It is likely that the new phones will be a little smaller than their Pixel 3 relatives, with a less impressive specification sheet to ensure they meet a lower price point. According to 9to5Google, which claims to have a first-hand source with information from Google itself, this means a pair of phones with OLED screen sizes of 5.6 and 6.0 inches. Their resolutions will be 2220 x 1080 for the Pixel 3a, and 1080 x 2160 for the larger 3a XL.

UPDATE: On April 34, the ever-reliable technology leaker Evan Blass tweeted a photo, above, which he claims to be of the Pixel 3a. The image shows a handset which looks very similar to the original Pixel from 2016, complete with screen bezels and no display notch.

Both phones will, according to the source, be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor, which is less powerful than the Snapdragon 845 fitted to the Pixel 3, and they'll have 4GB of RAM - the same as the Pixel 3 and 3 XL.

Battery capacity is expected to be almost identical, and so too is storage (starting at 64GB) and the inclusion of features like Active Edge, where a squeeze of the phone launches the Google Assistant.

Google Pixel 3 Smartphones available at Best Buy

So far, the new models appear almost identical to their older relatives. But what will be of most interest to many potential buyers is the camera system. Google earned huge praise for its AI-powered cameras in the Pixel 3, which substituted the multiple lenses used by rivals for clever software to produce better photos.

The leaks so far sound promising, with the Pixel 3a expected to get the same camera resolutions as the full-fat Pixel 3, meaning eight megapixels for the front and 12 for the rear. It remains to be seen for now if the same artificial intelligence can be run on the newer phone's less powerful processor.

It is claimed the 3a only has a single camera on its front, instead of the two which the Pixel 3 and 3 XL use to shoot wide-angle selfies. It's a shame this feature seems to be missing from the 3a, as we found it rather useful when trying to fit more people (or more of the background) into a self portrait.

Finally, color options are expected to be 'Clearly White,' 'Just Black' and purple.

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