Pixel 7a Will Be the Last Affordable Phone from Google

Pixel 7a Will Be the Last Affordable Phone from Google

In just nine days, Google will officially debut the Pixel 7a at the Google I/O 2023 event. While many are excited about the upcoming phone, concerns regarding the future of the ‘a’ series have been building up among fans. After all, there’s a high chance that it might be the last time we will get an affordable Pixel phone from Google.

Wondering how? Well, with the Pixel 7a, Google has made the ‘a’ series model converge much closer to the regular models. As per the rumors, the phone will debut with a $499 price tag. To fill you in, the Google Pixel 7 goes for $599. That means the ‘a’ series model is technically not a “budget-friendly” option anymore. But wasn’t that the notion of the lineup to begin with?

Similar Specs With a Small Price Gap Will Not Make Sense Anymore

So, the conversation regarding Pixel 7a being the last of Google ‘a’ phones started from a tweet posted by Yogesh Brar. The renowned tipster pointed out the fact that the Google Pixel 7a will mark the end of the budget-friendly Google Pixel lineup. And it makes total sense, as the lineup has been seeing an upward trend when it comes to prices.

Of course, with the price increase, the “budget-friendly” Pixel phones are becoming more and more powerful. For example, the Google Pixel 7a comes with an overclocked version of the Tensor G2. And the leaked Geekbench score suggests that it will be more powerful than the regular Pixel 7.

Leaked Photo of Google Pixel 7a

You also need to remember that Google brought out the Pixel ‘a’ series for one big reason. That is, to offer a great experience that Pixel phones can deliver but at a much lower cost than the high-end Pixel models. Moreover, the ‘a’ phones of the past came with mid-tier specs. But things changed with the Pixel 5 and Pixel 5a.

Those two phones came with the same chipset. And with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6a, the gap between the “budget-friendly” phone and the flagship got even closer. And as discussed above, things took a wild turn with the Google Pixel 7a.

Google Pixel 8a Might Not Be A Thing

Similar specs are one thing, but the lineup does not make sense if Google can not keep the price tags of the ‘a’ series phones. As I mentioned earlier, the price difference between the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a is expected to be $100. That price difference is not enough to separate a flagship from a budget alternative.

Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

So, what could the future of the Pixel lineup look like? As Brar discussed, Google will likely stick with a three-phone lineup. That is, there will be a base Pixel phone, a Pro model, and a foldable phone. Brar also speculated that the same thing may happen with the Samsung phones.

Pixel a series seems to be coming to an end. With the spec and price bump on the Pixel 7a, it is certain that there won't be any 8a coming.

Google will likely stick with vanilla and Pro models alongside a foldable going forward. Something similar might happen with Samsung

— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) May 1, 2023

However, the chances of that happening are very slim. Unlike the Pixel ‘a’ series of Google, Samsung A phones is one of the most profitable lineup. In fact, in some regions, the Samsung A devices outsell the flagship Z and S series of phones. The case will not be the same for the Pixel 7a.

Pixel 7a

But you never know what Samsung has in store for its lineup. Maybe, Brar has got a solid hint regarding the change. However, as we are talking about Samsung, it goes without saying that its future plans will not remain secret for too long. In fact, we have started to get news regarding its chipset that’s like two years away from now!

So, if the South Korean firm plans to go the same route as Google, we will learn about it very early on. And if anything of such pops up, we will keep you posted.