The Google Pixel 5a might actually arrive before Android 12

Source: Steve Hemmerstoffer / Voice

As far as we know, Google is still planning to launch the Pixel 5a this year, although it seems that the timeline continues to shift. The latest rumor comes from Mark Gurman with Bloomberg, claiming that the Pixel 5a will be unveiled and released in August.

Google Pixel fans, this summer is for you. Expect the Pixel 5a, the company’s next-generation, lower-cost handset, to be announced and released in August.

The Pixel 5a storyline has been a mixed bag of confusing rumors and leaks ever since this particular train left the station. Renders appeared showing off the supposed device all the way back in February, confirming that it will follow in the same design footsteps as the Pixel 4a 5G.

Since then, we’ve learned a bit more about specs and features, but there’s really not too much to be excited about. Then came a flurry of incorrect reports from different sources that claimed the Pixel 5a had actually been canceled entirely by Google. Google then responded with an official comment, not only confirming that the Pixel 5a 5G was in the works, but that it would be arriving in the U.S. and Japan.

Some rumors suggested that we could see the Pixel 5a announced at Google I/O 2021 ahead of a June release. But those reports were unfounded, and we’re now almost into July with no sight of a Pixel 5a.

What makes this release so curious is how close it will be to the release of Android 12 and the rumored Google Pixel 6 lineup. According to the Android 12 release schedule, we can expect to see the finished version sometime in September. Meanwhile, the latest roundup of Pixel 6 rumors put the device to be released sometime in October. The Pixel 5a coming before everything else would mean a rather busy Fall for the Google team, but the Pixel 5a could end up getting lost in the mix.

There’s also one other recent revelation throwing a wrench into this rumor, and it’s to do with the Pixel 4a 5G. One of the best cheap Android phones of the year (so far) is currently unavailable from major retailers like Best Buy or B&H Photo. Even trying to purchase it from Amazon results in a third-party vendor and not from Amazon or Google directly. While the 4a 5G is still available from Google directly, stocking levels have been fluctuating, and at the time of this writing, the unlocked version is out of stock.