Barely Blue Pixel 4a not happening any longer, phone delayed yet again: report
Google's upcoming budget phone, the Pixel 4a, has been delayed yet again, per a tipster.
Jon Prosser says that the company was originally planning to announce the phone in May but postponed it to June, before delaying it until July. The alleged plan at that time was to announce the phone on July 13. The release was apparently going to be staggered, with the "Just Black" model slated for August 6 and the "Barely Blue" version planned for October 1.
Google apparently had a change of mind again. Prosser hints that the "Barely Blue" Pixel 4a has been killed already. As for the "Just Black" model, it's no longer arriving on October 1.
Instead, it will probably be released on October 22. Google is still reportedly planning to unveil it on July 13 though.
Market conditions are seemingly behind the Pixel 4a delay
Pixel 4a is supposedly ready to ship. Prosser had previously said that the phone is ready, but Google is holding off an announcement because of market conditions. While he didn't go into details, it could be that Google thinks the time is not ripe for a new announcement because of the economic setback caused by the coronavirus. However, some reports suggest that the economic impact of the pandemic will not be as bad as previously believed.
Most top players are not letting get fear in the way of new launches. Apple has launched a flurry of products during the crises, including the iPhone SE, which is reportedly doing pretty well. And given that the Pixel 4a is expected to be more affordable than Apple's latest iPhone, it actually makes more sense to launch it as soon as possible.
The Pixel 4a will reportedly sport a 5.81-inch pinhole display and it will have the Snapdragon 730 inside which will be paired with 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB storage. The phone is expected to pack in a 3,080mAh battery and feature a 12.2MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie shooter. It will probably inherit Pixel 4's video recording capabilities and the headphone jack will be retained.
Although the specs sound good for a potential $349 mid-ranger, the Snapdragon 730 would be too old for a late 2020 phone. According to estimates, the Pixel 3a was behind better than expected sales of the Pixel series last year and if Google keeps delaying the Pixel 4a, it risks losing those customers to rivals.
It is said that the Pixel 5 will not be a flagship and this could alienate customers further. Things might take a turn for the better next year as the company is reportedly readying its own chip for its future phones.
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