Despite its outdated hardware, the Google Pixel 6a remains one of the best budget Android phones to buy. It launched in July 2022 after being announced at I/O 2022 in May. With the phone’s anniversary fast approaching, rumors and leaks surrounding the Google Pixel 7a have been pouring in. At the beginning of the year, the first practical images of the phone, although in poor quality, leaked on the Internet. Now, a few months before I/O 2023, high-quality hands-on photos of the Pixel 7a have been shared online, giving us a closer look at its Pixel 7-inspired design.
From the hands-on images shared by the Vietnamese blog Zing News, it is clear that the Pixel 7a will adopt the camera bar of the Pixel 7. This means that the camera tube will use matte aluminum instead of glass, making it much more durable. Unfortunately, the photos also confirm that Google did nothing to reduce the thick bezels around the screen.
Source: Zing News
Thanks to the glass back panel, the Pixel 7a looks much more premium in the photos.
Although hard to tell from the hands-on images, the Pixel 7a should keep the same 6.1-inch screen size as its predecessor, although the refresh rate will apparently get a bump to 90Hz. Based on information from the About Phone and Bootloader menu, the phone will pack 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For comparison, the Pixel 6a comes with 6GB of RAM.
Other information confirmed by the hands-on photos include a single physical SIM tray, rubber protection around the SIM slot for IP protection, a speaker and a USB-C port at the bottom. Google remotely locked the phone shortly after its images were shared online, making it difficult to determine its other specifications. If previous leaks are anything to go by, the Pixel 7a should use a Tensor G2 chip, have 5W wireless charging and keep the same $450 price tag as its predecessor.
The unit is apparently a “software prototype” running Android 13. Given that the Pixel 7a is only a few months away from its official unveiling, this is likely its final design as well. This is not the first time unreleased Pixel phones have surfaced in Vietnam months before their launch. Expect more Pixel 7a leaks to emerge as the phone gets closer to its release.