Update: A claimed leaked photo of the Google Pixel 6a's box shows off a familiar design.
More evidence that the Google Pixel 6a will use a Google Tensor chipset has surfaced, along with possible info about how powerful the rumored budget handset could be.
The Geekbench benchmark result for what is supposedly the Pixel 6a was spotted by MySmartPrice, and it backs up previous rumors about the device which have pointed to it having a generous amount of processing power.
While there's no guarantee that the information is accurate, the chip data registered as part of the benchmark, such as the type and arrangement of the chip's eight cores and its GPU, matches up with that seen on the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the two phones that introduced the Tensor chip.
And if the scores do turn out to be genuine, they show that this is still the flagship-grade chipset we're familiar with, which should mean you'll get surprisingly fast and smooth performance from the Pixel 6a, in spite of its expected $450 price.
One difference from the original Pixel 6 range is that this benchmarked device contains 6GB of RAM, whereas the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have 8GB or 12GB RAM packages. However, this would keep it in line with the Google Pixel 5a and would be a reasonable compromise given the price; 6GB should still be more than enough to keep the phone running well.
The phone's software was one more thing that was mentioned in the benchmark. Unsurprisingly, this phone — whether Pixel 6a or not — is running on Android 12; that's the latest version and is exactly what we would expect the phone to launch with. Android 13 isn't too far away, given the developer beta is currently underway, but we imagine that Google will save that for the Pixel 7 later this year.
We had heard two potential launch dates for the Pixel 6a: one in August, a year after the 5a's launch, or earlier in May as part of the Google I/O event. However, leaker Jon Prosser now claims that while Google's intention was to launch the 6a in May, it'll instead debut in July after difficulty sourcing parts.
Beyond the internals rumored above, we should see the Pixel 6a get a redesign in line with the other Pixel 6 phones, along with possibly a larger battery and faster charging. It's expected to still offer the same arrangement of cameras as before though, consisting of main, ultrawide and selfie options.
Our main hope is that the phone launches in more markets than just the U.S. and Japan, as the Pixel 5a did. Apart from anything else, Google might be about to get a potent new rival in the form of the new iPhone SE 3, which is expected to debut tomorrow (March 8) at the next big Apple Event. If you fancy following that as it happens, check out out our how to watch Apple's March 8 event guide.
