Rumours and what we want to see

As the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are getting most of the attention for now, we’re eyeing the next entry to Google’s own mid-range Android lineup, the Pixel 8a. Since its inception with 2018’s Pixel 3a, the A-series has proved extremely successful thanks to the company’s combination of great software support, a constant drip of user-friendly features, and hardware that’s cheap, but cheerful. The Pixel 7a was a welcome advance from its predecessors with the inclusion of wireless charging for the first time. Will we see something as drastic make an appearance on the Pixel 8a?

We don’t know for certain just yet, but we do have plenty of intelligence to work off and we’re gathering it all for you right here.

When is the Pixel 8a’s release date?

While there are no solid rumours about these aspects – there have even doubts as to whether the 8a would show up in 2024 – we can make educated guesses about where these will land.

As for an announcement, Google had been pulling its A-series releases up the calendar: the Pixel 5a came about in late August of 2020, the following year had the Pixel 6a in mid-July, and the 7a was announced at the Google I/O 2023 keynote on May 10. This spot, however, may be the most appropriate one on which to plant the Pixel 8a in 2024.

Even as a conference aimed at developers, I/O always poses an opportunity to introduce hardware platforms to serve this new software on – such as a new Android phone or two – for the public’s discernment. It also lands far enough away from the mainline Pixel phone releases that happen in October during the company’s Made by Google showcases so as not to cannibalize sales.

How much will the Pixel 8a cost?

Money-wise, it’s very likely that the Pixel 8a will carry over the Pixel 7a’s $499 price tag – a $50 hike from the Pixel 6a and 5a and arguably called for given global inflationary pressures. Late last year, an unnamed source claimed that the Pixel 8a would be the one to take on that $499 price tag and not the 7a.

What will the Pixel 8a look like?

It took until the thick of autumn before we got our first real look at what a Pixel 8a might look like, but the pictures didn’t disappoint – at least in terms of detail. In late September, Indian blogger Abhishek Yadav posted images to X (formerly Twitter) of what was purported to be a Pixel 8a, likely an engineering validation unit. Long-radius corners dominate the design here much like they did with the Pixel 8 devices and there were some complaints from commenters about the display bezel. Most notably, however, was the choice of colourway on display – something similar to the Pixel 8 Pro’s exclusive Bay blue.

As mid-October approached, Smartprix published CAD renders provided by OnLeaks of the Pixel 8a that more or less matched up with what we could see from the leak in September. But again, colour yells the loudest here and we were treated to a Rose-esque treatment that the non-pro Pixel 8 got. It’s the most tacit of implications that doesn’t get a verbal mention from either the blog nor OnLeaks operator Steve Hemmerstoffer, but it seems as though we may be able to expect two special non-grayscale hues on offer. Of course, details such as availability can get messy and nothing has been picked up on that front yet, so we suggest not holding your breath on looks.

Hemmerstoffer does offer some insight as to how wide the corners on the Pixel 8a may be and, proportionally speaking, they look to be wider than the ones on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.

Google Pixel 8a specs

One source called out the Pixel 8a’s codename as Akita and that seems to be accurate, as a Geekbench result listing from August that pegs it as an Android 14 device that’s running a nine-core CPU with roughly 8GB of RAM. The existence of said listing is why we believe that an 8a is being pipelined for launch as we speak, but, as with anything in rumour and speculation, don’t take anyone’s word for it.

The SoC seems to be styled after one that was seen in two Geekbench listings dating back to April for a supposed test bed named “Ripcurrent.” Leaks blogger @Tech_Reve claimed this chipset to be the Tensor G3, which would be the third generation of Google’s custom design that has been based on Samsung’s Exynos blueprints. The chipsets on both Ripcurrent and Akita builds are clustered identically with a single-core hero unit, a quad-core mid-tier unit, and another quad-core low-power unit. The big difference between the two is that the Akita’s cores are cycling slower. It’s the case across each cluster, but the low-power group sees the widest gulf at 1.7GHz versus 2.15GHz.

The Tensor G3 has now been launched, powering the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and it might just be that this is clocked to a slightly slower speed. Another complication is that it’s easy to spoof device names for Geekbench runs, but this is all we have to work with so far.

What about the Pixel 8a’s cameras?

Camera details for the Pixel 8a have yet to spill. Up through the Pixel 6 generation of devices, Google has been relying on the same 12-megapixel sensor for its main rear camera. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro introduced a new array of sensors, but the 7a’s camera set was remarkably different to its siblings with a 64-megapixel wide unit and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. At this moment, we suspect the company will carry those same cameras (and some cost savings) over to the Pixel 8a.

Google Pixel 8a rumours: What’s happened so far

10 October 2023: Leaked Pixel 8a renders show exactly what to expect from Google’s next budget phone

We get a cleaner view with some CAD renders and it further affirms the notion that the Pixel 8 design translating over to the Pixel 8a.

4 October 2023: What is the Google Tensor G3 and how is it different from Tensor G2?

Now it’s official, here’s a closer look at the Tensor G3 that will likely power the PIxel 8a.

22 September 2023: Early Pixel 8a leak shows a controversial rounded design

From our first real look at a supposed pre-release stage device, we see the long-radius corners and gentle curves of the Pixel 8 series ruling the day on a relatively small chassis.

24 August 2023: Pixel 8a spotted on Geekbench

A device that is believed to be the Pixel 8a appears in a Geekbench result (via MySmartPrice).

15 June 2023: Google Pixel 8 Tensor G3 leak points to some big performance upgrades

Slightly tangential, but this story about the Tensor G3 does provide some context about the uncertainty surrounding the Pixel 8a’s powerhouse.

23 December 2022: Leaked roadmap reveals plans for Google Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Pixel 8, and beyond

A source to Android Authority relayed details about the Pixel 8a’s codename along with pricing plans and a potential change in release cycle.