Google usually launches its mid-range budget-oriented Pixel handset during the middle of the year. However, while the Pixel 5a has already leaked in renders, there has not been much noise surrounding its release.
It looks like Google is preparing to launch the Pixel 5a in August, a year after it launched the Pixel 4a.
Google Pixel 5a Could Make Its Debut in August
Initial rumors surrounding the Pixel 5a claimed Google would launch it in June 2021. In April, a rumor suggested Google has canceled the Pixel 5a's launch due to a semiconductor shortage worldwide. However, Google was quick to put these rumors to rest. It confirmed the Pixel 5a would indeed launch this year, though only in the US and Japan.
This was back in April, and since then, the Pixel 5a is nowhere to be seen. In the first edition of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that Google will announce and launch the Pixel 5a in August.
Google announced the Pixel 4a in early August last year, so an August 2021 launch for the Pixel 5a definitely sounds plausible. Last year's Pixel phone launch was delayed by a couple of months due to supply-chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, there's a serious shortage of semiconductors affecting the production of everything from smartphones to TVs to gaming consoles and more.
The shortage could likely explain why Google delayed the Pixel 5a launch to August this year and plans to launch it in only a couple of markets. The semiconductor shortage has already led Samsung to cancel the launch of a new Galaxy Note this year.
Apart from the semiconductor shortage, the Pixel lineup has not really done well for Google outside of the US, so the company is launching the product on a limited scale this year.
Google Pixel 5a to Feature 5G Connectivity
When Google confirmed that it would launch the Pixel 5a this year, it inadvertently confirmed the device would feature 5G connectivity. The Pixel 5a 5G will likely be powered by a Snapdragon 750G chipset since all other chipsets below it lacks 5G connectivity.
Apart from the Pixel 5a, Google is also working on the Pixel 6 series that's due to launch in October this year. The Pixel 6 lineup should mark the debut of Google's own Whitechapel chip, which should deliver superior AI and ML performance than the competition.
The Pixel 6 series will be more exciting than the Pixel 5a in terms of features. The Pixel 6 Pro is expected to launch with a triple-camera system and a unique design language.
