Google Pixel 8a imminent as certification confirmed

Google's next great-value smartphone looks like it's very much on the way, after new entries were spotted on the Bluetooth SIG certification site in the company's name. 

These are almost certainly for the Google Pixel 8a, in a few different model numbers according to versions. There's very little new information about the phone but it does indicate that it's now right around the corner.

Given that the Pixel 7a was announced in May 2023, we're coming up to a year since the last cheaper phone from the brand, so a follow-up is pretty much guaranteed. 

The phone will have Bluetooth 5.3 according to the listing spotted by 91mobiles, which is just about the only new detail (albeit not a fact that will light many people on fire with interest). 

It also has multiple model numbers listed: G8HNN, GKV4X, G6GPR, and G576D, which could correspond to storage size, colour or more, with four colours eventually expected when the phone launches.

The good news is that this comes as just the latest in a long trail of leaks about the phone's specifications, so we're not in the dark about its likely contents. 

The Pixel 8a is reportedly going to bring to the table a 120Hz OLED, which isn't too different from the excellent panel on the 7a, apart from the welcome bump from 90Hz to 120Hz, which should result in smoother-feeling animations. 

The phone will also use the Tensor G3 chipset for some lovely new power and features, although the expectation is that it won't make any sort of an upgrade on the camera hardware it has compared to the 7a. This doesn't mean there won't be an uptick in performance, though, given that newer chip. 

This still leaves one crucial element unknown, though: price. This tends to be the one that that either doesn't leak or comes just moments before the official reveal, but when it comes to a supposed mid-ranger like the Pixel 8a it really is key. 

How much Google manages to undercut the price of the main Pixel 8 is a massive variable in how attractive the Pixel 8a is to people, so we'll be waiting with great interest to see where it finally lands.