Whatever its past form, the Google Pixel 8a is not far behind. Google has announced that its annual I/O developer conference will kick off on May 14, and three of the five Pixel A devices so far have appeared at previous events.

It is very likely that the next budget Pixel device will appear within the next two months. But how do we expect it to differ from the Google Pixel 7a - a device that still sits near the top of our best cheap phones list?

These are the major upgrades we expect.

One of the reasons the Pixel 7a was such a great budget phone was how close it was to the Pixel 7 in terms of specs. And this year, the Pixel 8a will use the same screen technology as the Pixel 8, which seems to close the gap even further.

This is according to reliable Pixel leaker Kamila Wojciechowska, who says that the screen refresh rate will jump from 90Hz in 7a to 120Hz in 8a. Also, peak brightness is said to be comparable to the Pixel 8's 1,400 nits (up from 1,000 nits on the previous model). [This is a pleasant surprise since the Pixel 7a's screen was already an upgrade from the Pixel 6a's 60Hz panel; the Pixel 7a uses (almost) the same Tensor G2 chipset as the Pixel 7, and according to Wojciechowska, the Pixel 8a will be upgraded to Tensor G3, he said. This is "a much bigger leap for the A-Series" than last year's upgrade, she wrote.

How big a leap? Well, here are the benchmark scores we recorded on the Pixel 7a and Pixel 8:

As well as performance gains, this may help with camera image processing. However, according to Wojciechowska, the same 64MP Sony IMX787 used in the 7a is used, so miracles are not expected.

Wojciechowska adds that this version of the chipset is likely to use a cheaper plastic housing and may have slightly higher operating temperatures. Whether that will show up in actual performance remains to be seen, but it does not seem very likely.

The final detail in Wojciechowska's report is interesting: the Pixel 7a was available in a fairly limited 21 markets, based on the electronic warranty label, while the 8a will expand to 10 more countries in Northern and Eastern Europe.

However, the above improvements appear set to affect the amount you can expect to pay. Earlier this month, price leaks in Europe suggested that the Pixel 8a will start at €569 - up from €509 for the 7a and €459 for the 6a. In the U.S., this translated to a $50 increase last time, so we could see a starting price of $549 this year.

Still, if other reported specs are confirmed, that price would still be a pretty impressive value. Especially since the Pixel phones are guaranteed to be the first to get a taste of the new OS version, which no other Android manufacturer has.

If it can even match the seven years of software updates that Google promised with the Pixel 8, this could be the best budget phone of 2024. the Google I/O 2024 event in May is a must-see.