Is the Google Pixel 8a Model Accidentally Confirmed and Set to Launch Soon?

Google has accidentally confirmed the development of its latest budget smartphone offering, the Pixel 8a, via a bug tracking page. The details of the upcoming phone were revealed thanks to the recently removed new battery status feature.

According to Google, the removal of battery statistics was an “intentional action” as the feature was never intended to be implemented on existing Pixel devices. The technology company cleared the air by saying that Android’s new battery statistics feature will only be supported on the Pixel 8a and future smartphones manufactured by the company. This is the first official confirmation of Google’s upcoming budget offer from the organization.

The upcoming Pixel 8a is expected to retain much of its design language from the flagship Pixel 8. It is expected to be powered by Google’s own Tensor G3 processor. The display will likely stick to a 90Hz refresh rate like the Pixel 7a. Considering how Google used to use the same image sensors for generations, it’s unlikely we’ll see any big changes in the camera department either.

Google’s “a-series” smartphone refers to Google’s more affordable lineup, offering a mix of flagship features and some cut corners. Google launched the first smartphone in this segment in 2019 in the form of the Pixel 3a. Since then, we’ve had several models of this phone, including the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6a, and Pixel 7a.

Google added a new battery statistics extension to its Pixel lineup with the Android 14 QPR1 update. This update showed the charging cycles of the smartphone’s battery and its manufacturing date. Despite the practical limitations, the new feature was a welcome addition among Pixel users.

However, in the March 2024 feature update, battery stats disappeared from Pixel devices. Responding to doubts about this unprecedented removal of the feature, Google said, according to 9to5Google: “We only enabled this page on Pixel 8a and later devices, so this is WAI (works as intended).”

It’s not yet known exactly why the battery stats feature appeared on existing Pixels in the first place. During the time it has been available on other Pixels, the statistics provided by this feature were often inaccurate. This may indicate that Google plans to develop this feature in the future. Pixel users may also see the addition of proper battery health information in the future. The highly anticipated Pixel 8a is expected to be announced during the I/O 2024 keynote, which usually takes place every year in May.