Google Pixel 3 Lite release date, price, news and leaks

Update: Yet another Google Pixel 3a leak has shown up online, giving us another glimpse at what the handset may look like when it does launch.

The Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are the heavily rumored, mid-range variants of the search gaint’s Pixel line of smartphones.

Set to come in at a more affordable price point, but still will a focus on the great photography skills of their pricier, more powerful siblings, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL launch could be just weeks away.

There are plenty of Google Pixel 3a leaks floating around the web, with specs and images of the device (along with the Pixel 3a XL) giving us a pretty good idea of what we may be able to expect when they do finally arrive.

Originally rumored as the Google Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite, the handsets would break the trend of exclusively high-end devices bearing the famous brand’s name, with the latest installments to date being the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL.

We’ve collected all the latest news, leaks and rumors here and will add to this article whenever new information emerges. So read on for all the information so far on the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, when you might see them, and what they might cost.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Mid-range variants of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL
• When is it out? Launch could be in May at Google I/O
• What will it cost? Maybe $400-$500 (roughly £315-£390, AU$550-AU$690)

Google Pixel 3a release date and price

Hottest leaks:

• Pixel 3a launch date: rumored for May 7
• Pixel 3a price: could be $400-$500 (around £315-£390, AU$550-AU$690)

The only real release date rumor comes from reliable leaker Roland Quandt, who, back in June 2018, said that a mid-range Pixel device was scheduled for launch during the first half of 2019.

However, that does co-inside nicely with Google’s I/O conference which runs from May 7 – May 9, and a much more recent leak from Evan Blass shows an image of the handset with May 7 on screen – a potential nod to the Google Pixel 3a launch date.

It’s a date that makes sense for another reason too, as Google is unlikely to launch it too late in 2019 or it could clash with the Pixel 4 range. Though of course it’s always possible that it could land alongside those phones as the Pixel 4a.

As for what the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL might cost, the earliest rumor there puts the smaller variant at between $400-$500 (roughly £315-£390, AU$550-AU$690). We’ve since heard another rumor that puts it at €450 (roughly $500 / £385 / AU$715), so the two rumors more or less line up.

That adds up, especially as it’s obviously going to undercut the Pixel 3, which starts at $799 (£739, AU$1,199).

However, there’s an outside chance that you won’t be able to buy it, as an early report suggested that the phone was aimed primarily at emerging markets like India.

But that report is old and didn’t specifically say that the phone wouldn’t get a global launch. With such a big name attached to it we’d think it would probably be widely available.

Google Pixel 3a design and display

Hottest leaks:

• A 5.56-inch 1080 x 2160 screen
• Similar design to the Pixel 3
• A plastic build

There’s been a high volume of Google Pixel 3a leaks, and a video apparently showing the handset from various angles gave us a good look, before it was removed from YouTube.

The video claimed that the Pixel 3a is made of plastic and you can see that it has a 3.5mm headphone port and that the speaker is on the bottom edge rather than the front.

The video also says that it has a 5.56-inch, 1080 x 2160 screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of roughly 434 pixels per inch.

While there video may no longer be viewable, a number of leaked images supposedly showing the Pixel 3a have also emerged over recent months, such as those in the gallery below, which show it alongside various other handsets.

You can see from these that it’s smaller than the Pixel 3 XL, bigger than the iPhone XS and around the same size as the iPhone XR. You’ll also note that while there’s no notch there is a sizeable bezel both above and below the screen.

It’s a design that leaves the Pixel 3a looking a lot like the standard Pixel 3 from the front, while from the back it has a two-tone color scheme like the rest of the Pixel 3 range, in this case in two shades of white (though another source has said to also expect black and iris/purple shades). It also has a rear fingerprint scanner.

Another leaked image shows the Google Pixel 3a next to the standard Google Pixel 3. They look similar, though the Pixel 3a is possibly slightly bigger.

That’s no surprise, as according to an earlier leak which included both images (shown below) and specs, the Pixel 3a has a 5.56-inch screen, which is slightly bigger than the 5.5-inch screen of the Pixel 3.

Though the Google Pixel 3a apparently uses LCD rather than OLED. It’s also said to have a 1080 x 2280 resolution, a 444ppi pixel density (much the same as the Pixel 3) and a plastic rather than glass back.

It’s seemingly codenamed Sargo and, as you can see in the images below, appears to have a 3.5mm headphone port.

While we’d take these leaks with a pinch of salt, the photos all look convincing and all match up with one another, as does the video, so there’s a good chance this really is the Pixel 3a that we’re looking at.

They also line up with the most recent Google Pixel 3a image leak, from reliable Twitter leaker Evan Blass who posted the following shot.

Google Pixel 3a camera and battery

Hottest leaks:

• The same 12.2MP rear camera as the Pixel 3
• A single-lens 8MP front-facing camera
• A 2,915mAh battery

From the images and video above, you can see that the Google Pixel 3a has just one camera lens on the back and one on the front. That’s different from the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, which both have two front-facing cameras.

However, the Pixel 3a is rumored to pack the same great 12.2MP lens on the rear as the rest of the range. We’ve also seen camera samples supposedly taken using the phone, which you can see below.

The same source as those samples says that the phone has an 8MP front-facing camera. This is likely the same lens as one of the selfie cameras on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The source doesn’t say which lens the Pixel 3a is lacking, but we’d expect it will be the wide-angle selfie lens that’s absent.

However, there’s more at play in photo quality and camera modes than just the lens. The Google Pixel 3a is sure to have a less powerful chipset than the rest of the range and therefore also a lower-end image signal processor (ISP).

So don’t be surprised if its camera isn’t ultimately as capable as the snapper on the Pixel 3. That said, the same source had previously said that the camera on the Pixel 3a would be just as good as on the rest of the Pixel range. Though it’s not clear whether they’re just talking about the lens there or about the whole experience.

As for the battery, that’s supposedly 2,915mAh, which would make it exactly the same size as the one in the standard Google Pixel 3. We’ve heard that size from two sources now, with one adding that the longevity of the phone is also similar to the Pixel 3.

Google Pixel 3a OS and power

Hottest leaks:

• A Snapdragon 670 chipset
• 4GB of RAM
• 32GB or 64GB of storage

The earliest Pixel 3a leaks pointed to a Snapdragon 710 chipset, an assertion backed up by a possible Geekbench score for a larger XL model of the Pixel 3a, though a recent rumor said it would get a slightly lower-end Snapdragon 670. These are both mid-range chipsets though.

We’ve also heard rumors of 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and – unsurprisingly given this is a Google device – no microSD card slot. Having said that, a newer rumor suggests there will be 64GB of storage, and that there probably won’t be a 32GB model.

In any case, being a Pixel handset this is sure to run pure Android 9 Pie (assuming Android 10 isn’t out by the time this launches) and get day one updates to new versions of the operating system.

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