems likelier that the Pixel 4a will feature a slightly more modest camera configuration, albeit one that’s still capable of smoking most of the competition. After all, much of what makes Google’s cameras so impressive is on the processing, rather than the actual hardware.

Pixel 4a specs and features

Obviously it isn’t realistic to ask for the world in a mid-range smartphone, but there are a few potential areas of improvement we’d like Google to address with the Pixel 4a.

First and foremost, we’d like to see more choice − or at least the addition of a microSD card slot. The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL both come with 64GB of internal storage, with no option to expand that. It would be great if this changed with the 4a.

We’d also love to see the arrival of wireless charging and some form of waterproofing, for added convenience.

Beyond these things, however, it would be great to see Google stick to pretty much the same formula. More Pixel 4a leaks are bound to emerge over the coming weeks and months, and we’ll keep updating this page with the biggest news.

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