Pixel 4a and Pixel 5: Google unveils its first 5G phones at $499

Tech giant Google on Monday launched its first 5G-enabled phones, Pixel 4a and Pixel 5, with a price tag starting at USD 499. Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 will be available in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Australia.

The Google 4a will feature a 5.81-inch display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G Mobile Platform, 6GB RAM and 128 GB storage.

Google has introduced the non-5G version of the 4a at USD 349, in a bid to broaden its appeal to budget-conscious customers. Google`s lower-priced devices have been top sellers, but are far from being major profit drivers.

The battery is of 3140 mAh2, with a front camera of 8 MP and a rear camera of 12.2 MP dual-pixel. The Pixel 4a is available only in black colour. It has a polycarbonate unibody with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass. It has Android 10 operating system.

Higher-priced devices have gained little traction versus those from industry leaders such as Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc because of limited marketing and stiff competition.

Pixel in India

Google will introduce its latest Pixel 4a smartphone in the Indian market in October but will not bring its new 5G-enabled Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) to India and Singapore markets. In October 2019, Google had skipped the launch of Pixel 4 and 4XL in India.

"Last year, Pixel 3a gave people a chance to get the helpful features of Pixel at a more affordable price. This year, Pixel 4a, which launches in India in October, will continue to bring features like the incredible camera and feature drops that make your phone better over time," Google said in a blogpost.

While the pricing of the device will be announced closer to the launch, Google said it will be available at a "more affordable price". Google said the two new 5G Pixel phones (Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5), coming this fall, will not be available in India or Singapore "based on a variety of factors including local market trends and product features". "We remain deeply committed to our current Pixel phones and look forward to bringing future Pixel devices to these countries," it added.

In May 2019, Google had introduced Pixel 3a and 3a XL in the country at Rs 39,999 onwards as part of its strategy to make available more affordable devices in its smartphone line up. The Pixel 4 and 4XL introduced globally 2019 in October were priced USD 799 (about Rs 57,000) onwards.

Counterpoint Research Associate Director Tarun Pathak said Google's challenge with Pixel devices wasn't about the product, but channel outreach. "So with Pixel 4a, if Google gets the channel strategy right, it has good chances of making Pixel 4a its most successful Pixel device in the Indian market, especially coming in amid the current scenario of anti-china sentiment," he added.