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Update: While Front Page Tech told Google that the Pixel 5a is cancelled, Android Authority has confirmed that it is not. However, in their tweet, they have mentioned that it will be available in the US and Japan later this year. Which could mean it’s coming to the US and Japan only.
Apparently, the Google Pixel 5a has been cancelled.
This is according to Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser who broke the news on Twitter today. According to Prosser, the cancellation is due to the global chip shortage, which is affecting all sorts of different products around the world.
Bad news.
“Barbet” (Pixel 5A) has been canceled. 😞
I’m told it’s due to the chip shortage, and as of this morning, it’s not moving forward.
Pixel 4A and 4A 5G will continue to be sold throughout 2021.
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) April 9, 2021
Prosser does note that the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a 5G will continue to be sold throughout 2021. Prosser is generally spot on with his leaks (minus the Apple March event), so it’s a good idea to believe him, when he speaks.
Why is there a chip shortage?
You may or may not have heard about this global chip shortage, but it is affecting all sorts of industries. Though car makers like Ford and GM have been the loudest ones complaining about the shortage.
Considering the fact that almost every piece of technology uses a chipset of some sort, this shortage is really affecting everything. It’s the main reason why the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X are almost impossible to find. It’s also likely why the OnePlus Nord SE was cancelled. Samsung is also having trouble keeping up with demand for its smartphones. Not so much because there’s a ton of people looking to buy their phones, but because they don’t have enough chips.
The Biden Administration is taking steps to alleviate this shortage, as it is affecting more than just the US. But it could be a year or two, or longer before it is completely back to normal.
So why is there a chip shortage? Well there’s a number of reasons. But there are two main reasons why. One is the pandemic forcing people to stay home. That means there were less people working in the factory making chipsets. But the pandemic is two-fold. As people started buying more and more tech to do things at home, it led to more products being sold and using up more chipsets than normal. For instance, most were buying laptops so they could work from home.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see more smartphones and other products get cancelled due to the chip shortage either.