Google stepped in the midrange segment with the Pixel 3a back in 2019. This was followed by the Pixel 4a last year, and now the brand is gearing up for the launch of its next device midrange smartphone.

The brand has already confirmed the existence of Pixel 5a. Google also said that the device would be exclusive to the US and Japan. Courtesy of the leaked renders, we know that the smartphone could look similar to the Pixel 4a 5G. The device is expected to feature a 90Hz AMOLED, Snapdragon 765G SoC and a slightly bigger battery.

The Pixel 4a was announced in August last year, so we are expecting the smartphone to arrive at the same time this year. With the launch likely on cards, we decided to detail everything known so far about the Pixel 5a.

Pixel 5a specs and features
The Pixel 5a has been subjected to a handful of leaks. An early leak from Onleaks helped us with the renders of the upcoming mid-range Pixel. The device in the pictures looks similar to the Pixel 4a 5G. In fact, the dimensions are also quite similar at 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8mm. Presumably, the Pixel 5a will be built out of the same textured plastic material used on the Pixel 4a series. This is mostly to keep the manufacturing costs down.

We can see a similar-looking rear, a square camera module with dual rear cameras and a capacitive fingerprint scanner on the back. Whereas the front can be seen featuring a punch-hole display. Apart from this, the 3.5mm audio jack, including the stereo speaker setup, stays there too.

We found out some interesting insights about the Pixel 5a and Pixel 6. Their report says that the Pixel 5a will come with a smaller punch hole. It is expected to be a 55-pixel radius instead of the usual 65-pixel radius as seen on previous Pixels.

An alleged screen protector for Pixel 5a has also been spotted. The screen protector can be seen featuring minimal bezels around and a punch-hole for the selfie shooter.

–The Pixel 5a is expected to feature a 6.2 inch FHD+ OLED display with support for a 90Hz high refresh rate. 9to5Google, while digging through the Android Developer Preview 3, found references to the device codenamed “Barbet “, which is the Pixel 5a. Along with that, another codename, “SM7250”, was discovered, hinting towards the inclusion of the Snapdragon 765G SoC on the upcoming smartphone. This is the same chipset that powers the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5a.

–We have also learnt about an in-house chipset called “Whitechapel”, but that will supposedly be exclusive for the Pixel 6 series.

Google has been adamant about shipping cameras with minimum lenses, and the same could be the case with the upcoming Pixel 5a. It is supposed to borrow the camera setup from the Pixel 4a 5G/Pixel 5a. Meaning the Pixel 5a will feature a 12.2-megapixel primary lens and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide shooter on the rear.

–In an AI Blog post explaining the technology behind the Pixel range’s latest HDR+ camera update, Google revealed a picture that was supposedly taken by the unannounced Pixel 5a.

–The picture was quickly taken down by Google but not before 9to5Google downloaded the photo and found out the underlying details. Data found out revealed the camera model name as Pixel 5a and gave hints about an additional ultra-wide lens.

–Although there’s no expected change in the camera hardware, we may see improved camera processing and a few new features in the camera app. Finally, the Pixel 5a may get a bigger 3840mAh battery with support for fast charging.

Pixel 5a launch date
Google has already hinted that the Pixel 5a will arrive during the same as Pixel 4a last year. The Pixel 3a was launched at Google IO 2019, but the Pixel 4a launched last year got delayed due to the pandemic. We will supposedly see the same happening even this year, as Google IO 2021 was a no hardware show. That said, the Pixel 5a could launch in August this year.