Today, Google finally took the wraps off one of the most hotly anticipated phones of the year: the Google Pixel 4a. It also confirmed two other devices coming later this year, namely the Google Pixel 4a 5G and the Google Pixel 5.
While these two phones will see launches in various parts of the world before the end of 2020, there will not be Google Pixel 4a 5G or Google Pixel 5 India or Singapore launches. Google confirmed that these two countries will not see either device.
The exact quote from the release is here:
Regarding the two new 5G Pixel phones that were announced globally today, these will not be available in India or Singapore, based on a variety of factors including local market trends and product features. We remain deeply committed to our current Pixel phones and look forward to bringing future Pixel devices to these countries.
Google Pixel 5 not coming to India or Singapore
Google’s reasoning behind not bringing the Pixel 4a 5G to India is likely pretty logical: 5G is not a thing in India so a 5G-powered version of a phone that is coming to India is probably not necessary.
However, the lack of a Google Pixel 5 India launch is a little stranger. We expect the Pixel 5 to also be 5G-capable, but that wouldn’t be a good enough reason to prevent it from landing in the world’s second-largest smartphone market.
It’s possible that this news relates to Google’s Motion Sense: the radar-powered system used in the Google Pixel 4 series which was the main reason for the lack of an India launch in 2019. If the Google Pixel 5 has Motion Sense, that would negate an India launch all on its own.
Although, it could simply be that Google wants to give all its focus to the Google Pixel 4a when it comes to the Indian market. The fact that the Pixel 4a won’t even land there until October (and we don’t yet know how much it will cost), suggests a Pixel 5 could crowd up its launch.
Whatever the case, the lack of a Google Pixel 5 India release will likely be upsetting for Pixel fans there. All we can hope is that those buyers will be happy enough with the Pixel 4a, which, to be fair, is one of our best-reviewed phones of the year so far.
