The Google Pixel 6A’s launch at I/O 2022 now looks locked in
New mid-ranger set to drop in May
The Google Pixel 6a is now virtually official, with the tech giant’s next budget blower recently spotted passing through the FCC in the US – something which strongly suggests a forthcoming release.
The filing was first picked up by Droid Life and seems to confirm one of the least shocking Pixel 6A rumours, as a SKU references the device supporting 5G.
More intriguing is the timing of the paperwork, which suggets that the Pixel 6A’s launch could be just around the corner. FCC documentation typically crops up in the immediate run-up to a product’s release, and we’re now approximately a month away from Google I/O 2022, the company’s annual developer conference. Surely this isn’t a coincidence.
What else can you expect from the upcoming mid-ranger? As its name would suggest, the Pixel 6A is expected to borrow heavily from the Pixel 6, offering a similar design and some of the same headline specs as the flagship, while also making a few compromises to keep the price down.
Instead of competing with Google’s current flagship, it will look to establish itself as one of the year’s best cheap phones and the FCC filing references multiple versions of the handset, suggesting that the Pixel 6A will be more widely available than last year’s Pixel 5A.
That device was released in August and ended up only being sold direct through Google itself, but if you go back to non-pandemic times and 2019’s Pixel 3A the company does seem to prefer a Summer release.
Google I/O 2022 is set to take place from May 11-12 and will be a virtual-first event with limited in-person attendance as the US continues to grapple with the final stages of the pandemic.
- Related: Google Pixel 6 Pro review
James Laird
Contributing Editor 
