Around a month ago, any and all discretion about Google’s Pixel 4a was thrown out the window when a billboard of the device in the US was leaked, along with its alleged starting price of US$399 (~RM1728). Recently, images of what appears to be a scrapped model of the Pixel 4a XL have appeared online, suggesting that Google had initially considered shipping the phone out with a dual main camera array.
The image was discovered by 9to5Google, who in turn found the alleged image on an eBay listing. Called “Google Pixel 4a XL Replacement New Battery Back Cover Door” from a seller based in Shenzhen, China. For the most part, the “casing” clearly shows the trappings of the Pixel 4a XL, but if you pay close attention to the camera bump, it actually shows not two, but three round cutouts. Suggesting that the phone may have been planning on releasing a plus-sized mid-range Pixel with dual-cameras.
Of course, the current reality is that that plan has been scrapped and Google decided to standardise the camera module to just a single sensor. Most likely the keep price tag for the Pixel 4a XL below a specific range.
Specs-wise, the phone is expected to be rocking the same hardware as its non-XL counterpart. Meaning a Snapdragon 730 SoC, 6GB RAM, a 3080mAh battery with 18W fast charging via USB-C, and possibly up to 128GB internal storage capacity. Camera-wise, the main camera is expected to be a 12.2MP sensor with autofocus and OIS and EIS, plus an 8MP selfie camera.
Unfortunately for us, it’s highly unlikely that the phone will official be available here, which means that we’ll have to depend on a grey import model if we want to own it.
