Google had a surprise hit on its hands when it revealed the Pixel 3a, a mid-range version of its existing Pixel 3. We’re now expecting a Pixel 4a to emerge soon, and we’ve got another leak that helps show that this expectation is correct.
Long-running suspicions that the Pixel 4a was code-named “sunfish” was proven true by XDA Developers (via Android Central) examining some code, although writer Mishaal Rahman doesn’t specify what the source of this code is.
Since “sunfish” is known to be powered by a Snapdragon 730 chip, and that codename is now confirmed to be linked to the Pixel 4a, we now know for sure that this is the CPU that will be powering the new phone.
The Pixel 3a used a Snapdragon 670, so the move from a 6-series to a 7-series Qualcomm SoC will ensure there’s a notable performance boost.
Unfortunately, this may mean there won’t be a 5G version of the Pixel 4a like was previously rumored, as the Snapdragon 730 isn’t compatible with the new networking standard. There could be other versions of the Pixel 4a using a different CPU that would be 5G-ready, as Google products codenamed “bramble” and “redfin” both use the 5G compatible Snapdragon 765 chip. But it’s possible these are not part of the same product range.
We are expecting the Google Pixel 4a to make its first appearance in May, at Google’s I/O 2020 developer conference. Have a look at our Pixel 4a rumors page for a round-up of what we know so far.
