While the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a have not yet been officially confirmed, unofficial confirmation that Google is already planning the Pixel 5a has been obtained.

First spotted by 9to5Google, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code change summarizes the developer's existing Pixel lineup and which version of Android it comes or will come with out of the box. As expected, at the bottom of the list is Pixel 5a.

Under normal circumstances, "the company plans a successor" would not be headline news, but this is not a normal year. And given the song and dance that Google has done with the Pixel 4a (finally due out this week), one might wonder if the company's heart is really in its excellent budget line.

Originally slated to arrive in May, the Pixel 4a has experienced almost monthly delays, even though it has been ready for some time. At one point, Google also decided to make the Pixel 4a XL disappear, which does not bode well for those already looking ahead to next year's model.

However, this AOSP reference does indicate that Google is working on the Pixel 5a, at least for now. You might think that the delay of the Pixel 4a would result in the Pixel 5a being delayed until much later this year, but given that it is listed as running Android 11(R) rather than Android 12 next year, that does not currently seem to be the plan. Nevertheless, if there is one thing we can learn from the Pixel 4a saga, it is that release dates can change.

As far as leaked information goes, this is very unfortunate timing; the Pixel 4a is scheduled to arrive on August 3, and hearing that the follow-up is not too far away may push potential buyers to wait just a little longer. That's a shame, because from what we've seen, the Pixel 4a looks to be a capable little device with a Snapdragon 730 processor backed by 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage.

But as with last year's Pixel 3a, the best features are likely to be elsewhere: the camera and early access to Android updates. As for the camera, it looks like it will have a 12-megapixel lens, which will punch well above its weight, thanks to Google's best-in-class image processing, no matter what the Pixel has looked like so far. Sure, it's a shame that the Pixel 4a won't inherit the Pixel 4's 16-megapixel telephoto lens, but you can't have everything.

More precisely, you can't have it all at this price: the Pixel 4a will be available for $349, which is considerably less than the $799 MSRP of the original Pixel 4.