Google has confirmed its next Pixel phone, the Pixel 5a 5G, in a response to rumours that its next budget device would be cancelled due to a chip shortage. This is the second time the company officially announced a new device in response to leaks and rumours online.
An article from Android Central, published on Friday, claimed that the global shortage in processor chips would lead to Google cancelling its budget Pixel phone in 2021. A later tweet from Jon Prosser echoed those suggestions.
Pixel 5a 5G is not cancelled. It will be available later this year in the U.S. and Japan and announced in line with when last year’s a-series phone was introduced.
However, Google is only planning to release the Pixel 5a in the United States and Japan, reportedly its largest target markets. It appears that the chip shortages are impacting Google’s release schedule, but not in the ways claimed by outlets earlier on Friday.
Apple is planning an update to its cheapest iPhone, the iPhone SE, next year, after releasing a new model in April 2020 with a 4.7-inch display and A13 Bionic chip. It will continue to use that same home button design in 2022, but could move to a 6.1-inch hole-punch redesign in the following year.
