If there was any doubt that we would see a Google Pixel 5a this year, this reference in a Google blog post pretty much confirms it. The research post by some of Google’s software engineers discusses the HDR+ bracketing on pixel phones, specifically the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. However, one of the images used displays the name Google Pixel 5a next to the photo.
If this was in a caption or the article itself, this could be written off as a typo. However, this product name is showing in the photo’s info panel, as well as its EXIF data – which is imprinted by the device itself when saving the image.
Another image, dated February 16, 2021 has no device information on the info panel or the EXIF information, suggesting this may have been removed to hide the model name. It’s reasonable to assume that software engineers testing out phone functions would also be testing the functions on new models before release.
The image from the Google blog
As noted by 9to5google.com, the naming of the Pixel 5a doesn’t include the bracketed 5G at the end, as the Pixel 4a (5G) does. This suggests that there may not be a 4G version of the Pixel 5a, only the 5G model. The website also identifies the location of the photo as from Taiwan, where Google’s hardware engineering hub is based.
As we reported back in March, there is rumored to be a Google Pixel release on June 11, and it’s looking increasingly likely that this could be the Pixel 5a. Whether the Google Pixel 6 and the highly anticipated Google Pixel Fold also make an appearance, we will just have to wait and see.
You can read the original Google blog post here but the photo has now been removed. We will post more as soon as we hear it.
EXIF data from the Google Pixel 5a
