You can bet Google is launching a new phone or two – maybe the Pixel 5 Pro, maybe the Pixel 5a. Now, new photos have appeared claiming to show off the latter device, though you may want to take it with a grain of salt.
The three photos appear on SlashLeaks, one of which displays a Pixel 5a logo on the screen of the device. Another pointing with a fingerprint sensor on the screen. In both photos, there is no visible cutout for the front camera, indicating that the device in question also has an in-display camera similar to ZTE Axon 20 5G.
Forgive our cynicism, but it sounds a little too good to be true for a midrange phone like the Pixel 5a designed for budget users. Previous phones like the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4a took some features from Google’s more expensive flagships and incorporated them into a cheaper device.
None of the phones really introduced new features in the mix. And cameras and on-screen sensors can definitely count as new features for Google. The Pixel 5 has a fingerprint reader on its back, while the front of the phone has a visible cut-out of the camera. If Google were to add these features to its phones, the Pixel 6 looks a more likely destination this fall.
Something else that is causing alarm bells when we see these alleged Pixel 5a photos is that it looks a lot like the rumored Pixel 5 Pro photos that also show a phone with a camera. The truth of these images is widely doubted.
This is not to say that there are no areas where Google can improve with the Pixel 5a. The Pixel 4a relied on a Snapdragon 730G processor which made it feel a bit underpowered compared to mobile phone prices like the iPhone SE and OnePlus Nord. The Pixel 4a also does not have such an impressive battery life, although the cameras are one of the best camera phones we have tested.
Whatever Google plans for the Pixel 5a will probably appear in the spring, because then Google usually wants to implement its budget model. If the device looks like the one in these photos, then we apologize for our skepticism.