Summary
- Get ready for the Pixel 8a — rumored to come with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak HDR brightness of 1,400 nits.
- The Pixel 8a may support DisplayPort and feature a Sony IMX787 primary shooter, IMX712 ultrawide camera, and IMX712 selfie camera, all with 13MP resolution.
- The Pixel 8a is expected to use a Tensor G3 SoC similar to the flagship Pixel 8, but with IPoP packaging instead of FOPLP to reduce cost.
Last year’s Pixel 7a made its official debut at Google I/O, and now we know that I/O 2024 is set for May 15, so an upgrade to the company’s midrange line of phones could be less than two months away. Judging by the latest rumblings, it certainly seems that way, as the Pixel 8a was just spotted making its way through the FCC for certification. Now, a new rumor has emerged that points to some significant display improvements with this year’s model.
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According to information obtained by Android Authority, which the publication says comes from inside Google, the peak refresh rate for this year’s model will be upped to 120Hz, matching that of the Pixel 8 series and other flagship phones like the Galaxy S24. This news comes after the Pixel 7a had already increased the line’s refresh rate to 90Hz from the 60Hz on the Pixel 6a, meaning this year’s model will have double the refresh rate of 2022’s midrange Google phone.
The leak also specifies that the Pixel 8a’s screen could hit a peak HDR brightness level of 1,400 nits, exceeding last year’s mark of 1,000 nits and matching the smaller Pixel 8’s max brightness, while falling short of the Pixel 8 Pro’s 2,000-nit rating. The source goes on to corroborate design leaks we’ve seen that feature a larger corner radius on the screen. With a radius of 129px at its native resolution, the corners of the display should be significantly more rounded than the 47px of the Pixel 7a, and even a bit more pronounced than the Pixel 8’s 102px radius.
Pixel 8a display upgrades don’t just stop at the specs
Last week, we reported that the Pixel 8 series had finally received support for DisplayPort over USB-C with the latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update. This was newsworthy because it meant that Google now had a path to create a Samsung DeX-like system for its Pixel phones, where connecting to an external display could potentially activate a desktop mode that causes your phone to serve as a mini-computer. With today’s Pixel 8a leak, we’re also learning that the new mid-ranger will offer DisplayPort support, so it appears that Google may have plans for a DeX competitor after all.
On the camera front, the leak claims that there won’t be any hardware upgrades this year, at least in terms of the actual camera sensors. Last year’s Pixel 7a upgraded to a new set of sensors after years of reusing the same hardware — a tactic Google employs to help with its machine learning-based image processing — and this year’s Pixel 8a is said to sport a Sony IMX787 primary shooter with a 1/1.73″ aperture, an ultrawide camera backed by a Sony IMX712 1/3″ sensor, and a selfie camera that uses the same Sony IMX712. All three modules are expected to clock in at 13MP.
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Finally, the Pixel 8a is expected to run on a Tensor G3, the same SoC that powers the flagship Pixel 8 series — well, almost the same. Like last year’s Pixel 7a, the 8a is expected to use a chip with identical silicon to the flagship G3, but the plastic packaging will be IPoP (Integrated Package on Package) instead of the slimmer and more expensive FOPLP (Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging) seen in the Pixel 8 series. All told, it’s looking like 2024 will be another year where the lines between Google’s flagship phones and its midrange offering continue to blur.
