Just some thoughts I’ve been having which have amplified after seeing the OnePlus 8/8Pro pricing today.
With the rumoured 4a looking like another winner if priced like last years 3a, and flagship androids increasing in price this year due to the higher cost of the 5G enabled Snapdragon 865 chip; should Google just give up on a flagship model Pixel 5 and focus on the ‘A’ series?
The justification for high priced flagships was already questionable last year with people keeping phones for longer and mid-tier phones being not just good enough, but great. In these uncertain economic times, I can only see the high prices being increasingly unjustifiable to the majority of buyers. With the OnePlus 8 series having significant price increases this year, a 4a coming in at the same (or similar) price as last year will have greater appeal than even the 3a did.
I have a Pixel 4 and while I do like it and have come to like face unlock a lot, the reality is I only upgraded from the Pixel 2 because I got a heavy retailer discount. At flagship pricing, the 4 just wasn’t worth it and I’m not sure what they could do on a premium model this year to make it seem like a reasonable purchase.
Last year I thought Google might actually skip a 4a version as it would be too similar to the 3a without the Pixel 4’s face unlock, soli radar or telephoto lens. Now with the drastic change in the world due to the Caronavirus; I now think a 4a might be Google’s chance to stop reaching for a premium market that doesn’t seem to respond well to their efforts.