The waiting game for the Google Pixel 5a may be coming to an end. The next version of Google's budget smartphone has apparently gone to the FCC and received certification from the regulatory agency.

As reported by 9to5Google, the Pixel 5a's arrival at the FCC was spotted by a Twitter user. The information contained in the regulatory filing does not reveal much about the Pixel 5a, other than that it is a model with significant support for the sub-6GHz 5G band It has already been rumored that the Pixel 5a will run on the 5G-powered Snapdragon 765G system-on-chip. It was widely assumed that Google's phone would be 5G-capable, as it was already rumored that it would be.

Really, the significance of this regulatory filing seems to be that the Pixel 5a is scheduled to launch this summer, something Google has more or less confirmed in the past.

Earlier this year, reports circulated that Google was planning to cancel the Pixel 5a. The handset maker denied the report and said that the updated model would definitely be released in the U.S. and Japan. Google added that the Pixel 5a will be released "in conjunction with last year's a-series launch."

This refers to the Pixel 4a, which Google announced on August 3, 2020. The model began shipping in the U.S. a few weeks later on August 20, with the Pixel 4a 5G arriving in October; if the Pixel 5a is currently going through regulatory approval, it is very likely to debut in early August.

For reference, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also reported that the Pixel 5a "will be announced and released in August," but provided no additional information on the model's rollout.

The Pixel A series has proven to be a popular addition to Google's smartphone lineup, largely because it offers many of the same photo features as the flagship Pixel, but at a much lower price. The Pixel 4a, for example, costs $349, $350 less than the Pixel 5.

Google may have a hard time matching the Pixel 5a's $349 price, considering all the features the new model may add; in addition to 5G connectivity, which made the Pixel 4a 5G $150 more expensive than the LTE model, the Pixel 3a and 4a have a rear lens There was only one, but the new models are expected to add an ultra-wide-angle camera. The Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5 will also be a step up from the Snapdragon 730G chipset in the Pixel 4a.

As with previous Pixel A models, the focus of the Pixel 5a is expected to be on the software-driven photography features that Google is bringing from its flagship devices; all of this should be confirmed soon as the Pixel 5a appears to have reached the certification stage.