Pixel 4 and 4 XL rumors and specs: Launching

Pixel 4 and 4 XL rumors and specs: Launching Oct. 15 with Face ID-type gesture controls and orange color

Launching on Oct. 15, Google's next flagship smartphones, the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, are important for the company. This is especially true that rivals like Apple launched it's iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max with boosted camera features like Night Mode, and Samsung is on the way with the relaunch with the Galaxy Fold, in addition to its Galaxy S10 and Note 10 phones. On the other hand, it's time for Google to step up. True, Google's most recent phones, the mid-range Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL, are doing well. Pixel sales have doubled and the Pixel 3A is going to impress with its camera, and BBC stories news editor Kashif called it the most important phone of the year 2019.

But in the last year's Pixel, 3 and 3XL didn't sell as well as required, despite due to their exceptional cameras and critical acclaim. This could be because the phones are exclusive to Verizon (though they work on other US carriers), plus the fact that people, in general, aren't buying phones as much as they used to. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL both smartphones are also expensive, unlike the Pixel 3A smartphones. There have been reported issues with the Pixel 3's performance too (although we at BBC stories news haven't experienced them personally), and the company just settled a class-action lawsuit that will pay out $500 apiece to owners of the first Pixel phone.

Here is everything Pixel 4 needs to compete with Apple and Samsung's current year. More than ever, however, we have a better understanding of what Google's next flagship smartphones will be capable of. On Aug. 7, the company has been released the sixth and last beta update for Android Q, now which is officially known as Android 10. In addition to software, Google unexpectedly "leaked" an image of the Pixel 4 in this year, and then later threw another curveball by releasing a video on YouTube about the phone's face unlock and motion-sensing capabilities.

The Pixel 4 and 4 XL will serve as Google's most important and ultimate take on its mobile OS, which is also the most popular Operating System in the world, and the smartphones must stand out, not only in front from the Apple iPhone but the rest of the other Android rivals, such as those from Samsung. Right now we are about a month or two away from its release, so in the meantime, read on to see what has been speculated so far and check again as we update this piece with interesting things as they arise.

The Pixel 4 exists, Has Square Camera Setup

As we mentioned in the above, the Pixel 4 is a real smartphone -- none other than Google announced that it's coming. Not only did Google confirm the name, but it included an image, which depicts multiple rear cameras encased in a square housing. There was another, less official instance when Google confirmed the; launching of the phone in April when a Google official commented on Google's Android Open Source Project. Buried in a thread about Google's memory error detection tool, and spotted first by 9to5Google, the comment refers to the Pixel 4 twice: In the comment, the poster writes,  besides to this the plan was to first deploy this on Pixel 3 and make sure that everything actually works accordingly. Then move forward to Pixel 4 and so on. If we had a Pixel 4 device." Even though the thread does not go away to reveal anything else about the smartphone, at least we learned that it's called the Pixel 4 and that it is on the way.

We, Will, See it Oct. 15

On Sept. 16, Google sent out invitations to its Pixel 4 event which is scheduled for Oct. 15. This means that what we already expected given that ever since the first Pixel launched in 2016, Google has released its flagship phones in October. The pattern goes like this: Google holds its Input/Output developer conference in May to go over the latest Android Operating System and its software updates. On the other hand, it has another presser that highlights Google's hardware developments and introduces a new flagship running the Android version previewed in before launching. There have been curveballs -- for instance, this year Google unveiled the Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL in May. But it looks like this time around we will see the Pixel 4 in October.

Google Pixel 4 Price

In the last year's Pixel, 3 and 3 XL launched at $799 and $899 for the 5.5-inch and 6.3-inch models, respectively. Is it possible could we see a price increase for Google's next-generation phones? We don't know enough to say for certain, though a dubious leak from an Irish retailer suggests these new Pixels could be even pricier this time around. 

A batch of listings from a site which is called Elara, discovered by 9to5Google, places the Pixel 4 and 4 XL prices at €819.98 and €1126.68. That roughly translates to $893 and $1228, as well, or £727 and £998. For what it is worth, those listings appear to have been taken down at the time of writing.

Now, if those Euro values check out, it's unlikely Google will simply straight upconvert them to dollars and pounds and leave it at that — determining price across regions is typically a more complicated affair. However, via conversion, we can still ascertain a ballpark estimate of how much the Pixel 4 will go for.

According to Evan Blass, the price in Canadian dollars for the Pixel 4 will start at CA$1049.95 for the 64GB storage regular-sized Pixel 4 to CA$1199.95 for the 128GB storage Pixel 4 XL. These translate to $788/£640 and $901/£731 respectively. These are much cheaper than the equivalent Pixel 3 models are in the UK or the previously leaked Euro prices but are very close to the current US and Canadian prices for the Pixel 3. It would be great if the Pixel 4’s prices did stick around those of the 3 since many other manufacturers’ equivalent phones are now more expensive than this.

The company launched the cheaper and more Pixel 3a earlier in this year, we would not be particularly surprised to see the company embrace the $1,000 flagship model likes that Apple and Samsung have already adopted. Then again, gossip regarding price can be easily faked — so take this one with a grain of salt.

Google Pixel 4 Design

We have a pretty solid idea of how the Pixel 4 and 4 XL should look, thanks to a combination of posts directly from Google, as well as unofficial hands-on involving what appears to be pre-release hardware google gave us our first taste of the phone's design in June, publishing an image to its social channels that revealed the device's rear side, dual-lens rear camera module and the absence of a Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor, which has been a consistent factor on all three generations of Google's handset that have been released to date.

After a month later, Google went ahead and confirmed the Pixel 4 would support depth-aware facial identification and the ability to read fine hand gestures in mid-air. In doing so, the company published a video as well as another round of renders that revealed more of the device — particularly its frame and thick top bezel, which is evidently necessary to house all those which are aforementioned components. It has appeared not as Pixel 4 will get a controversial notch, like the infamously massive one on the Pixel 3 XL that drew criticism from enthusiasts and critics last year. Rather than, everything we have seen to date including hands-on videos such as the one from YouTube channel Nextrift above and high-resolution photos from Vietnamese blog Genk — suggest we are getting a device with a dis-proportionately larger top bezel, packaged in a metal frame flanked by glass slabs on both sides. Amazingly, from what we can see, the rear does not look to continue the part-matte, part-glossy Pixel Window aesthetic we have come to expect from previous models. That said, the company will definitely double down on its precedent for bold and unusual phone colors with a new orange variant, joining the requisite black and white colorways. While some gossip surrounding the Pixel 4 may not be as sure as others, we're pretty confident about this one; Google put up a massive ad in Times Square teasing the Oct. 15 event with an orange Pixel 4. That above mentioned Elara price leak also claimed this model would be coined Oh So Orange, remaining consistent with Google's half-silly, half-cynical color naming conventions.

Pixel 4 Have Face Unlock and Motion Sensors

Face open and motion sensors were rumored back in June and confirmed by Google on July 29 this year. Google released a video and also a blog post showing that the Pixel 4 will have a Soli radar chip. on the other hand, this will allow Pixel 4 to have face unlock, which is similar to Apple's Face ID, and there is an important feature that will be secure enough to verify digital payments. There is also a chip that can have the sense motion, and lets you "skip songs, snooze alarms and silence phone calls" by waving your hand in front of the phone. The technology was developed internally by Google's best Technology and Projects team.

The feature is not like the LG G8 ThinQ and offers a glimpse into a touchless phone future. The FCC first granted Google approval to use this Project Soli sensor in December 2018 for airplane/aircraft.

Pixel 4 in Orange

The company confirmed that either the Pixel 4 or 4 XL will launches in a new shade of orange, thanks to a huge billboard in Times Square. The promotion, which is meant to drum up hype for the Oct. 15 event, shows the smartphone in its new color. This verifies a previous unofficial image that is posted by an on Chinese social network Weibo that showed a bright orange Pixel 4. Instead of black and white, lastly the Pixel colors include blue, purple and pink. While I do not like this particular shade of orange, it definitely stands out from the crowd.

Pixel 4 'Coming Soon' to Best Buy

There is the phone has not officially launched yet, sellers are getting ahead of the game. US retailer store Best Buy has its own splash page for the Pixel 4 for advertising and sale, saying that it's "coming soon," and posting an image of the phone's back. Though it does not include a photo, the image shows Google doing away with the two-tone glass shade. The back of the phone is to contain one single solid color. A video leak spotted by Slashleaks and 9to5Google also shows the back of the phone as a solid slab of black.

Pixel 4 Has One Front-Facing Camera

if you think back in June, supposedly a Pixel 4 was spotted in the wild by a tipster for 9to5Google showing that the phone had contained two front cameras and a large forehead. But the company sketch of the Pixel 4, which was used to show where the Soli radar chip was located on the phone's front-facing array, also showed that the phone had a single front-facing camera. 

We are unsure why the company would drop the second wide-angle camera from the smartphone, as it was useful on Pixel 3 for taking a wide selfie. Seeing how the company can render portrait photos with just one lens, perhaps Pixel 4 will be capable of taking standard and wide-angle shots using just software. Google declined a request for comment.

Google Pixel 4 RAM and Storage

The Pixel 4 is equipped with a Qualcomm's premium system-on-chip, the Snapdragon 855. The speedier, slightly overclocked Snapdragon 855+, seen in the ROG Phone 2 and OnePlus 7T, unfortunately, does not seems to be part of the pack, though leaked benchmarks suggest the company has decided to increase the Pixel 4's RAM to 6GB, up from 4GB in the last year. I am sure, 6GB may not be on the same level as because the 12GB of RAM offered by some other phone makers, like OnePlus and Samsung, but it's better than no increase at all. 

We had been hoping that the Pixel 4 would offer a larger storage option than the skimpy 64GB of storage found in the new iPhone 11 Pro, but a claimed official specifications sheet states that like the Pixel 3, your options are 64GB or 128GB for either version. Unlike Samsung, Google does not let you expand your phone's storage with microSD memory cards, so you either put up with it or look to other storage solutions like cloud back-ups.

Rumored specs	Pixel 4	Pixel 4 XL
Display	5.7-inch FHD+ OLED with 90Hz Smooth Display	6.3-inch Quad HD OLED with 90Hz Smooth Display
CPU	Snapdragon 855	Snapdragon 855
RAM	6GB	6GB
Storage	64GB/128GB	64GB/128GB
microSD Slot?	No	No
Rear Cameras	Dual: 12.2 MP primary wide (ƒ/1.73); 16 MP telephoto	Dual: 12.2 MP primary wide (ƒ/1.73); 16 MP telephoto
Front Camera	8 MP	8 MP
Battery Size	2,800 mAh	3,700 mAh
Colors	Just Black, Clearly White, Oh So Orange	Just Black, Clearly White, Oh So Orange

Pixel 4 Will Run Android 10

According to the past Pixel phones, the Pixel 4 line will be one of the first smartphones to run Android's latest OS. We know now it won't be the first, considering that there is OnePlus 7T is available now and serves up Android 10 out of the box. Up until this year, Google Operating System names were changed to alphabetical instead of numerically, and the upcoming update was temporarily known as Android Q. We know now that its official name is Android 10 and it will reportedly have a system-wide dark mode, new permissions features, improved facial recognition, and enhanced security.

It May Able to Call for Help in a Crash

According to the company Pixel, 4 may be able to use the phone's accelerometer and microphone to sense whether or not you were involved in a crash, according to XDA Developers. The feature would be available in the Pixel 4's Emergency Information app and can call 911 automatically, too. After a crash, the phone would play an alert at the max volume and vibrate. If you don't mute the phone, the app will then contact emergency services and make your location accessible.

Pixel 4 May Launch on Sprint

For the past few years, the Pixel smartphone has launched with US carrier Verizon, even though it worked on other networks such as AT&T and T-Mobile. But a leaked image of the Pixel 4 posted by XDA Developers shows the phone running on Sprint's network. Though Sprint is the country's fourth-largest carrier, it is due to merge with T-Mobile soon. Being sold by more companies instead of just one would also expand the Pixel's availability, which may have previously hurt sales.

Pixel 4 May Have a 90Hz display

Even joining the ranks of the OnePlus 7 Pro and the Razer Phone 2, the Pixel 4 may be equipped with a 90Hz display according to 9to5Google. That means that while most phones have a refresh rate of 60 frames per second (put in another way, in 1 second the display refreshes 60 times), the Pixel 4 would refresh at 90fps. 

After reviewing smartphones with 90Hz displays, we can attest that actions like scrolling through webpages and apps do feel more fluid, and it'd be an exciting feature to have on the Pixel 4.

Pixel 4 XL May Have Thick Bezels

An alleged photo of the Pixel 4 XL shows the phone looks pretty similar to the Pixel 3 XL. It has a large display and thick bezels at the top and bottom, and it shows a home screen that says, "Welcome to your new Pixel."

Pixel 4 XL is a Good Gaming Phone

A little purported video of the Pixel 4 XL, running nearly about 6 minutes long, shows the phone performance as a decent gaming phone. Posted by a Vietnamese technical blog called ReLab, in the video shows the phone with a white design, matte-black edges, and an orange power button. In addition to the mentioned 90Hz display, other specs include a 6.23-inch, a 1,440p screen, and a 3,700-mAh battery.

Pixel 4 XL could Have Two Back Cameras

Meanwhile the previous Pixel XLs launched with a single camera on the backside, leaked images posted on SlashLeaks indicate that the Pixel 4 XL may have two back cameras. The company has typically relied on its own camera software to do things like taking portrait photos that other phones require multiple rear cameras to accomplish, so it's interesting that Google may possibly add another. The same leaked image also shows the phone with the above mentioned hole-punch display.

Pixel 4 Might Have Improved Dual-SIM Capabilities

The Pixel 4 may have equipped with a feature that would allow a user to switch between two phone lines. This is an update from the last Pixel 2 and Pixel 3. Those smartphones have a standard SIM card slot and an eSIM. While you could have two numbers provisioned for the device, you could only talk, text or use data on one line, while the others remained inactive. on the other hand, only one SIM could be activated on the phone at a time.

But the Pixel 4 equipped and that would be able to have two active SIMs. If one line is being used to make a call or text, however, the other line won't be able to take calls or text for the time being. This is similar to how the new iPhones and other Android phones operate.