As with any big phone release, details on Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 phones are continuing to surface. The phone has been spotted in the wild, and new information points to larger displays, and more memory.
The existence of the Pixel 4 was confirmed by Google itself last month when they unexpectedly shared a picture of the rear of the phone on social media.
After the Google announcement the phone has begun turning up in the wild. The phones in these photos show the same camera bump in the official announcement, or at least are in cases with cut outs in the case which line up with the dual-camera array, flash and what’s likely a time of flight sensor shown on the official render.
The lack of rear fingerprint sensor on the phone was shown off in recent 3D renders of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, based on case designs. The renders also show the front of the phones with larger top and bottom bezels, but notably no notch on the Pixel 4 XL.
The renders were accompanied by reports placing the Pixel 4 XL display at 6.25-inch, with the smaller Pixel 4 will be 5.6-inch in size. A separate report puts the Pixel 4 display resolution at 2280×1080, while the larger Pixel 4 XL display will have a resolution of 3040×1440.
The release of the renders were followed up by the source, @onleaks, showing an image highlighting a ‘Soli’ sensor alongside dual front-facing cameras. Announced in 2015, Soli is a sensor which tracks hand gestures letting you control your phone without touching it.
Screen protectors now showing up adding further weight to the possible inclusion of Soli in the Pixel 4 – or at the very least confirm the existence of a sensor requiring clear line of sight.
Design wise, Google appears to be keeping on track with previous Pixel phones. Renders shown so far depict a phone with cleaner lines on the rear, and Google’s seemingly now signature alternately coloured power button.
Powering the phone, benchmarks have shown that as usual Google will be using Qualcomm’s flagship processor, the Snapdragon 855, which will be paired with 6GB of RAM.
A report from BGR seemingly confirms the 6GB of RAM, a step-up from the 4GB on the Pixel 3 which had notorious memory issues. Whether Google should have just gone to 8GB is a question which will be answered at launch.
Speculation on whether the processor will be paired with Qualcomm’s X50 5G modem is rife. With their Nexus 4 phone, launched in 2012, Google controversially opted to not include 4G at a time when 4G phones and networks were launching, echoing the current state of affairs around the globe with 5G. Google was panned for the decision, so whether they have learned their lesson is another big question.
Google will include the latest version of Android on the Pixel 4, so far known as Android Q. Google is expected to release the final version of Android Q, which has been available as a developer preview for several months, in August.
Google has notably launched exclusive features such as Google Assistant and Lens, unlimited cloud photo storage and more on their Pixel phones including camera exclusive features like Night Sight, and the same is expected for the Pixel 4.
For the Pixel 4, as well as the air gestures utilising the Soli sensor, Google is looking at implementing a new ‘rule‘ feature that lets you automate your phone settings based on either your location or when you connect to a particular wifi network. Minor features include an update to their native ‘Shazam-like‘ music recognition feature which will display album art, and we expect even more innovative features.
Google has previously offered 3 years of software updates for the Pixel phones, and the Pixel 4 is expected to also receive the same support. This support cover both feature and security updates.
Google is expected to announce the Pixel 4 at their now annual ‘Made by Google’ hardware event in October. The high profile of the Google Pixel phone ensures we’ll be seeing another leak on these phones very soon.
