The Pixel 6a might be announced in a little under a month, and recent details suggest that the device could be available in an extended range of markets.
Reports from MySmartPrice indicate that the Pixel 6a has now been certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where four models of the mid-range smartphone were discovered. These models include A4RGB62Z, A4RG1AZG, A4RGX7AS, and A4RGB17L. The several model variants have the media suspecting that Google has plans to release the Pixel 6a to more markets than its predecessor.
The Pixel 5a was available only in the U.S. and Japan, much to the chagrin of consumers. However, sources have deciphered the four Pixel 6a model numbers to get an understanding of Google’s potential plan to expand availability. The A4RGX7AS model has also appeared in a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification, according to a prior MySmartPrice report. Sources previously connected the model number to the Pixel 7, but now believe it belongs to the Pixel 6a. India happens to be a hot spot market for affordable smartphones.
According to Droid Life, the A4RGB62Z and A4RGX7AS are the “parent models” of the Pixel 6a. The A4RGB62Z model, in particular, is set to have 5G mmWave support, while the other three models will likely run only sub-6Ghz 5G. This could potentially, suggest some sort of carrier exclusivity in the U.S. The FCC filing also reveals NFC and Wi-Fi 6E certification for all four models.
Google never explained why the Pixel 5a had such limited availability; however, the Pixel 6 series has a more global presence, which includes Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and the U.K., in addition to the U.S. Perhaps other factors, such as Google now using its own proprietary, Tensor chip might aid in the Pixel 6a seeing a larger better availability.
Google is hosting its I/O developer conference on May 11-12, where the Pixel 6a is expected to be unveiled. The device could potentially see a summer market release. For reference, the Pixel 5a went on sale in August.
The Pixel 6a was also previously seen on the Geekbench benchmark, which can be a hint of an imminent unveiling.