Broken records could only be
tolerated so far, but one cannot help but mention how certain news developments
came to be the way they were because of COVID-19. Google had a May 12 annual
developer’s conference that would have introduced the Pixel 4A smartphone,
months after the release of the basic Pixel 4 and 4XL. The cancelled date then
featured in a leaked photo of the 4A on Google Store Canada last month. Finally,
this past Monday, Google revealed the Pixel 4A, as well as a fourth variant of
the fourth Pixel line geared for 5G, and the fifth Pixel.
The Verge has it that Google revealed three Pixel smartphones on
August 3, one expected and the other two not quite. Pixel 4A is available at
last for preorders ahead of shipping and appearing in (virtual) stores by the
20th. But this midlevel variant of 2019’s Pixel 4 is getting its own
variant, one optimized for 5G networks that are now all the rage for
subscribers. It will be shipping in the fall alongside the next step for the
Pixel line, the Google Pixel 5 which is 5G-ready by default.
If this comes across as a rather
bunched-up succession of release dates, then again there is only the pandemic
to blame. Without it then the Pixel 4A would have been ready for consumers by
June or July, with plenty of months left between the coming of its 5G brother
and Pixel 5 successor. According to Google VP – Product Management Brian
Rakowski, both these smartphones will hit the following countries by fall:
beyond the expected North America markets there will also be the UK, Ireland,
France, Germany, Australia, Japan and Taiwan.
Despite the great specs already
leaked regarding the Pixel 4A and its $349 price tag, the smartphone looks to
be one that US mobile carriers will not put stock on, since it is not a
5G-ready device. Apparently it will only ever be purchasable online. Perhaps
the pushing of 4A 5G and Pixel 5 was an assurance by Google to carriers and
users that yes, they are ready for the network transition like everyone else.
Details about the Pixel 4A 5G
involve having a second camera lens and a larger screen than the basic 4A, all
for $150 more ($499). As for the Pixel 5, there is not much to tell. The fall
release date is also under speculation. Normally that means October as with
previous mainline Pixels, but COVID-19 ruins timetables. For reference,
meteorologists peg the transition between fall and winter seasons of 2020 to be
on December 21.
Image courtesy of Anand Tech
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