Google Pixel 4a makes an all important stop on FCC before launch

The Google Pixel 4a is currently MIA. No one really has a clue if Google will launch its highly-anticipated mid-range Pixel in July or if it’ll come out of hiding in October alongside the Pixel 5 series. However, it looks like the phone is all set to break cover whenever Google decides on a launch date.

A Google phone with three model numbers — G025J, G025M, and G025N — has been spotted on the FCC database (h/t Mishaal Rahman), meaning all systems are a go for a US launch of the phone. While the FCC listing doesn’t mention the Pixel 4a name, Google’s Pixel 4 series came bearing the designation G020(x). Google also doesn’t make many phones, so an FCC certification at this time, of a phone with a model number similar to the Pixel 4 series, has Pixel 4a written all over it.

Should you wait for the Google Pixel 4a if you need a phone today?

Timing a new technological purchase is perpetually tricky. There’s always something better right around the corner. This is particularly the case with the upcoming Pixel 4a, Google’s second-generation affordable phone that looks set to cost …

Then there’s also the recent listing of a Google phone with model number G025N on the Bureau of Indian Standards. This adds more veracity to the assumption that the phone certified by the FCC is indeed the upcoming Pixel 4a.

Getting an FCC listing is typically the last stop before a phone comes to market. So a July launch for the Pixel 4a is more than possible, but not set in stone. The Pixel 3a appeared on the FCC website in February 2019, but only launched in May. The Pixel 4a could follow a similar timeline and launch a few months from now.

That said, now would be a good time for Google to unveil an affordable Pixel given that the 2020 iPhone SE is already a very strong contender in the sub-$500 smartphone space. OnePlus will also launch the OnePlus Nord in July so Google has its work cut out for it.