David Imel / Android Authority
TL; DR
- A prominent backer has claimed that Google is working on a compact flagship Pixel phone.
- The phone is apparently codenamed Neila, but little is known about it.
Google hasn’t offered a flagship pocket smartphone for a while now, with 2020’s Pixel 5 being the latest device in that regard. However, a Chinese leaker made a pretty incredible claim.
The Weibo Digital Chat Station tipster claimed that Google was working on a “small screen flagship” codenamed Neila. The leaker’s machine-translated post also suggests it will have a similar design to recent Pixels.
We don’t know much else about this apparent compact Pixel, but we’d definitely advise taking that statement with a huge helping of salt. We’ve seen a few Pixel leaks over the past few months, but none of those leaks point to a small flagship phone.
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Still, a theoretical Pixel Mini will have to make several compromises in order to offer a smaller size than the Pixel 6. One of the most obvious reductions is usually battery capacity, so you should expect a smaller battery than the 4,500mAh capacity of the Pixel 6. Other potential reductions in the name of a smaller form factor include wireless charging and cameras (i.e. sensor size or number of sensors ).
Still, we hope Google doesn’t go too small with this pocket phone if it does indeed run on such a device. Apple recently discontinued the 5.4-inch iPhone Mini line following poor sales, suggesting consumers aren’t interested in dipping much below the 6-inch mark.
