The Pixel 8a reportedly has a hidden USB-C display output feature

Last week, Google surprisingly unveiled its new mid-range phone, the Pixel 8a. Now, reputable Android tipster and journalist Mishaal Rahman has uncovered hints at a possible new feature hidden in the Pixel 8a.

Pixel 8a could support display output through a USB-C

The feature is found in the Pixel 8 series, and it seems it will be available for the Pixel 8a. The midranger has the needed hardware for the feature and Google just needs to enable it via a software update. It is believed the update will come sometime next month. The same happened to the Pixel 8, where the feature was disabled at launch and enabled with the release of the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2 update.

The Pixel 8a also features the Tensor G3 chip and other internal components like the USB controller like the Pixel 8 and Pro. This means the midranger should be capable of supporting an external display via the USB C port.

Rahman focuses on a system property called “persist.vendor.usb.displayport.enabled” which is currently set to 0, meaning the DisplayPort Alternate Mode is disabled. The QPR3 Beta 2 release set it to 1 to the Pixel 8 series, therefore enabling the feature.

The Pixel 8 stable builds are now on Android 14 QPR2. So, we could see the feature enabled for the Pixel 8, Pro, and 8a with the June update, which should be based on Android 14 QPR3.