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Google Pixel 5a leaks in full with dual-camera setup, very familiar design

Updated: Mar 01, 2021, 3:47 AM

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Google Pixel 5a leaks in full with dual-camera setup, very familiar design

Almost seven months after announcing the mid-range Pixel 4a, Google is hard at work on the next-generation Pixel 5a. The device is expected to debut next quarter and today tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer has revealed what the phone should look like.

The Google Pixel 5a looks a lot like the Pixel 4a 5G

New CAD-based renders of the Google Pixel 5a, expected to be one of the best phones in 2021, show off a very familiar design that follows in the footsteps of the affordable Google Pixel 4a 5G and, to an extent, the premium Pixel 5.

The search giant has chosen a 6.2-inch OLED display complete with a Full-HD+ resolution and a punch hole in the top-right for the selfie camera. These details line up with what the current-gen Pixel 4a 5G already offers, so Google might be reusing the latter's screen on the Pixel 5a.

Even the bezels are the same thickness, per the information provided by Hemmerstoffer, but there is a small difference in dimensions. The Google Pixel 4a 5G measures in at 153.9 x 74 x 8.2 mm, whereas the upcoming Pixel 5a lands in at 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8mm, which makes it 2.3mm taller and both a little thicker and wider.

These size differences are likely down to the updated plastic unibody. It seems to bulge out more towards the edges of the phone and houses several features including a 3.5mm headphone jack on top and the usual volume rocker on the right.

Google Pixel 5a CAD-based render

Other details include an accented power button, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, and a USB-C port on the bottom of the phone, the latter of which is presumably used for Google's usual 18W fast charging tech.

The Pixel 5a's cameras might be borrowed from the flagship Pixel 5

The all-important rear panel, on the other hand, now features a larger square camera bump that includes two sensors rather than one. Once again, this is a similar setup to the one used on the Pixel 4a 5G last October, which in turn is identical to the flagship Pixel 5's one.

For those of you that don't know, the Pixel 5 boasts a 12.2-megapixel main camera and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. There is also an LED flash and what could end up being a phase-detection autofocus system, according to Hemmerstoffer.

The Pixel 5 is considered to be one of the best camera phones out there, so despite its mid-range positioning, the Google Pixel 5a may well hit this list next quarter.

How are the Pixel 5a and Pixel 4a 5G different?

Because of the very clear similarities between the Pixel 5a and Pixel 4a 5G, it's unclear how Google will choose to differentiate the two next quarter. The obvious move would be to use a weaker chipset like the Snapdragon 690 inside the Pixel 5a and position the newer model below the Pixel 4a 5G.

But that might not give customers enough reason to pick the 2020 device, and it could also be confusing from a marketing perspective. So considering the similarities, perhaps Google is planning to discontinue the Pixel 4a 5G at its next event and immediately replace it with an updated version marketed under the Pixel 5a branding.

Improvements could include a better chipset — the upcoming Snapdragon 775 rather than the Snapdragon 765 — and a larger battery, which could explain the slight size increase.

All of this is, of course, simply guesswork at the moment. But the move would leave Pixel customers with three clearer options ahead of the Pixel 6's debut later in the year: the Pixel 4a at $349, the Pixel 5a at $499, and the Pixel 5 at $699.