The upcoming Pixel 7a might score Face Unlock

The Google Pixel 7a is 'definitely, maybe' coming our way at the next Google I/O developer summit, which is scheduled to kick off with a live-streamed keynote on May 10. While Google might not spend too much time discussing every aspect of the phone on stage (and instead announce it via press release), the steady barrage of leaks and rumors has already painted a rather believable picture of what the Pixel 7a would be like. 

The latest hearsay pertains to a very nifty feature that might be making a debut on an affordable Pixel: the Pixel 7a might come with Face Unlock on board, following the flagship Pixel 7 series in this regard. While the convenient biometric feature arrived on Google's phones back in 2019 with the Pixel 4 line, it experienced a multi-year hiatus, skipping both the Pixel 5 and Pixel 6 flagship lineups. It wasn't until the Pixel 7 series in late 2022 that Face Unlock made a comeback to the Pixel lineup. 

Twitter leaker SnoopyTech shared a bunch of barely legible renders and UI screenshots of the upcoming Pixel 7a, which show us that face unlocking would be complementing the under-display fingerprint scanner that should also make it to the specs sheet as the main biometric unlocking method. 

What should we expect from Pixel 7a's purported Face Unlock? It's worth mentioning that Google's face unlock method, at least on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, is a step up from regular 2D picture-based unlocking. It's strongly suspected that the latest Google phones use the selfie camera's dual-pixel technology to make a semi-3D model of your face, which improves the security and reliability of the biometric unlocking method. 

Still, it might not be as secure as dedicated 3D face unlocking solutions, like Face ID for example. What's more, Google's Face Unlock can only be used for unlocking your phone and not for online payments; you will most certainly have to use your fingerprint for those. 

Aside from the Face Unlock-related leak, SnoopyTech's also reveals the Pixel 7a design with its thick bezels and unmistakable Pixel design. We remind you that the phone is expected to come with the Tensor G2 chipset, a 6.1-inch FHD+ display with possibly up to 90Hz refresh rate, and most importantly, a rumored killer price of $499.