Google Pixel 7a: Prototype of new mid-range smartphone lands on auction site

An eBayer with the username nikoskom-94 claims to be selling 'the Pixel 7a prototype', which may be the device that appeared on Facebook marketplace a few months ago. For reference, the model shown is not the same one that Zing news reviewed, which had Google's 'G' logo. Instead, the unit has a completely different logo, which is common among prototype units. Arguably, it looks more like a Pac-Man silhouette than the Google 'G' logo.

As the screenshots below show, nikoskom-94 hoped to start the bidding at US$5,000 and offered a US$12,000 Buy It Now price. Subsequently, the eBayer reduced the prototype to US$2,500 without receiving any bids, before dropping it further to US$1,650. At the time of writing, the auction has returned to US$2,550 and will end on Saturday. The current pricing is still extraordinarily high for a prototype that is stuck in fastboot mode because Google has remote wiped it. For some reason, the SIM tray is missing too.

The Pixel 7a is expected to debut in May during Google's I/O 2023 keynote, possibly alongside the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. Based on last year's conference, Google could also use its I/O 2023 keynote to showcase the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, renders and dimensions of which surfaced earlier this week. The Pixel 7a is rumoured to launch in June for approximately €500 with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

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