Google making two smartphone announcements two weeks apart is as rare as it gets, but that’s exactly what happened this month. In the first week, Google gave us a surprising preview of the upcoming Google Pixel 6 series, and this week, the company announced the much-awaited Pixel 5a. While the Pixel 6 series won’t be available until this fall, the Pixel 5a is already on sale — available unlocked from the Google Store at $449. But it looks like the other Pixel models — namely the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 — won’t remain on sale alongside the Pixel 5a 5G.
Google has officially confirmed (via Digital Trends) that the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 have been discontinued. Both models will remain available through official sales channels until stock lasts, but the company won’t be manufacturing any new units.
“With our current forecasts, we expect Google Store in the U.S. to sell out of Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 in the coming weeks following the launch of Pixel 5a (5G). The Pixel 5a (5G) is a great option for customers and delivers valuable hardware upgrades compared to the Pixel 4a (5G), all at a lower price point," said a Google spokesperson in a statement to Digital Trends.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise, though. The writing has been on the wall for some time now as we have seen several reports of the Pixel 4a 5G running out of stock at multiple locations over the past two months.
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It shouldn't be a big deal anyway as the Pixel 5a 5G combines the best of both the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 while also offering a bigger display and larger battery. It’s powered by the same Snapdragon 765G SoC and packs the same camera hardware as the other two.
While Google isn’t saying why it decided to discontinue the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, the global chip shortage is very likely a factor.
Featured image: the Pixel 5 (left) and the Pixel 5a (right)