This month, information was confirmed that a new budget model from Google will be released later this year.
Thanks to the latest Android 12 Developer Preview, it’s clear that the Pixel 5a flying on 5G networks will run on the same chip as the Google Pixel 5.
Based on the potential chipset, there are several options here, and we can probably get a pretty good idea of the minimum performance levels for this upcoming mid-range. If the Pixel 5a 5G still sticks with Qualcomm, then there are exactly 4 Snapdragon chipsets that this smartphone can use:
- Snapdragon 480
- Snapdragon 690
- Snapdragon 765G
- Snapdragon 768G
With the release of Android 12 Developer Preview 3, 9to5google analyst Dylan Russel dug through the files and found numerous references to the codename «Barbet», which is confirmed to be the name of the Pixel 5a 5G, and also found references to the model number «sm7250», which is the part number for Snapdragon 765G chip.
Based on this, it’s almost certain that the Pixel 5a 5G, due to be released in the coming months, will be powered by the same Snapdragon 765G chip that both the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G use.
This fact will certainly only further confuse the Made by Google line, as renders have already indicated that the Pixel 5a is nearly identical to the Pixel 4a 5G in terms of exterior design, give or take a few millimeters in size. Still, it’s nice to know that the Pixel 5a offers the same level of performance as the full Pixel 5.
It is not yet known how the new product will differ in price from its predecessors. One of the benefits of using the chip, which Google has worked with in the past, is that it will take significantly less research and development time, which can help keep costs down. But are these savings enough to make the Pixel 5a 5G an effective successor to the $349 Pixel 4a?