Wild leak suggests small Google Pixel flagship is in the works

Google hasn’t offered a pocket-friendly flagship smartphone for a while now, with 2020’s Pixel 5 being the last device in this regard. However, a Chinese leaker has made a rather incredible claim.

Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station has claimed that Google is working on a “small-screen flagship” with the code-name Neila. The leaker’s machine-translated post also suggests it will have a similar design as recent Pixels.

We don’t know much else about this apparent compact Pixel, but we’d definitely advise you to take this claim with a huge helping of salt. We’ve seen a few Pixel leaks in recent months, but none of these leaks point to a small flagship phone. 

Nevertheless, a theoretical Pixel Mini will need to make several compromises in order to deliver a smaller size than the Pixel 6. One of the most obvious cutbacks is usually battery capacity, so you should expect a smaller battery than the Pixel 6’s 4,500mAh capacity. Other potential cutbacks in the name of a smaller form factor include wireless charging and cameras (i.e. sensor size or the number of sensors).

Still, we hope Google isn’t going too small with this pocket-friendly phone if it indeed is working on such a device. Apple recently abandoned the 5.4-inch iPhone Mini line following poor sales, suggesting that consumers aren’t interested in dipping way below the 6-inch mark.