It’s tradition for every new Pixel phone to leak into oblivion, often well before Google’s scheduled release date for the device. That’s been the case with virtually every new phone Made by Google dating back to the very first model in 2016. Now, that tradition has carried over to the upcoming Pixel 7a, which has leaked so bad that someone managed to get their hands on an early version of the device.
A Vietnamese tech enthusiast shared well-shot photos of a Pixel 7a developer unit on Zing News, and boy did they scrape this puppy for specs and details. At least on this early developer edition, the 7a comes with a 6.1-inch 90Hz OLED display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and dual 12MP rear cameras. There’s a large camera bump on the back – an inherit element of Google’s smartphone design philosophy – made of aluminum that blends with the metal rail around the sides. The rest of the phone is made of glass.
An interesting design detail can be found around the SIM card tray. There’s a rubber gasket to protect it from water and dirt getting in, which likely means this phone will be IP67 certified (y’know, assuming the 6a‘s identical rating is any indication). In addition, a USB-C port can be found at the bottom with stereo speakers and no 3.5mm headphone jack.
You may be wondering how Zing News got a hold of this developer unit, and as all good leaks are concerned, that part remains unclear. “A source” was the one to supply the unit, which obviously isn’t much to go on, but we can speculate that it’s somewhere internally at Google who’s looking to have a little fun in Leak Land.
Unfortunately, the fun didn’t last very long; soon after the leaker got their hands on the Pixel 7a, they shared screenshots online which included the serial number of the device. That gave Google enough information to remotely lock the phone, so as of right now, it’s nothing more than a fancy paperweight.
Still, this leak all but confirms a lot of suspicions people have had regarding Google’s next mid-range smartphone. It looks like it’s going to offer one of the best spec sheets in the smartphone market, not just in the sub-$500 range. If other rumors turn out to be true and there’s a Tensor G2 chip inside, I can’t imagine recommending any other phone for those shopping on a budget.
Of course, none of this has been confirmed by Google, so you till need to take it with a grain of salt. That being said, we’ll likely get our first official glimpse at the Pixel 7a during I/O in May, since previous Pixel A-series smartphones have debuted on the very same stage.
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