Google unveils budget Pixel phone as virus pandemic curbs spending

Google has started selling a long-delayed budget smartphone boasting the same high-quality camera and several other features available in fancier Pixel models that cost hundreds of dollars more.

The Pixel 4a unveiled Monday will be available Aug. 20 after months of delay caused by supply problems triggered by the pandemic.

It will cost USD 349, a USD 50 discount from a cheap Pixel released last year. It’s also a major markdown from other higher-end models in the existing product line-up that start at USD 799. The next versions of Google’s top-of-the-line Pixel phones will be released sometime this fall, Google said, without revealing their their price.