The Pixel 4a 5G is comparable to many of the features Google has included in its flagship Pixel 5, but is priced $200 less. Therefore, cell phone buyers looking for an affordable 5G handset may have been waiting for the arrival of one of Google's less expensive 5G-enabled handsets.

That time is approaching. Google has already begun taking pre-orders for the Pixel 4a 5G, and wireless carriers will follow suit.The Pixel 4a 5G is available at the Google Store for $499 and can be purchased unlocked or tied to Verizon or Google Fi available. No ship date is listed, but Google has indicated in the past that the Pixel 4a 5G will ship in November.

Pre-orders for the Google Pixel 4a 5G are also available on Verizon. Order now and you can get the phone by November 19; unlike the Google Store, which sells only the black version of the Pixel 4a 5G, Verizon offers the phone in black and white.

AT&T will also sell the Pixel 4a 5G, but will start taking pre-orders next Friday, November 6, with the device arriving in stores on November 19; T-Mobile will also sell the Pixel 4a 5G, but as of this writing only lists it as coming soon. [If you buy the Pixel 4a 5G from Verizon, you'll pay more for the device; the $599 Pixel 4a 5G UW runs on Verizon's high-speed ultra-wideband network and delivers the fastest 5G speeds, though only in certain areas of 51 cities. Verizon's Pixel 4a 5G version will also work in Verizon's just-launched nationwide 5G coverage area, which is slower than Ultra Wideband but covers longer distances.

Google is offering a price discount on the Verizon version of the Pixel 4a 5G. If you activate a new Verizon line through Google and sign up for one of Verizon's unlimited data plans, you will save $239 off the phone with a billing credit applied over 24 months.

Best Buy is also taking pre-orders for the Pixel 4a 5G, offering a $50 discount if the $499 Pixel is activated with wireless service instead of unlocked.

AT&T has already announced the Pixel 4a 5G deal. If you purchase the phone on an installment plan and sign up for an unlimited data plan, the carrier will discount $375 off the Pixel 4a 5G when you trade in your qualifying device. Note that this discount is applied through 30 months of billing credits.

The Pixel 4a 5G reflects some of the Pixel 5's most important features, including 5G connectivity; while it does not get the Pixel 5's display's fast 90Hz refresh rate, the 4a 5G's 6.2-inch screen is large and features the same great camera that impressed us in our Pixel 5 review Pixel 5 review, and it has the same great camera that impressed us in our Pixel 5 review, but at a few hundred dollars less.