Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G could be launching on September 30

Google Pixel 4a
The Google Pixel 4a (Image credit: TechRadar)

Google has already confirmed that the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G are on the way, but it hasn't yet confirmed a launch date – a gap that the rumor mill is happy to plug, with Wednesday, September 30 being suggested as the big day.

The date comes from well-known tipster Jon Prosser on Twitter, who says that the Pixel 5 in black and green will be unveiled on that day, as well as the Pixel 4a 5G in black. A white version of the Pixel 4a 5G is then scheduled to arrive in October.

Prosser has had a few hits and a few misses in recent months when it comes to tech leaks, so don't take this as set in stone just yet – but the prediction broadly lines up with when we were expecting the new Pixel phones to appear.

To add to the confusion, rumors like this often mix up launch dates (when phones are announced) with on-sale dates (when phones are actually available to buy). The staggered September/October schedule here means we could be talking about both together.

What we know so far

The only previous hint about a Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G launch date came from a slip-up on the Google France blog, which briefly listed Thursday, October 8 as the date when pre-orders for these phones would open.

It's entirely possible that Google will push out full details of the handsets on September 30 and then make them available to pre-order on October 8. The Pixel 4a was announced via a blog post, and in these socially distanced times, big launch events are rare.

All we know officially is that the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G will come with 5G on board, and that pricing will start at $499 (about £380 or AU$700) – we're presuming that's for the Pixel 4a 5G, which could be a little bigger than the plain old non-5G Pixel 4a.

Unofficially, the Pixel 5 is being tipped to come with the mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset on board, as well as some camera enhancements to set it apart from the Pixel 4a phones. Pricing for the Pixel 5 is rumored to start at $699 (around £535 / AU$980).

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

TOPICS