Tune in to our Google I/O 2023 live blog for the latest leaks and news as it breaks.
We should be seeing the Google Pixel 7a later today at Google I/O 2023, but if you can't wait that long, some last-minute leaks have revealed important details ahead of time.
Leaker Yogesh Brar has posted hands-on impressions of the Pixel 7a (though we don't know if it's his impressions or someone else's), giving us an initial idea of how these rumored features may actually perform.
Google Pixel 7a (quick impressions)- Premium build, in-hand feel exactly like Pixel 7, with Glass back & metal frame.- Bright & Fluid 90Hz OLED panel, no major issues here.- 64MP cam gets you a good amount of detail & takes classic rich shots (16MP binned), with spot-on…May 10, 2023
Brar praises the premium feel of the device despite its thermoformed plastic back, the smoothness of the new rumored 90Hz display (up from 60Hz), and the alleged 64MP camera, a main camera that's even higher-res than the 50MP sensor used on the flagship Pixel 7 series.
Brar (or his source) is more critical of the Pixel 7a's Tensor G2 chipset, which as we saw in the Pixel 7's review isn't that powerful compared to similar flagship-grade chips, and overheats easily. He also brings up disappointing-sounding five-and-a-half hours of screen-on time, plus sluggish charging, both wired and wireless.
Altogether, it sounds like the Pixel 7a could be strong in the areas that previous Pixels have been - design, display quality and camera quality. It's concerning that battery life may still be weak on the new model, but we'll of course test that for ourselves when we get to try the Pixel 7a for our own review.
Leaked video advertisement
Posting a Pixel 7a hands-on is a pretty big last-minute leak, but it somehow isn't alone. Veteran leaker OnLeaks has seemingly gotten a hold of one of Google's own video adverts, with the French language video hosted by MediaPeanut. Fortunately, you don't need a native speaker's grasp of French to understand the key details.
The design is, unsurprisingly, very similar to both the Pixel 6a and the Pixel 7, with a metal camera bar dominating the back and a flat display with a central punch-hole on the front. For colors, the video shows four different phones: a black model, a pale blue model and two white models (shown in the image at the top of the page).
This is confusing since we'd heard there will be a Coral version of the phone, not seen here. However, since the two white models appear to be identical front and back, we have to wonder if this is a generic version of the video that cuts out the Coral colorway, since the rumor adds that this will be a Google Store-exclusive color.
There's also an encouragement to "see in the dark," which promotes the 7a's low-light camera performance, and improve images with Google's existing Photo Unblur (the fun-sounding "Anti-flou" in French) and Magic Eraser. Just before the end of the clip, we also see the Titan M2 security chip too.
Google I/O 2023 is scheduled to begin today at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT/ 6 p.m. BST, with a livestream capturing all of the action for those of us not lucky enough to attend the keynote in Mountain View. You can also keep up with the announcements with our Google I/O liveblog, where we'll be sharing all the details on the Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet and more as they're announced.
