Did Google just leak its own Pixel 8a budget smartphone?

If you're in the market for a new, budget Android phone you might want to hold off making a purchase with Google thought to be working on a new Pixel 8a device. We know that it's in development and while we don't know when it will launch, it might not be all that far away if a new leak is what we think it might be.

With Google's new Pixel 8a on the way, a Google Fi Wireless ad appears to have potentially leaked it ahead of time. The ad shows two phones which don't seem to be anything that is already on the market.

First spotted by GSM Arena, the ad shows a phone that doesn't seem to be the Pixel 8 due to the lack of a microphone hole between the cameras and the LED on the back. And they don't appear to be Pixel 8 Pro models because of the matte frame, which suggests these phones might be an all-new model.

However, it's important to remember that it's possible these images are slightly altered and the microphone hole has been Photoshopped out for some unknown reason.

As for the Pixel 8a itself, we're expecting it to be powered by Google's Tensor G3 silicon paired with 8GB of RAM. There's also a suggestion that 128GB and 256GB models will be available while a 120Hz display with a peak brightness of 1,400 nites has also been tipped.

In terms of overall design, we're expecting something that looks similar to the Pixel 8 which could match these images, while the price is expected to be slightly more than the previous Pixel 7a.