Google Pixel 8a leaks paint a picture of a cheaper Pixel 8 with only a few small compromises

The upcoming Google Pixel 8a is expected to launch soon as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro that hit the streets last fall. With prices expected to start at around $499, the phone has the same processor, memory, and storage as the Pixel 8, which starts at $699. The screen is also nearly identical in most respects. And like its pricier siblings, the Pixel 8a will receive software updates for 7 years and supports most of the same camera features.

So what do you lose out on if you opt for this cheaper model? Not much, really… but there are a few small differences. Update: Google officially launched the Pixel 8a on May 7. It’s up for pre-order for $499 and up and should be available beginning May 14, 2024. 

Google hasn’t officially announced the Pixel 8a yet, but a series of recent leaks give us a pretty good idea of what to expect:

• Evan Blass recently shared a preview of the Pixel 8a web page.
• He also recently posted a set of high-resolution images of the upcoming mid-range smartphone.
• Arsène Lupin shared a document spelling out the phone’s technical specifications.
• Smartprix and @Onleaks revealed leaked pricing details as well as some promotional images.

Here’s how the Pixel 8a compares with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, at least according to the latest leaks:

Overall the leaks paint a picture of a phone that’s basically a cheaper Pixel 8. It has a 6.1 inch display covered in Gorilla Glass 3 rather than a 6.2 inch screen with Gorilla Glass Victus. But both displays are 2400 x 1080 pixel AMOLED screens with refresh rates up to 120 Hz and up to 1400 nits HDR brightness or 2000 nits peak brightness.

Like the Pixel 8 (and Pixel 8 Pro), the Pixel 8a is powered by a Google Tensor G3 processor. And like the Pixel 8 it has 8GB of LPDDR5x memory and comes with a choice of 128GB or 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage (which is kind of new – earlier Pixel a-series devices typically didn’t offer a choice of different amounts of storage).

Here’s what’s different about the cheaper phone:

• While it supports many of the same photography features, the Pixel 8a has a different, (and probably cheaper) set of cameras.
• It’s rated IP67 for water and dust resistance (the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are IP68-rated).
• The battery is a tiny bit smaller.
• The Gorilla Glass 3 display isn’t quite as shatter-resistant as the Gorilla Glass Victus used in the Pixel 8.
• The Pixel 8a has 2 microphones instead of 3.

Those are pretty much the only differences I could find. The leaked specs seem to indicate that some of the more advanced photography features may be limited to higher-priced phones, but it’s a little hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison, because the leaked documents don’t always use the same names to describe camera features as the official specs listed on the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro websites.

Keep in mind that nothing is official until Google actually launches the phone, so it’s possible that some of the details listed above may be inaccurate (or they may have been accurate when the documents were leaked, but may have been changed by Google since then).

Given just how many leaks of semi-official looking documents have been making the rounds recently, it seems likely that an official launch is just around the corner though. I’d be surprised if Google didn’t unveil the Pixel 8a at its Google I/O developer conference that begins May 14, 2024.