Google Pixel 4a design just leaked — and it's a lot sleeker than iPhone SE

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A new Pixel 4a case leak confirms the design of Google's iPhone SE rival

(Image credit: GizTop)

We had been expecting the Pixel 4a to show up this month, and it sounds like we're in for a slightly longer wait for the follow-up to Google's lower-priced Pixel phone. 

In the meantime, another Pixel 4a leak has revealed what should be the final design for this $399 handset, which looks a lot sleeker than Apple's iPhone SE.

GizTop posted a leaked image of a Pixel 4a case that confirms a design that shows a punch-hole camera cutout on the front display that eliminates the notch from last year's model. The Pixel 4a is rumored to have a 5.8-inch OLED display, compared to a much smaller 4.7-inch screen on the iPhone SE 2020. Plus, Apple's phone happens to have very large bezels.

It also looks like Google is retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack, which will be welcome news if you lament the disappearance of that port from an increasing number of phones. The iPhone SE lacks a headphone jack, which is not a surprise given that it simply reuses the iPhone 8's design.

As you can see on the back of the phone, there's a square camera module with a single lens, as well as a fingerprint sensor. We prefer the front Touch ID sensor on the iPhone SE, but the reader on the Pixel 4a should be easy to find by feel when unlocking the phone.

Other rumored Pixel 4a features include a Snapdragon 730 processor, a 3,080 mAh battery and fast charging via USB-C. The iPhone SE supports fast charging, but the charger doesn't come in the box.

Pixel 4a release date 

Unfortunately, it looks like the Pixel 4a's launch is getting pushed back a bit. Caschys Blog out of Germany is reporting that the Pixel 4a will now launch on June 5. That report is based on documents from German carrier Vodafone that reportedly claim the phone will go on sale June 5.

There's a couple reasons to give this report some credence. Caschys Blog was the one to report back in April that the Pixel 4a was set to arrive on May 22, again based on Vodafone documents. Most Pixel 4a rumors had settled on that date, so to have one of the original sources of that rumor revise the date deserves a little big of added weight.

Secondly, Google's own schedule of events supports a June launch for the Pixel 4a. Last week, the company announced a June 3 online event where it plans to preview Android 11. That same event could be our introduction to the Google's latest phone if the company wants to kill two birds with one stone.

In an alternate universe, the Pixel 4a would be launching this week, as Google's annual developer conference was supposed to get underway in Mountain View, Calif. tomorrow (May 12). After all, it was at Google I/O 2019 where we first clapped eyes on the Pixel 3a. But this year's edition of I/O was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that's forced Google to come up with an alternate plan for unveiling its Pixel 3a follow-up.

We had been expecting the Pixel 4a to show up this month, and it sounds like we're in for a slightly longer wait for the follow-up to Google's lower-priced midtier Pixel phone. 

In the meantime, another Pixel 4a leak has revealed what should be the final design, which looks a lot sleeker than the iPhone SE.

GizTop posted a leaked image of a Pixel 4a case that confirms a design that shows a punch-hole camera cutout on the front display that eliminates the notch from last year's model. The Pixel 4a is rumored to have a 5.8-inch OLED display, compared to a much smaller 4.7-inch screen on the iPhone SE 2020. Plus, Apple's phone happens to have very large bezels.

It also looks like Google is retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack, which will be welcome news if you lament the disappearance of that port from an increasing number of phones. The iPhone SE lacks a headphone jack, which is not a surprise given that it simply reuses the iPhone 8's design.

As you can see on the back of the phone, there's a square camera module with a single lens, as well as a fingerprint sensor. We prefer the front Touch ID sensor on the iPhone SE, but the reader on the Pixel 4a should be easy to find by feel when unlocking the phone.

Pixel 4a release date 

Unfortunately, it looks like the Pixel 4a's launch is getting pushed back a bit. Caschys Blog out of Germany is reporting that the Pixel 4a will now launch on June 5. That report is based on documents from German carrier Vodafone that reportedly claim the phone will go on sale June 5.

There's a couple reasons to give this report some credence. Caschys Blog was the one to report back in April that the Pixel 4a was set to arrive on May 22, again based on Vodafone documents. Most Pixel 4a rumors had settled on that date, so to have one of the original sources of that rumor revise the date deserves a little big of added weight.

Secondly, Google's own schedule of events supports a June launch for the Pixel 4a. Last week, the company announced a June 3 online event where it plans to preview Android 11. That same event could be our introduction to the Google's latest phone if the company wants to kill two birds with one stone.

In an alternate universe, the Pixel 4a would be launching this week, as Google's annual developer conference was supposed to get underway in Mountain View, Calif. tomorrow (May 12). After all, it was at Google I/O 2019 where we first clapped eyes on the Pixel 3a. But this year's edition of I/O was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that's forced Google to come up with an alternate plan for unveiling its Pixel 3a follow-up.

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.