Google Pixel 7a: All The Latest Rumors [So Far…]
The Pixel 7a rumors are starting to hot up, here’s some of the juiciest Pixel 7a news from around the web…
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Pixel 7a KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The design of the Pixel 7a will be similar to the Pixel 7 with dimensions of 152.4 x 72.9 x 9.0mm and an aluminum camera bar on the back, but with no headphone jack and rumored colors of white and dark grey.
- The Pixel 7a will likely feature a 6.1-inch FHD+ 90Hz OLED display, an upgrade from the Pixel 6a’s similarly sized 60Hz display.
- The phone is expected to have a dual-lens 64MP main + 12MP ultrawide rear camera system, with similar camera abilities and modes to the Pixel 7.
- The Pixel 7a will run on Android 13 and is expected to come with a Google Tensor 2 SoC, 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, a 4,600mAh battery with 30W fast charging and 21W wireless charging, 5G connectivity, Titan M2 security chip, stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust resistance, Google Assistant, Face Unlock, and fingerprint sensor.
- The Pixel 7a is rumored to be launched in May 2023, which will be before the release of Android 14, but it will still come with three years of updates.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are selling very well, according to market analysts. After switching its CPU from Qualcomm to its in-house Tensor platform, Google has consistently worked on making its Pixel phones more useful, smarter, and generally more competitive.
Tensor is still a long ways behind Apple’s A16 with respect to raw performance, but Google’s CPU has plenty of AI smarts that are currently missing on Apple’s iPhone.
Add in a brilliant camera module, both on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, and it is easy to see why plenty of users are flocking to Google’s Pixel phones.
With updates, though, things could definitely be better. OnePlus, with the release of its OnePlus 11, has now bested both Google and Samsung with respect to Android updates – the OnePlus 11 will get FOUR major Android updates and five years of security updates.
That’s currently the best in the business right now, when it comes to Android phones, so I’d like to see Google up its game in 2023 and beyond.
Of course, the next major release from Google is the Pixel 7a, its ever-popular budget rendition of the Pixel 7 which is now available to buy.
But what can we expect from the Pixel 7a? Here’s all the latest Pixel 7a news and rumors from around the web…
Pixel 7a Rumors & Latest News…
Design
As per previous Pixel A-series releases, Google will most likely not change the design too much on the Pixel 7a. This means the phone will look very similar – likely identical – to the Pixel 7.
That means it will have much the same dimensions (152.4 x 72.9 x 9.0mm) and, of course, the same aluminum camera bar on the back. Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7a will not include a headphone jack, and the rumored colors for the phone are said to be white and dark grey.
In this respect, there’s not really too much to get excited about. The Pixel 7a will look much the same as the Pixel 7. There might be slight changes here and there but the overall “theme” of the phone, the styling and the camera bar, will remain identical to the Pixel 7.
Display
Leaks suggest the Pixel 7a will run a 6.1in FHD+ 90Hz OLED display. If this rumor turns out to be true, that’s a step up from the Pixel 6a which ran a similarly-sized display with a 60Hz refresh rate.
By bumping the refresh rate, Google can effectively get away with keeping the display more or less untouched from the Pixel 7, a move that will likely save it some cash when it comes to the Pixel 7a’s bill of materials (providing it bulk-ordered the panels ahead of time).
In case you don’t know, having a 90Hz refresh rate on the Pixel 7a, especially if you’re coming from the Pixel 6a or earlier, will make quite a bit of difference. The screen will scroll smoother and animations will look better.
It’s a slight change, of course, but it is a change that users will notice, so I really do hope this one is true.
Pixel 7a Specs
- Display: 6.0-inch Full HD+ OLED, 90Hz refresh rate
- Processor: Google Tensor SoC
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB or 256GB
- Rear camera: 50MP primary sensor, 12MP ultra-wide sensor
- Front camera: 12MP
- Battery: 4,600mAh, fast charging (30W), wireless charging (21W)
- Operating system: Android 13
- Other features: 5G connectivity, Titan M2 security chip, stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust resistance, Google Assistant, Face Unlock, and fingerprint sensor
These Pixel 7a specs are currently not official, so please take them with a pinch of salt – we won’t know specifics until the phone actually gets official in May.
Camera
There’s not a lot of information available yet about the camera system on the Pixel 7a, but some leaks have suggested that it may feature a dual-lens 64MP main + 12MP ultrawide rear camera.
Again, if true, this would be a pretty hefty step up from the Pixel 6a, giving users plenty of reason to upgrade.
The Pixel 7a will also likely benefit from all of the fancy new camera abilities and modes available on the Pixel 7, although some of the Pixel 7 Pro’s features will, of course, be omitted.
Google still needs people to buy the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, so there will almost certainly be some disconnect between the Pixel 7a and its more expensive stablemates.
Will the Pixel 7a include Night Sight and Magic Eraser? Most likely, but the true potential of its camera is not yet known; there could be concessions in place to keep the price down. The last few phones in the Pixel Xa series all used 12MP sensors.
Here’s hoping Google just plops the Pixel 7’s camera inside it.
Software
Unless something crazy happens and Google breaks tradition, the Pixel 7a will launch with Android 13 inside it. Android 14 is, of course, due out later this year but with a May 2023 launch rumored for the Pixel 7a, it’ll hit the market way before Android 14.
If you do buy the Pixel 7a, you will be one of the first people to get access to Android 14, alongside Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 users. And with the Pixel 7a, Google is reported sticking with its “three years of updates” promise, despite the fact OnePlus just confirmed its OnePlus 11 will get four years’ worth of Android updates.
Wrapping Up…
Here’s a quick overview of everything covered in this post:
- The design of the Pixel 7a will be similar to the Pixel 7 with dimensions of 152.4 x 72.9 x 9.0mm and an aluminum camera bar on the back, but with no headphone jack and rumored colors of white and dark grey.
- The Pixel 7a will likely feature a 6.1-inch FHD+ 90Hz OLED display, an upgrade from the Pixel 6a’s similarly sized 60Hz display.
- The phone is expected to have a dual-lens 64MP main + 12MP ultrawide rear camera system, with similar camera abilities and modes to the Pixel 7.
- The Pixel 7a will run on Android 13 and is expected to come with a Google Tensor 2 SoC, 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, a 4,600mAh battery with 30W fast charging and 21W wireless charging, 5G connectivity, Titan M2 security chip, stereo speakers, IP68 water and dust resistance, Google Assistant, Face Unlock, and fingerprint sensor.
- The Pixel 7a is rumored to be launched in May 2023, which will be before the release of Android 14, but it will still come with three years of updates.
