The Google Pixel 5a vs. Pixel 4a comparison may seem premature, but the Pixel 5a is definitely coming, even if it did not debut at the Google I/O conference last month. After all, Google has already reported that the Pixel 5a 5G will launch in the US (and Japan) this year.

While details are scarce, a few Pixel 5a rumors have surfaced that give us an idea of what to expect from the Pixel 5a and how it will improve upon its predecessor, the Pixel 4a, as you can see in our Google Pixel 4a review, Pixel 5a impressed us greatly. In fact, the Pixel 4a has dominated our best budget phones list for months thanks to its low price of $349 and a camera that outperforms more expensive devices with multiple lenses.

From the possibility of the Pixel 5a adding 5G and better cameras to faster refresh displays, our Google Pixel 5a vs. Pixel 4a preview takes a look at the rumored features of Google's upcoming phones and how they could improve on the previous model We look at how they might improve on the previous model.

The Pixel 4a raised many eyebrows with its price tag, in a good way: at an affordable $349, Google's phone offered very impressive specs. Google undercut Apple's iPhone SE by $50, and then the OnePlus Nord N10 5G appeared at an even lower price, but OnePlus' budget phone had to scale back some features, including the processor and camera quality.

The rumored Pixel 5a price has not yet been leaked and probably will not be leaked until closer to launch. However, in our view, Google will have a hard time keeping the new phone at $349.

The new Google phone is expected to have many new features that would theoretically drive up the cost, including 5G connectivity. This could mean a price closer to the $499 charged by phone makers for the Pixel 4a 5G, although we hope the final cost is closer to the $400 mark.

Some expected the Pixel 5a to appear at Google I/O in May. (Guilty as charged.) Now we assume it is coming at some point this summer. Google expects the new version to arrive at the same time as the Pixel 4a was introduced, i.e., in August.

As for the look and feel of the Pixel 5a, don't expect Google to reinvent the wheel. In fact, according to leaked Pixel 5a images, Google's new phone should look a lot like the Pixel 4a, right down to the plastic back that Google uses on its budget devices. All of the features on the Pixel 4a, including the fingerprint sensor on the back, 3.5mm headphone jack, and stereo speakers, appear to be returning to the Pixel 5a. [The rumored 6.1 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches size of the Pixel 5a is also consistent with the size of the Pixel 4a 5G.

Rumors point to the Pixel 5a having a 6.2-inch OLED screen. This would be larger than the Pixel 4a's 5.81" display, but exactly the same size as the Pixel 4a 5G panel. Still undetermined is whether the Pixel 5a display will have a fast refresh rate; the Pixel 5 has a 90 Hz refresh rate, while last year's 4a model had a more conventional 60 Hz. (If you'd like to see a comparison of the Pixel 5a and Pixel 5, click here. We encourage you to take a look there as well.

It seems likely that Google wants to keep the display refresh rate as a differentiating feature of its flagship phones, but more and more budget devices are offering fast refresh displays. If Google wants the Pixel 5a to stand out from the Pixel 4a, refresh rate improvement is one area where it could do so.

Cameras are often the focus of the Pixel lineup, as Google has established itself as one of the preeminent manufacturers of the best camera phones. The Pixel 4a, in particular, took the best photos of any smartphone, despite having only one lens. That's because many of the photography features found on the flagship Pixel are also found on the company's budget smartphone.

The Pixel 5a may take a different approach than the previous model and its 12.2MP single lens. Rumors suggest that the Pixel 5a will be like the Pixel 4a 5G, with an ultra-wide angle shooter added to the main camera. Already, leaked images purportedly taken with the Pixel 5a reveal its ultra-wide-angle lens, and metadata in the images suggest it was taken with a camera with an f/2.2 aperture. In other words, we can expect the Pixel 5a to be a bit more flexible with respect to image capture than the Pixel 4a.

As for software features that are central to the photography experience on the Pixel, we expect Google's new phone to adopt many of the features that Google introduced with the Pixel 5 last fall. These include the addition of an electronic image stabilization mode when shooting video, improved HDR+, and portrait photography when using the Night Sight feature in low light.

Getting Google's cheap Pixel is not because you want a performance beast. In the past two models, Google has opted for a less powerful but more capable chipset than the one used in its flagships as a way to keep costs down; in the case of the Pixel 4a, that means the Snapdragon 730G system-on-chip, which is a great alternative to the iPhone SE's performed decently, even if rivals like the iPhone SE had more powerful processing power.

The Pixel 5a has a better chipset than the Pixel 4a. And that is something that anyone who has used the Pixel 5 knows.

According to some rumors, Google will use the same Snapdragon 765G that is in both the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. If true, the Pixel 5a will certainly offer improved performance over the regular Pixel 4a, although it may lag behind other mid-range devices. There is also a perception that the use of last year's processor in a new phone does not suggest a major leap forward.

But there are other implications for Google's use of the Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5a. It means that it will be able to connect to 5G networks, something that was not possible with the Pixel 4a; if you wanted 5G connectivity, you had to pay an extra $100 for the Pixel 4a 5G. There are a number of mid-range phones coming out this year that will drive down the cost of 5G devices, and the Pixel 5a could continue this trend with the right kind of chipset.

After the Pixel 3a offered great battery life two years ago, the Pixel 4a took a step back and fell below the average smartphone time in our battery tests. Part of the blame may lie in the small battery. The Pixel 4a made do with a 3,140 mAh battery when other phones routinely have 4,000 mAh power packs.

For example, the Pixel 4a 5G uses a 3,885 mAh power pack, which would be a more appropriate size for the Pixel 5a.

Google has foregone offering wireless charging on the Pixel 4a and Pixel 3a models. Since phone makers have to keep costs down somewhere, and wireless charging is a feature that can be reserved for premium devices, we imagine it will continue with the Pixel 5a.

We don't have all the details about the Pixel 5a yet - that will happen during this summer as we get closer to the rumored August launch date. However, early leaks suggest that the Pixel 5a is a significant improvement over the Pixel 4a. Indeed, the changes seem more substantial than the changes Google made in the Pixel 4a vs. the Pixel 3a upgrade.

Every Google Pixel 5a vs. Pixel 3a. Pixel 4a comparisons will focus on the camera lens added to the new model, and rightly so. The camera has long been the center of the Pixel experience. But there are other improvements rumored, including better processors, 5G connectivity, and (hopefully) faster refresh screens.

We are excited to get an official look at the Pixel 5a to see how it separates itself from the Google phones that came before it.