Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G officially discontinued in lead-up to the Pixel 6 launch

Ben Schoon | Aug 20 2021 - 6:11 pm PT

This year’s Pixel situation is a bit of a weird one with the Pixel 6 technically now officially announced, but with a couple of months between now and the formal launch. Tonight, Google has confirmed that its current flagship, the Pixel 5, will be discontinued alongside the Pixel 4a 5G.

The Pixel 4a 5G being discontinued makes perfect sense following the Pixel 5a’s debut this week. However, the Pixel 5 kicking the bucket this early is certainly out of the ordinary for the smartphone market. Generally, older models aren’t discontinued until the next generation has been released, so Pixel 5 dropping off in August ahead of the Pixel 6’s presumed release in October is certainly well ahead of schedule.

Google says that both Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will be sold out completely “in the coming weeks.” As it stands today, the Pixel 5 is marked out of stock from the US Google Store, and the Pixel 4a 5G is as well. Both phones also recently disappeared from Google Fi. The company confirmed the decision in a statement to The Verge:

With our current forecasts, we expect Google Store in the U.S. to sell out of Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 in the coming weeks following the launch of Pixel 5a (5G). These products will continue to be available through some partners while supplies last.

Notably, too, Google did the same thing with its previous flagship phone. The Pixel 4 series was discontinued a couple of months ahead of schedule too. In fact, Google pulled the plug on those phones at the beginning of August last year.