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The Pixel 5a 5G may be here by August — here’s everything we know so far

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This is your budget Pixel for 2021.

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While it may have taken longer to be released than we initially hoped, last year’s Pixel 4a proved to be one of 2020’s best Android phones. Between its OLED display, reliable performance, amazing cameras, and $349 asking price, it’s a phone that still remains a killer value here in 2021.

As good as the Pixel 4a continues to be, though, it’s time to start looking ahead to what’s next — specifically, the Google Pixel 5a 5G. Whether you’re interested in the latest spec rumors, want to see design leaks, or anything else, here’s everything you need to know about Google’s upcoming Pixel!

Tiny but mighty

Google Pixel 4a

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$349 at Amazon
$300 at Best Buy
$349 at B&H

The best camera under $400

Simply put, the Pixel 4a is one of the best values the smartphone market has to offer today. The camera is better than ever, the performance is plenty fast, the battery is reliable, and there’s even a headphone jack. Assuming you’re a fan of smaller phones and don’t mind the boring design, the Pixel 4a is one of the best deals out there.

Google Pixel 5a 5G:

  • Price
  • Availability
  • Design
  • Specs
  • FAQ
  • Pixel 4a 5G

Google Pixel 5a 5G Price

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One of the biggest selling points of the Pixel 4a was its price, and with the Pixel 5a 5G, we expect Google to be committed to making it as affordable as possible. The Pixel 3a debuted in 2019 with a $399 MSRP, and a year later, the 4a hit the scene with an even cheaper $349 price. Later in 2020, Google released the 4a 5G at a $499 price point. With the Pixel 5a 5G, Google has a couple of options.

On the one hand, Google could try lowering the price from the 4a even more — possibly all the way down to $299. Another $50 price reduction would mean very few year-over-year upgrades over the Pixel 4a, but if Google can retain that core Pixel experience while making the 5a 5G even more accessible, that could be huge for the company.

Another option is to price it in between the 4a and 4a 5G at around $449, as it looks to be fairly similar to the 4a 5G, and those components will be cheaper now that they’re a year older. At this point, it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing until we hear something official.

Google Pixel 5a 5G Availability

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In addition to price, another big question surrounding the Pixel 5a 5G is when we’ll be able to buy it. The Pixel 3a was unveiled on May 7, 2019, at Google I/O, and following months of delays, the Pixel 4a was officially announced on August 3, 2020.

We first thought that the Pixel 5a 5G would get back to the May release window, but Google has clarified that the phone will launch around the same time as the Pixel 4a last year, so we’re looking at sales kicking off sometime in August or sometime thereafter. According to an alleged FCC filing report and more recent rumors, it appears that the Pixel 5a 5G is on track for an August release even before Android 12 makes its way to the hands of the public.

But the bigger issue is around availability: Google has confirmed that the Pixel 5a will be limited to the U.S. and Japan, with the phone not making its way to other global markets. The global chip shortage has affected Google directly, and while the Pixel 5a 5G will launch later this year, it will be much more limited in availability over its predecessors.

Google Pixel 5a 5G Design

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Here’s where things start to get interesting. We saw our first Pixel 5a renders on February 22, 2021 — and as you can see — it sure does look a lot like the Pixel 4a 5G. In fact, it looks pretty much identical.

Just like the 4a 5G, this Pixel 5a 5G render features a 6.2-inch display with a hole-punch cutout, two rear cameras, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. We’re also treated to the exact same camera design, what appears to be a plastic construction, and another boring black paint job.

Reusing the Pixel 4a 5G hardware would make it a lot less costly for Google to produce the Pixel 5a 5G, and if that’s what’s happening here, a lower price may not be out of the question. It certainly would have been nice to have some visual difference between the 5a 5G and its predecessor, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening this year.

Google Pixel 5a 5G Specs

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We’ve talked about the Pixel 5a 5G’s price, availability, and design — but what about its specs? While we haven’t gotten a lot of info yet, there are some things we can look forward to and speculate about.

That render leak of the Pixel 5a 5G also revealed a couple of small specs, suggesting that the phone will have a 6.2-inch OLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has been rumored to be using the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset as the 4a 5G and 5, which would make sense if Google wants to bring 5G to the device while keeping costs down.

We can also probably expect another year of 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, along with a 60Hz refresh rate for the display. It would be amazing to see Google step up to 90Hz for the Pixel 5a 5G, but as of right now, nothing hints at that happening.

As for the camera situation, it’ll more than likely be the exact same setup found on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 — that means a 12.2MP primary camera and 16MP ultra-wide sensor.

Google Pixel 5a 5G FAQ

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Will there be a Pixel 5a 5G XL?

While we haven’t heard anything about a Pixel 5a 5G XL, the 6.2-inch screen size for the regular Pixel 5a means it’ll be considerably larger than last year’s model. The 5.8-inch display on the Pixel 4a made it a really compelling option for fans of smaller phones, so going up to 6.2 inches will be quite the difference.

Is the Pixel 5a going to have 5G support?

Ever since Google confirmed that the official name of the new device will be the Pixel 5a 5G, they also confirmed that it will have 5G support. Since it is rumored to have the same chipset as the 4a 5G and 5, we can assume that the device will support the same bands and networks as those devices.

The Pixel 4a 5G still knocks the ball out the park

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the Pixel 4a 5G is one helluva phone. It’s capable of some excellent photography and checks all the right boxes when it comes to specs. The 60Hz OLED display is buttery smooth and looks fantastic. Pitted against its non-5G counterpart, the Pixel 4a 5G loses in the pricing category alone.

If you can’t wait for Google to take the wraps off its latest 5G phone, the Pixel 4a 5G is still a great phone to buy. Though if 5G isn’t all that necessary for you, we recommend the Pixel 4a over its 5G-enabled sibling. Confused? We’ve got you covered! Check out our Pixel 4a & Pixel 4a 5G buyer’s guide to decide between the two.

Tiny but mighty

Google Pixel 4a

pixel-4a-render-front.jpg

$349 at Amazon
$300 at Best Buy
$349 at B&H

The best camera under $400

Simply put, the Pixel 4a is one of the best values the smartphone market has to offer today. The camera is better than ever, the performance is plenty fast, the battery is reliable, and there’s even a headphone jack. Assuming you’re a fan of smaller phones and don’t mind the boring design, the Pixel 4a is one of the best deals out there.

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