Pixel 7a or Pixel Fold could be revealed soon as new Google ‘phone’ shows up at the FCC

(Image credit: Future)

The Pixel 7a or Pixel Fold could be officially revealed soon as a new device from Google labelled ‘phone’ has arrived at the FCC.

Any device that uses wireless technology needs to first pass through the FCC and other government regulators around the world to acquire the necessary approvals before release. Although this information is confidential for six months and we won’t see any photos or diagrams from the FCC just yet, some details like model numbers are publicly available.

According to 9to5Google, three listings for a new Google ‘phone’ that reference one another have now shown up at the regulatory agency and they include GODZQ, GHL1X and GWKK3. However, mention of another model known as G82U8 has also shown up in the listings sent to the FCC.

Could this new Google phone be the midrange Pixel 7a or the search giant’s Pixel Fold? It seems highly likely a new Pixel phone will be unveiled quite soon.

Pixel 7a or Pixel Fold?

Although there have been plenty of leaks of both devices including a leak showing the Pixel Fold's screen size and dimensions, Google’s previous release schedule hints at the fact that these new listings refer to the upcoming Pixel 7a.

This is because the company typically releases its flagship devices in the fall and its midrange ‘a’ series phones in the summer. The Pixel 7a passing through the FCC now lines up with a release later this summer.

To add to this, a hands-on leak of a prototype of the Pixel 7a showed up on Twitter last month and in the video, the serial number “2A281FQHN” was visible. This lines up with the serial numbers spotted on the devices currently being tested by the FCC which begin with “28291FQHN” or “28251FQHN”.

These new FCC listings also reveal that there will be an mmWave model which could be the version of the Pixel 7a designed to work on Verizon’s network.

For now though, we’ll have to wait for Google I/O 2023 as the search giant often uses these events to show off its latest hardware. However, a date for the event which typically happens in May hasn’t been announced yet.

Anthony Spadafora is the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to password managers and the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. Before joining the team, he wrote for ITProPortal while living in Korea and later for TechRadar Pro after moving back to the US. Based in Houston, Texas, when he’s not writing Anthony can be found tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.