Google Pixel 5a release date could be much, much earlier than we expected

Update: When Jon Prosser initally posted about the future Pixel phone release, we assumed it was the Google Pixel 5a based on the timings. Well, in a follow-up tweet, Prosser has confirmed that his source thinks it's the Pixel 5a.

This extra information adds credence to our speculation and also makes it seem more likely Google IO will happen on or around June 11. We'll still wait on official confirmation before marking that date in our diaries (or calendar apps), though.

We've kept the original story below for posterity, as it was written on March 5 when Prosser first posted the information.

Original story: Google's next mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 5a, could be coming very soon - we thought we'd see in it August, a year after the Pixel 4a, but a new leak pegs it for a June launch instead.

The leaker for this is Jon Prosser, a leaker with an admittedly-mixed track record, though one who's right more often than they aren't. In a simple tweet, Prosser said 'New Google phone scheduled for June 11, 2021. Not sure exactly which one it is just yet.'.

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It's not clear where Prosser got their information, but as a prolific leaker they likely have some internal sources in Google. While the actual phone being launched isn't named, we can assume it's not the Pixel 6 as Google waits for its affordable A-series phones to launch before the next iteration of its main line. So we won't expect to see a Pixel 6 until after the Pixel 5a is out.

We'll have to wait and see what happens on June 11, but it's very likely we'll hear more leaks in the build-up to this date. It's possible that date lines up with the Google IO conference, which has been in June before but the dates for that aren't confirmed yet.

Google's first cheap phone?

That earlier-than-expected Pixel 5a launch date might not be the only surprising thing about the Pixel 5's upcoming spin-off.

The Pixel A series usually consists of mid-range phones, which takes some specs from the premium main-series phone they're named after, but cuts some of the spec in other areas.

However, with the Pixel 5 Google brought its flagship line down into the mid-range, so if the Pixel 5a is actually an affordable version of the Pixel 5, we could see it be an even cheaper smartphone than the Pixel 4a.

That's just speculation though - there are a lot of unknowns with the Google Pixel 5a right now, and we'll look for them all to be cleared up on June 11. Unless Prosser is wrong, of course.

• Leaked Google Pixel 5a renders show a suspiciously familiar design