Google Pixel 7a: news, release date and price rumors.

 Google’s Pixel family of smartphones has made a notable impact on the Android smartphone world, but not in the way we saw coming a few years back. Flagship Pixel smartphones are great, but where the Pixel really shines is in the budget space. In 2023, the next phase of the affordable Pixel will take the shape of the Google Pixel 7a.

The Pixel 7a will have pretty big shoes to fill, as 2022’s Pixel 6a remains one of the best smartphone deals, thanks to an excellent camera and software experience at a killer price. The Pixel 5a before it was also a highlight, especially when it came to battery life. Where will Google go next for the Pixel 7a? Here’s a roundup of all the latest rumors and news you need to know.

Pixel A-series phones frequently take design cues from the flagship Pixel that came before them, and the Pixel 7a appears to be no exception. On November 29, OnLeaks and SmartPrix cooperated to provide Pixel 7a renders, and assuming the renders are accurate, the Pixel 7a will look similar to the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro that came before it.

Phone Compares and Zing News have also published some high-resolution photographs of the Pixel 7a, which show the inexpensive smartphone in greater detail. As shown in prior hands-on photographs and renders, the phone looks remarkably similar to the base Pixel 7 model, with one important difference: the bezel surrounding the smartphone's display appears to be much thicker than the one found on the Pixel 7. The bezel appears to be significantly thicker in the hands-on shots than in the leaked renders, so it's unclear which will be used in the final design.

According to one Twitter leaker who uploaded further hands-on photographs of the 7a, while the screen is made of glass, the phone's back is made of plastic. Although this is upsetting for aficionados of metal and glass smartphones, it is not entirely surprising given that Pixel A models are typically manufactured from less expensive materials in order to be marketed at lower rates. The Pixel 6a, for example, had a plastic back, so it's understandable.

The Pixel 7a has a display with a hole-punch cutout in the centre for the selfie camera. Around the back is Google's trademark camera bar, which divides the rear design into two distinct sections. The renders show the Pixel 7a in white, but the hands-on photographs show it in black. We assume Google will also include a third "fun" colour, though we don't know what it will be.

Other design aspects include a USB-C charging connector and a fingerprint sensor built beneath the display on the Google Pixel 7a. The 3.5mm headphone port was rumoured to be returning, but according to these renders, it's still missing from the Pixel 7a.

A tweet from passionategeekz suggested that the Pixel 7a will come in five colors: Dinuguan Black, Crispy Kale, Mayo Cream, Tide Orange, and Vibrant Ube. If you raised an eyebrow at those color options, that’s a good instinct. While it’s important to consider all information when viewing leaked information, passionategeekz’ list of colors was almost certainly an April Fool’s joke.

MySmartPrice denies passionategeekz and gives three more realistic colour possibilities, as well as leaked renders of them: black, white, and baby blue. Typically, the A series is only available in three colours, as are the rest of Google's smartphone choices, so the Pixel 7a is likely to follow suit.

Google Pixel 7a: specs

The specifications are just as crucial as the design. So, what can we expect in that regard? The most important takeaway is that the Pixel 7a will almost probably use the Google Tensor G2 chipset, which has been confirmed by various leaks. The Tensor G1 chip used in the Pixel 6/6 Pro was utilised in the Pixel 6a, thus it only makes sense for Google to bring the G2 chip from the 7/7 Pro to the 7a.

Tensor G2 isn't a huge improvement over G1, but it does bring performance and efficiency benefits that should be quite welcome in regular use, especially given how hot the Pixel 6a can get. Additional AI functions, such as Clear Calling and speaker labelling in the Recorder app, should be possible with the Tensor G2.

There's also news of the Pixel 7a's display eventually adopting a 90Hz refresh rate. So far, every Pixel A-series phone has featured a regular 60Hz screen. Although 60Hz is adequate, animations and scrolling are notably choppy in comparison to phones with 90Hz and 120Hz displays. A refresh rate of 90Hz on the Google Pixel 7a, combined with the additional horsepower of Tensor G2, would provide the phone with a truly amazing speed gain that should be visible in regular usage.

Wireless charging functionality is another rumoured spec update for the Pixel 7a, which has been continuously absent from prior Pixel A versions. Wireless charging is now a standard feature on every flagship smartphone, and if Google can finally add it to the low-cost Pixel, it'll be a significant thing to cross off our Google Pixel 7a wish list.

While the Pixel 6a only had 128GB of internal storage and couldn't be expanded with a microSD card, the Pixel 7a may change that. The Pixel 7a will offer 256GB of storage, according to Twitter user passionategeekz. It's unlikely to enable expanded storage like its predecessor did, but it's still double what you received before.

Google Pixel 7a: camera

While the Pixel 6a was a considerable boost in terms of design and CPU, it retained Google's 12MP back camera from the Pixel 3. The Pixel 7a has the potential to significantly alter that.

According to multiple rumours, the Google Pixel 7a will replace the ageing 12MP main camera with a 64MP Sony IMX787 sensor. This should result in crisper photographs, better colours, better night performance, and so on. It will include all of the standard Pixel camera capabilities, such as the Magic Eraser. The 64MP camera is said to be the primary lens, with the 12MP lens serving as the secondary, ultrawide rear shooter.

In terms of selfie cameras, rumour has it that the Pixel 7a will include an 8MP lens, similar to the Pixel 6a. While this is certainly not an upgrade, the front-facing camera on the 6a took good photographs, thus the 7a should do the same.

Google Pixel 7a: release date

Google's Pixel A smartphone announcement/release date pattern has been... unexpected, to say the least.

Google introduced the Pixel 3a in May 2019 at its I/O conference and made preorders accessible the same day. Google did not reveal the Pixel 4a until early August 2020, and the Pixel 5a was not revealed until August 26, 2021. With the announcement of the Pixel 6a in May 2022, things returned to normal.

What does this all mean for the Pixel 7a? Given that the Pixel 4a and 5a's release dates were likely influenced by COVID-19 and chipset constraints, it's safe to think we'll hear about the Pixel 7a during Google I/O 2023, which is planned to take place on May 10. This is also where the Google Pixel Fold and Google Pixel Tablet are expected to make their debut, suggesting that this year's I/O might be a hotspot for Pixel hardware releases.

Google Pixel 7a: price

Last but not least, there's the cost. The Pixel 3a began at $399, the Pixel 4a at $349, the Pixel 5a at $449, and the Pixel 6a at $449.

While we're hopeful that the Pixel 7a will also cost $449, a recent leak suggests that the pricing will jump. According to 9to5Google, the Pixel 7a will cost $499, which is $50 more than the Pixel 6a and Pixel 5a. While this is obviously bad news, it does make sense on some levels, given the 7a's advances over its predecessors. 

However, being priced at $100 less than the standard Pixel 7 makes it appear slightly less enticing as a budget variant of the Pixel 7 range.

We'll have to wait for an official announcement to find out the price, but if you want to get your hands on the Pixel 7a when it comes out, be prepared to pay a little more.