Is this the Google Pixel 4a? Alleged real-life images leaked

The Pixel 4a — Google’s rumored upcoming mid-range phone — may have appeared in a new set of leaks. Alleged photos of the smartphone matching previous renders were posted on Twitter and Reddit over the weekend.

The images show a phone with a punch-hole on the top-left corner of the display, a first for Google phones. One of the pictures also shows the Settings page of the phone, seemingly confirming the Pixel 4a name.

Looks like the square-shaped camera bump on the back of the phone has only a single lens accompanied by a flash. Another notable design element is a stark white lock button. The alleged Pixel 4a pictured in these photos appears to be black in color and the white lock button matches the design philosophy of the Just Black Pixel 4 which also had a contrasting orange button.

In two of the photos, we see the phone encased in what looks like an official Google fabric cover for the Pixel 4a. There seems to be a cut-out on the top-left corner of the cover, possibly to accommodate a 3.5mm headphone jack. The back also features two cutouts: one for the camera and the other for a fingerprint sensor.

As observed by folks over at 9to5Google, this fabric cover is unlike any we’ve seen from Google before. The cover appears to be a mix of red and blue and we can confirm Google doesn’t sell a fabric case in this color as of now.

Are these Pixel 4a images legit?

While these leaked Google Pixel 4a images are as close as we’ve ever come to seeing the actual phone, we’re not fully convinced that they are 100% legit. Why? because if you look closely, there’s no visible speaker grille at the top of the phone to hear phone calls. While this does raise a red flag, it’s also quite possible that we just can’t see the speaker grille because it’s too thin and these images aren’t of the best quality.

Another missing visual element is the clock in the status bar of the phone. Most photos in the leak don’t show the clock where it’s supposed to be, casting another shadow of doubt on the legitimacy of the images. Then again, it’s possible that Google’s firmware isn’t updated properly to support the punch-hole display, hence the missing clock.

Related: Is the Google Pixel 4a a 4G or 5G phone? Evidence points to both

Apparently, the photos originally appeared in a Facebook group of Google Pixel fans (as noted on Reddit and 9to5Google) before being posted on other platforms. Random Facebook groups are usually not the best source of leaks and because of the other aforementioned reasons, we’d like you to take these images with not a grain, but a large helping of salt. These might as well be fake just like previously leaked photos that turned out to be photoshopped.

When will Google launch the Pixel 4a?

We don’t have an official launch date for the Pixel 4a just yet. The smartphone was expected to be announced at Google I/O in May, but the in-person event has since been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Will Google still hold an online launch event for the new mid-ranger? Well, it’s possible, but again, Google hasn’t confirmed anything.

Meanwhile, if you’re keen on knowing everything about the upcoming Google Pixel 4a, you can head to our rumor roundup here.