Google has never really managed to keep its future devices a secret, and some of them even end up on sale on the Internet long before their official release. The Pixel 7a was no exception to the rule.
The Pixel 6a had been sold out early, and a prototype of the Pixel 7 had also ended up auctioned on eBay. It is now the turn of a prototype of the next Pixel 7a to end up on sale before the official launch of the smartphone.
This isn’t exactly the first time we’ve seen the Pixel 7a out in the wild. A few days ago, the smartphone was photographed by one of our colleagues in Vietnam, which allowed us to confirm a good part of the smartphone’s technical data sheet.
The Pixel 7 has already sold at auction on eBay
The Google Pixel 7a has been auctioned on eBay with a base price of 1650 dollars, but the ad has since closed without any offers, apparently at the request of the seller. Since this is a prototype, we can note that the logo on the back is not that of Google, but this is aanother logo affixed to devices intended for internal testing.
According to the description, the device wouldn’t turn on and only boot in fastboot mode, because Google probably blocked it remotely. This means that a buyer will not be able to glean much information about this particular device. This Pixel 7a seems to use 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM from Samsung and 128GB of storage from SKHynix.
As a reminder, the Pixel 7a would be equipped with a 6.1-inch FHD+ 90Hz display and an overall design inherited from the base Pixel 7. It will be powered by Tensor G2 chip, which can already be found in the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Consumers might find a 64 MP Sony IMX787 sensor and an IMX712 ultra-wide sensor. Also, the Pixel 7a appears to support 5W wireless charging, a feature missing on the Pixel 6a. It would therefore be the first mid-range smartphone from Google capable of being recharged wirelessly.