Google has officially acknowledged the existence of the upcoming Pixel 8a while revealing that a recently removed Android feature will be returning on the midrange and future Pixel devices. The confirmation came in response to user reports about the disappearance of the Battery information page within the Android settings.
A Google employee, as first reported by 9to5Google, stated on the company’s bug tracker page that the Battery information page, which displays the battery’s manufacture date and cycle count, was intended to be available only on the Pixel 8a and beyond.The feature was initially introduced in the early beta of Android 14 QPR1 last year but was removed following the recent Android 14 QPR2 release.
“We only enable this page on Pixel 8a and beyond, so this is WAI(Working as Intended),” a Google employee replied to the thread on IssueTracker.
The decision to limit the battery stats feature to newer hardware has raised questions among Pixel users, who believe that providing basic information on battery health should not be restricted to upcoming devices. Google may reconsider this stance in light of the numerous comments from users on the issue tracker.

Google Pixel 8a: What to expect

Currently, not much is known about the Pixel 8a. Rumours suggest that the Pixel 8a is expected to be unveiled in May, possibly at Google I/O 2024. As reported by WinFuture, the Pixel 8a could come in two storage options and four colours. The phone is expected to be available in Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, and Mint colours, but not all colours may be available in both storage options.
The 128GB storage variant of the phone may start at 569.90 euros (around Rs 51,000 / $620), while the 256GB version could retail at about 630 euros (around Rs 56,700/ $685), which is a significant increase from the price of the Pixel 7a.
The Pixel 8a is rumored to have a design similar to the Pixel 8 phones released last year, with a dual rear camera setup housed inside the visor and rounded edges. The phone may have a 6.1-inch screen and come with the Tensor G3 chip and 8GB of RAM.