Google could be opting to make an affordable 5G smartphone that’ll launch before its flagship Pixel 5.
The Pixel 4a may come in a 5G variant if details from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the more recent Pixel 4 firmware dump, and the latest versions of a few Google applications. XDA Developers rooted around and found three codenames relating to upcoming handsets – Sunfish, Redfin, and Bramble – a well as their the SoC (system on chip) platforms.
Sunfish – likely to be the Pixel 4a – will be based the sm7150 platform, which is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730. Redfin makes mention of the sm7250, which is the Snapdragon 765 chipset and the first with an integrated 5G modem, leading to speculation of a Pixel 4a 5G. And lastly, Bramble will also house the 765, but isn’t being developed by an ODM (original design manufacturer), so may never come to fruition. This means we could be looking at a 4G Pixel 4a (Sunfish) and a 5G Pixel 4a XL (Redfin or Bramble) despite rumours that an XL model might not be in the works at all.
Google could be aiming to release an affordable 5G option with its mid-tier ‘a’ line of handsets, rather than kicking off its 5G ready phones with the Pixel 5, set to launch later this year, but with scant information on the upcoming devices, it’s all just speculation for now. [TechRadar]
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.