Google Pixel 10a: Early rumour delivers bad news about future mid-range star

Google has not released the Pixel 9a yet. Instead, it continues to offer the Pixel 8a as a cheaper option alternative to the flagship Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. For reference, the Pixel 9a is expected to launch later this year, albeit a few months before its predecessor's anniversary.

Nonetheless, Android Authority has already moved on to sharing details about Google's mid-range smartphone release for 2026. Incidentally, the same website has shared codenames for almost all of the Pixel smartphones that will debut this year and next year, coverage of which we have provided separately.

As for the Pixel 10a, Android Authority alleges that Google may re-use the chipset destined for this year's Pixel 9a. Based on previous leaks, the latter will feature a cheaper version of the Tensor G4 that underpins the Pixel 9 series. Specifically, Google is rumoured to have adopted Integrated Package on Package (IPoP) to reduce production costs, just as with the Tensor G3 that ships inside the Pixel 8a (curr. $399 on Amazon).

IPoP may cause the Pixel 9a to run slower, hotter and less efficiently than its flagship counterparts. Thus, the same could be true for the Pixel 10a, albeit to a greater extent when compared with its Tensor G5-powered peers. In other words, Google's mid-range smartphones may eventually jump two generations, just like its foldable division did between the Pixel Fold and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.