Exclusive: Google Pixel 11a Codename Sneaks Out!

Google’s Pixel devices never stay secret for too long, and it looks like there’s now some information regarding the leak of the Pixel 11a codename. Following a leak of the 2026 Pixel phone codenames, which includes several from the Pixel 11 series, Android Headlines has received some exclusive information about the Pixel 11a codename, a device that wasn’t included in the details of yesterday’s leak. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’ll stick to the bear-themed codenames.

Now this is just speculation, but the A series Pixel phones don’t usually come out until several months after the non-A models. The Pixel 8a came out in May 2024 while the Pixel 8 came out in October of 2023. The Pixel 7a came out in May 2023 while its Pixel 7 counterpart was released in October of 2022. If Google continues with this trend, the Pixel 9a is likely to come out in May of 2025, and the Pixel 10a should be arriving sometime in May of 2026. That would put the Pixel 11a all the way out in May of 2027.

And even with all that time ahead of it, Google still seems to have a codename ready for it.

Leak suggests the Pixel 11a codename is “Formosan”

According to yesterday’s leak, all of the Pixel 11 series codenames are bear-themed. The Pixel 11 is Cubs, the Pixel 11 Pro is Grizzly, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is Kodiak, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is Yogi. According to our source, the Pixel 11a is going to be codenamed “Formosan.” This refers to the “Formosan Black Bear,” a bear native to Taiwan with a distinctive v-shaped patch of white fur on its chest.

It’s unclear whether or not the choice to use Formosan for the Pixel 11a has any significance. Maybe Google just needed another bear-themed name. That being said, all of the codenames leaked yesterday seem to match up well with their devices. Cubs are baby bears and are obviously smaller than adults. So it makes sense Google would choose the Pixel 11 for this codename. The Pixel 11 Pro isn’t likely to be noticeably larger. However, it will have more features and do more stuff. It’ll be a more robust version of the phone. So Grizzly fits.

The Pixel 11 Pro XL perhaps fits the best. As Kodiaks are large brown bears that can be massive in size. And with the Pixel 11 Pro XL being the biggest phone, Kodiak fits. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold probably fits the least here. Yogi is the name of a bear, albeit a fictitious one. Yogi is also the name of a Yoga practitioner. And since Yoga involves a lot of bending and stretching the body in various ways, Google could be using Yogi as the name for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold due to its ability to bend in half. While also fitting the bear theme.

Sure, we’re grasping at straws here. But it’s fun to think about Google’s reasoning for picking which codenames go with which devices.

It’s unclear what chipset Google will go with

We don’t have any information on the chipset for this device. However, we can draw some ideas based on chipsets rumored for the upcoming phones. The Pixel 10 series is supposed to be using Google’s custom Tensor G5. While the Pixel 10a may stick with the Tensor G4 or could go with the Tensor G5 as well. The Pixel 11, meanwhile, is rumored to be going with the Tensor G6. If Google chooses to stick with the Tensor G4 for the Pixel 10a, it’s also possible it could use the Tensor G5 for the Pixel 11a instead of the Tensor G6.

It’s also worth noting that there was a rumor from last year that states Google is planning to use a nerfed Tensor G6 in the Pixel 11a. Again, this is all just speculation. The phone is too far out to have any real concrete idea of what chipset Google has planned for it. That being said, perhaps there will be more details on this once the Pixel 10 series releases later this year.

The post Exclusive: Google Pixel 11a Codename Sneaks Out! appeared first on Android Headlines.