Google Pixel 5a price leak makes the phone look like a bad deal

Google Pixel 5a price leak makes the phone look like a bad bargain

Google Pixel 5a front and back main image

(Image credit: Steve Hemmerstoffer/Voice)

We may see Google Pixel 5a at some indicate this calendar month — perhaps today (Aug. 17) according to one rumor — but that hasn't stopped one last leak from revealing the telephone's toll. That price may be a off-white one based on the phone'southward rumored features, merely Google's perhaps pushed information technology a piddling besides high.

The apparent price of Google'south new mid-range phone was found on ads for Google Fi mobile network (via srwaxalot on the GoogleFi subreddit and 9to5Google). We've previously heard that the Pixel 5a could be revealed today, and then even though this imprint being published is nevertheless an accident, it would make sense if it was sent live just a little too early on.

Google Pixel 5a release date, price, specs and leaks
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The telephone's full name is given as the Pixel 5a (5G), which confirms the widely-held expectation that this telephone would be more of a successor to the Pixel 4a 5G than the LTE-based Pixel 4a. Notwithstanding that seems to also use to pricing also.

Google Pixel 5a Google Fi leak — (Prototype credit: srwaxalot via r/GoogleFi)

The advert boasts that users tin save $233 if they pay $fifteen a month for 2 years with their Pixel 5a contract. That comes to $360 altogether, which when combined with the promised saving costs $599. Accept off the expected added toll of Google's included Device Protection policy ($half dozen a calendar month, $144 total) from that number, and you terminate up with a price of $449.

Inexpensive, but also too expensive

At $450, the Pixel 5a would exist $100 more than the Pixel 4a, but $50 cheaper than the Pixel 4a 5G, the phone that the Pixel 5a is idea to borrow most of its features from. Compared to rival phones, that's $fifty more than the cheapest iPhone SE and $50 less than the Samsung Milky way A52 5G.

If $449 is actually the toll of the Pixel 5a, then information technology means the phone'southward slightly as well expensive to exist on our best cheap phones list. (We cut off contenders at $400.) While phone contracts can brand pocket-sized price differences betwixt devices irrelevant due to monthly payments, Google'southward decision to offering 1, higher-priced budget model this year still disappoints because it'southward rumored that the Pixel 5a's not that unlike from the Pixel 4a 5G.

No doubt the Pixel 5a will still work smoothly with an unblemished version of Android, and offer excellent normal and ultrawide photography. However using the same brandish, frame, and camera sensors, as is rumored, would be a big disappointment. Although the worst part would be the fact we're expecting Google to use the same year-old Snapdragon 765G chip in the Pixel 5a. Certain the operation won't get worse, but it'll mean the operation gap betwixt information technology and its rivals will simply widen going forward.

Fortunately there'due south one big upgrade that's been rumored along with the Baronial 17 release date — a four,860mAh battery, much larger than whatsoever previous Pixel cell. While processing power is important for phones, Google could still win over customers by offering fantastic battery life. We'll take to wait until we can exam the new phone — and for the phone to be released, of course — to see if that's the example though.

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Richard is a Tom's Guide staff writer based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, gaming, audio and whatsoever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's besides written for WIRED U.K., The Annals and Creative Bloq. When non at piece of work, he's likely thinking about how to mash the perfect loving cup of specialty coffee.