Update (August 4): Added availability information for the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5
Barely hours after it went official, there are enough indications that the Google Pixel 4a is coming soon to India. Unlike its immediate predecessors, the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL, which launched last October and bypassed this neck of the woods, Google has been quick to follow up with the Pixel 4a.
A post on the Google India Blog says the device would launch in October and provides details about the new device while Google Store has also shared a poster with "Coming Soon" inscribed on it, suggesting that the Pixel 4a is indeed reaching Indian shores. The device is launching in the United States on August 20 while in the UK and Australia it is slated to go on the shelf by October.
The blog post also confirms that the Pixel 4a 5G and the upcoming flagship Pixel 5 will not launch in India when they become official later this year. The former will be priced at $499 and the latter will be even higher. Google India says this decision was due to "a variety of factors including local market trends and product features".
- Read our review of the Google Pixel 4a right here
- Google Pixel 4a goes official and it's surprisingly cheap
Last year, Pixel 3a gave people a chance to get the helpful features of Pixel at a more affordable price. This year, Pixel 4a — which launches in India in October — will continue to bring features like the incredible camera and feature drops that make your phone better over time. All of this packaged in sleek new hardware at a more affordable price," says the blog post.
And our editors who did a quick review of the device couldn't agree more. Here is what they had to say about the Pixel 4a, "The compact size, clean interface and great point-and-shoot camera of the Pixel 4a will appeal to those looking for an affordable, reasonably sized handset with enough grunt to handle the basics, plus the ability to capture some excellent pictures."
Even Google Store in India has taken up the new launch, though there is no mention of the date or the price point. Given that the Pixel 4a is priced at $350 in the United States, we expect that it would debut in India in a price band between Rs.24,000 to Rs.27,000. Unless, of course, Google offers a special India discount just as One Plus Nord had done barely weeks ago.
Specifications
The Google Pixel 4a is fairly small by modern smartphone standards, with a 5.81-inch 1080 x 2340 OLED screen that’s 443 pixels per inch and has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
It’s powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 730G octa-core chipset, which is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The battery meanwhile is 3,140mAh, which isn’t massive but then this isn’t a massive phone. It supports 18W fast charging, but there’s no wireless charging.
Its rear camera is a single-lens 12.2MP one with an f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilization. On paper it may sound underwhelming since there are competitors in the price segment who are offering an array of cameras like confetti. However, we must remember that Google has delivered excellent cameras without needing too many lenses or megapixels.
The front camera meanwhile is an 8MP one in a punch-hole, and there are stereo speakers along with a plastic back with a fingerprint scanner in the center.
We believe Google's decision to get the Pixel 4a to India just as it had done with the Pixel 3a more than a year ago could be directly related to the growing mid-tier market segment. Even the likes of Apple and One Plus have recently taken to in the hope of capturing the sub-15,000 segment that may be looking for an upgrade.
Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the Indian economy to turn sluggish and smartphone makers seem to be going after the mid-tier segment just so that they can keep their revenues in some reasonable position.
