Recent speculation had suggested the Pixel 4a smartphone could arrive in the first week of June, but a new report has now cast serious doubt on whether we’ll get the mid-range Pixel before the end of July.
Android Police mainstay David Ruddock has received word that Google plans a July launch for the cheaper 4a, with no guarantees it won’t be delayed further still.
In a tweet on Thursday, Ruddock wrote: “Can confirm via my own source that it now appears Pixel 4a will be delayed into July. No exact timeframe. No idea if it could get delayed further.”
With many hoping the Pixel 4a would come alongside the announcement of the Android 11 public beta on June 3, this news could come as somewhat of a blow. However, it is representative of the struggle consumer tech manufacturers are enduring in bringing products to market within the traditional windows. Last year the Pixel 3a was announced at Google I/O in May, meaning it’s already late.
The delay means the release could now be much closer to the expected arrival of the Pixel 5 flagship phone, which is expected to be more aggressively priced this time around. In seasoned Android watcher Ruddock’s opinion, the condensing of this window could be bad news for the forthcoming high-end release.
Related: Pixel 5 will turn smartphone world on its head
He continued: “This means Pixel 4a will come out around 3 months before Pixel 5 is expected to be announced. Unless that, too, gets delayed. But still, the timing now feels very weird — 4a is going to be butting up against Pixel 5 in a way that kind of doesn’t make sense now.”
Ruddock says a possible cannibalisation of Pixel 5 sales by the 4a could make the fifth-generation model the lowest selling yet. And by all accounts flagship Pixel sales are already pretty, pretty low.
I suspect the resulting Pixel 5 sales cannibalization by Pixel 4a coupled with depressed consumer spending on smartphones overall in the US market could lead Pixel 5 to be Google's worst-selling Pixel phone ever, even if it is marginally cheaper.
— David "bury me with my golden arm" Ruddock (@RDRv3) May 21, 2020
Are you learning towards a Pixel 4a over a Pixel 5 given the current rumours? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.