Google has started selling a long-delayed budget smartphone boasting the same high-quality camera and several other features available in fancier Pixel models that cost hundreds of dollars more.

The Pixel 4a will be available on August 20 after months of delay caused by supply problems triggered by the pandemic. It will cost US$349, a US$50 discount from a cheap Pixel released last year. It’s also a major markdown from other higher-end models in the existing product lineup that start at US$799. The next versions of Google’s top-of-the-line Pixel phones will be released sometime this fall, Google said.

The budget-minded Pixel 4a is coming out four months after Apple released a discount iPhone, the SE, priced at US$399. It’s doubtful the Pixel 4a will reel in as many consumers as the iPhone SE, based on Google’s inability to make significant inroads as a device maker so far, despite generally positive reviews for the devices, especially their cameras.

The Pixel phones primarily serve as a showcase for Google’s Android operating system, which includes its search engine and other services, such as digital maps, that help sell the ads that generate most of the company’s revenue.

(SD-Agencies)