Early Pixel 4a renders somehow look better than the more premium Pixel 4

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  The Pixel 4a. It has a hole-punch display, slim bezels, and a rear camera block. [credit: @OnLeaks x 91mobiles ]

We're back from the holiday break, so let's dive into the most interesting piece of phone news to pop up during the end of 2019: these Pixel 4a leaks. OnLeaks has posted unofficial renders of the Pixel 4a, and because it has a pretty reliable record of producing early phone looks based on CAD files, the leaks are worth paying attention to.

There are a lot of very promising things pictured in these renders. First, the render is a sign that the Pixel 4a is actually happening. The $400 Pixel 3a was Google's first-ever midrange Pixel phone, so a followup was not necessarily a guarantee, especially with Google's recent shutdown-happy attitude. The Pixel 3a seems to have been popular enough to warrant a followup. Google doesn't share phone sales numbers, but the company said the Pixel 3a helped phone sales grow "more than 2x year-over-year" during the 3a's Q2 2019 launch quarter.

Despite being a midranger, the render shows what looks like Google's most modern-looking Pixel phone ever. The front looks a lot like a Galaxy S10e, with slim bezels, a hole-punch display, and none of the bevy of sensors that fill up the Pixel 4's sizable top bezel. There's still a headphone jack, according to these renders, and there's still a rear-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader instead of the in-screen fingerprint reader you get on most flagships.

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