The Pixel 4a has leaked in more ways than we can count at this point, and now even Google is getting in on the fun. The company updated its Canadian online store today, and whoops. It placed an official render of the Pixel 4a on the product page for Nest Wifi. Oh, it fixed the mistake later, but the proverbial cat was out of the bag.
We all expected the Pixel 4a to launch in May at Google I/O, and Google would probably have preferred that happened. Alas, this is 2020, and events conspired against Google (and the rest of us). As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, Apple released its long-awaited iPhone SE 2. At a time when people are more hesitant to spend big on phones, Apple has provided a compelling budget phone option with better specs than the expected 4a. So, Google just didn’t release the phone.
We’ve spent the intervening months speculating about what Google would do with the 4a. Would it be canceled? That seemed unlikely seeing as there are completed units floating around the shadier corners of the internet. Would it rebrand the 4a as part of the Pixel 5 family? That’s a bit more compelling, but the Pixel 5 might not launch until late 2020 with all these coronavirus-related delays. That’s a long time for Google to sit on inventory. Okay, what about just delaying the launch? It’s looking increasingly like that’s what Google has done.
Pretty sure these are, from left to right: Pixel 4a, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a XL (not launching), and Pixel 4a 5G https://t.co/9nrnsZ5RiY
— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) July 11, 2020
The Nest Wifi product page didn’t contain any information about the phone beyond the image, but it’s a new render that hasn’t leaked before. It was also properly formatted for the Google Store. That suggests there’s a real Pixel 4a store page in the works. The image shows the phone’s hole-punch camera, rear-facing single camera, and a fingerprint sensor. It all jives with the multitude of links.
In recent days, a 5G variant of the Pixel 4a has appeared in leaks. We don’t know much about this device, so it’s possible the image in Google’s storefront was actually the 5G phone. These same leaks claim the 4a will be one of three phones Google releases in 2020 along with the 4a 5G and the Pixel 5. Yes, there might not be a Pixel 5 XL at all. 2020 is shaping up to be a very strange release cycle for Google, and the Pixel 4a leak is just the latest chapter.
Now read:
- Google Leaks Upcoming Pixel Device Names, Including Pixel 4a 5G
- Google Might Have Accidentally Revealed Android 11’s Launch Date
- Google Discontinues the Pixel 3a, Still Won’t Release the 4a
