If recent rumors are to be believed — and when it comes to Google hardware, they usually are — we’re less than three weeks away from the unveiling of (among other products) the Pixel 7a. The successor to one of our favorite budget phones of the past year is expected to launch live on stage at Google I/O, and might even be available for purchase later that same day. Unfortunately, as exciting as a day-and-date launch might sound, a corresponding rumor has us bummed out about the Pixel 7a before we’ve even seen its official spec sheet.
As part of this week’s treasure trove of Google leaks, we learned the company’s next A-series entry is likely to cost $500 — a $50 price increase over last year’s Pixel 6a. Fifty bucks might not seem like a lot of money, and there’s no doubt that, in these inflationary times, a price hike was more than likely overdue. But it represents the start of what could be a worrying trend for the Pixel series, and, more importantly, it also could ruin the value proposition of Google’s mid-range phones just four years after they first arrived on the market.
The problem with the Pixel 7a’s rumored $500 price lies at the feet of the Pixel 7. Google’s budget flagship first hit store shelves last fall, and it left us impressed with everything from its camera capabilities to an improved design that, in our eyes, was even better than the Pro series. At $600, it would only cost $100 more than a potential Pixel 7a. That’s not a big difference, and it may not make a lot of sense to save a mere $100 if that means missing out on what’s likely a better phone overall.
At least, if the leaked specs for the Pixel 7a are true, what we’re looking at is a product that, at its core, is not all too different from the Pixel 7. The Pixel 7 has a slightly more high-end design featuring a larger display with smaller bezels. It’s likely to have faster wireless charging — a rumored addition to the A-series this year, albeit at measly 5W speeds — but the cameras should be fairly comparable. Other comparable core specs include a 1080p 90Hz display (though whether the panel quality will be identical is up in the air), 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage, and of course, a Tensor G2 chipset powering the whole thing.
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So, in saving $100, you’re giving up a tiny sliver of screen real estate, faster wireless charging, and some general fit and finish. Sounds like a pretty fair trade, right? Hell, because the Pixel 7a is rumored to release seven months after the Pixel 7, that’s an additional handful of security updates — not too shabby, right?
That would all be true if we weren’t talking about Pixel phones. Ask anyone who’s shopped for one of Google’s in-house devices before, and they’ll tell you it only takes a couple of months after launch to score a fantastic deal. That’s certainly true with the Pixel 7, which dropped to $500 on Black Friday last year, and is currently available for $450 through Amazon and Best Buy — the latter will give it to you for $350 if you activate it on your carrier during checkout.
Source: Google
Google Pixel 7
$350 $600 Save $250
In its first six months, the Pixel 7 has proven itself to be an incredible value. Not only is it far more stable than its predecessor, but it’s dropped as low as $350 with activation, and $450 without. That’s a killer value for a phone that could last you well into 2027, and makes the upcoming Pixel 7a a tough sell.
In fact, Pixel 7 deals have been steeper than usual this year. Looking at the price history for the Pixel 6, it took until July of last year to drop below $500, and only hit $400 in the immediate wake of last fall’s Made By Google event.
Pixel 6 vs. Pixel 7 price tracking on Amazon. The latter’s price dropped faster and more often than its predecessor, and it’s been at $450 unlocked since last month.
So where does that leave the Pixel 7a? At $500, it won’t look like much of a bargain next to a discounted Pixel 7. It’s possible these deals suddenly dry up in the aftermath of Google I/O next month — and in that case, I’d recommend anyone considering a Pixel 7a take advantage of current sales — but that still demonstrates to most consumers that, with just a little bit of patience, it’s easy to score a good phone at a great deal. And while that’s good for the end-user, it’s bound to sour next month’s launch.
This scenario could change with Google’s next-gen flagships, of course. Once last year’s Pixel series is shuffled off store shelves, it’s easy to see how a Pixel 8 with a matching price bump to $700 could make the Pixel 7a start looking a lot more palatable in the eyes of consumers — especially considering those post-launch deals we just highlighted.
But for the time being, this potential $50 increase will leave the Pixel 7a in an uncomfortable position. It’s likely to be undercut by the very phone it’s emulating, offering a worse deal to shoppers and potentially missing out on the “it’s the obvious budget phone to buy” category Google has dominated since 2019. And if this Pixel 7a price hike does telegraph a matching increase for this fall’s flagships, it finally cements the company’s mid-generation launch cycle as a detriment to its products, both for building up hype and for consumers looking for a great deal.
Google Pixel 7a
Google’s rumored Pixel 7a is looking to improve on its predecessor in all the right ways. Wireless charging, a 90Hz refresh rate, and the same Tensor G2 chipset found in the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. It’s just too bad a potential higher price point could rain on the A-series parade.
