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Google's mid-range Pixel 4a leaks out in the wild, this time for real (probably)

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Mar 09, 2020, 3:51 AM

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Google's mid-range Pixel 4a leaks out in the wild, this time for real (probably)

Much like any other public event involving large groups of people spending time together in a closed environment of some sort, the Google I/O developer conference that was supposed to take place between May 12 and 14 is cancelled for the year.

That means we're unlikely to see the search giant's next mid-range handsets unveiled with anything resembling the kind of fanfare that surrounded the Pixel 3a and 3a XL last year. Ironically, Google had managed to keep a significantly tighter lid on information pertaining to the Pixel 4a, but of course, the show industry must go on, so one way or another, we're pretty certain this budget-friendly new bad boy will go official in the not-so-distant future.

Until that happens, it's finally time we take a look at a presumably advanced prototype out in the wild. If you're having deja vu, that might be because a couple of purported real-life Pixel 4a photographs leaked out just last week, ultimately proving to be less than reliable. Things are a little different this time around, as closely inspecting the freshly revealed pics appears to be yielding no red flags whatsoever.

Obviously, we can't be 100 percent sure these depictions are the real deal either, but they definitely align nicely with the factory CAD-based renders leaked all the way back in December and they show no visible signs of digital manipulation.

A modern design with a hole punch display and square-shaped camera module

It's pretty much etched in stone now, ladies and gents - the mid-end Pixel 4a will arguably look cooler and trendier than the high-end Pixel 4 and 4 XL, thanks to a relatively small chin and a perforated screen in the top left corner. Rumor has it that hole punch will house an 8-megapixel selfie shooter, while the similarly modern square-shaped camera setup at the back seems to comprise a single imaging sensor (most likely, with a 12MP count), as well as an LED flash displayed diagonally from the main snapper.

Speaking of the rear design, we can't say we're very impressed with how the Pixel 4a looks. Unsurprisingly, this thing is bound to follow the plastic build direction of its forerunners instead of going with a "premium" metal-and-glass construction, but what's notable about these leaked pics is that they appear to suggest Google could break with the two-tone tradition of the last few years.

The entire Pixel 4a back cover seems to be the exact same shade of black, and as much as we'd like to blame that on an optical illusion created by the smudges and fingerprints on this prototype device, we fear that's probably going to be the case for commercial units as well.

Other unsurprising features revealed today include a conventional rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, a headphone jack at the top, and a power button in a different color than the handset's back (white in this particular case). By the way, the curious rear logo and imprints shouldn't raise any red flags concerning the veracity of this leak, simply suggesting we're looking at a test unit of some sort that Google was trying to conceal from our sight, failing miserably.

What about the Pixel 4a XL?

That, our friends, is a million-dollar question, and alas, we're afraid we can't even give you a two-dollar answer right now. The best we can do is assume Google does have two Pixel 4a variants in the pipeline, even though the jumbo-sized model hasn't made much of an appearance in the rumor mill yet.

There's a chance the Pixel 4a XL (if real) will be released in both 5G-enabled and 4G LTE-only versions, unlike the regular-sized Pixel 4a, which is widely expected to pack a Snapdragon 730 processor that doesn't support the improved speeds and low latency of the new generation of mobile networks.

Said upper mid-range chipset could be paired with a more than respectable (especially by Pixel standards) 6 gigs of memory, as well as 128 gigs of internal storage space. The perforated screen of the Google Pixel 4a is tipped to measure 5.8 inches in diagonal, expanding on the Pixel 3a real estate while most likely shrinking the overall height and width numbers.

The pricing structure is currently unknown, but if the Pixel 4a is indeed set to come with 6GB RAM and 128GB local digital hoarding room on deck (and that's still a big if, mind you), there's a good chance the 5.8-incher will cost around $450 at launch, up from the $400 starting price of a Pixel 3a packing 4 gigs of memory and 64 gigs of storage space.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.