Google Unveils Cheaper Pixel Smartphone, Teases 5G

Google unveiled a new, more accessible Pixel device on Monday, announcing that it would launch models targeted to super-fast 5 G networks later this year.

The Pixel 4a features key common features that make its top-of-the-line predecessor popular, including a robust camera system, reports AFP.   

But its starting price of $349 is about half that of the flagship Pixel 4 model.

The new phone will be available in the United States starting August 20.

While still a bit of a competitor in the mobile hardware industry, Alphabet-owned Google has seen traction with last year's introduction of Pixel 3a, which set a sky-high pricing pattern for top-tier handsets.

"Last year, Pixel 3a gave people a chance to get the helpful features of Pixel at a more affordable price," said Google product management vice president Brian Rakowski.

"This year, Pixel 4a and the first 5G-enabled Pixels, Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 coming this fall, will continue to bring the features people love packaged in sleek new hardware at more affordable prices."

The upcoming Pixel 4a connected to the 5 G networks currently under development will launch at $499 and will be accessible in Australia, Uk , Canada, France , Germany, Ireland, Japan , Taiwan, and the United States, according to Rakowski.

The global smartphone demand "plummeted" in the second quarter of this year, with Apple the only major manufacturer to rise, according to demand tracker Canalys.

Apple shipped 45.1 million iPhones worldwide, an rise of 25 percent relative to the same time last year, Canalys announced.

According to Canalys, the mobile demand worldwide declined by 14 per cent to 285 million units in the second consecutive quarter of the downturn in the coronavirus pandemic.

"So far, consumer purchasing power in major markets has remained relatively stable," Canalys senior analyst Ben Stanton said in a release.

"The real test will be in the coming months, as stimulus money is tapered off, and furlough schemes withdrawn."

China's Huawei overtook Samsung to become the world's number one mobile manufacturer in the second quarter on the basis of high domestic competition, Canalys reported.

Canalys said the company, which is battling US restrictions and dropping overseas revenue, shipped 55.8 million devices—for the first time beating Samsung, which shipped 53.7 million units.

The findings marked the first quarter in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple has led the market, Canalys said.