The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are some of the worst kept secrets this year
Google is all set to announce its latest Pixel phones later today at a Made by Google event in New York. We expect to hear a few hardware-related announcements of which the highlight will of course be the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Google could also announce a rumoured Pixel Mini phone and perhaps second generation Pixel Buds and a Pixel tablet as well. Google’s event will kick off at 11am ET (8:30pm IST) and India Today Tech will be bringing you all the action as it happens. You can also catch the livestream via Google’s YouTube channel.
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have been some of the worst kept secrets this year as tons of reports have pretty much revealed everything about the phones before the launch. Unless it’s all a big ruse by Google and the real Pixel 3 design is yet to be revealed, we will be talking about what we know based on what past reports and a recent hands-on review by one tech website have revealed. So here’s everything we know about the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL and some other expected products that could be announced later today.
Right off the bat let’s talk about the design, because that’s perhaps what’s being talked about the most right. The Pixel 3 based on renders and images we have seen, will look a lot like last year’s Pixel 2 XL. It will bring a tall display with a 18:9 aspect ratio and narrow but symmetrical bezels on the top and bottom. The Pixel 3 XL is by far the more controversial right now because of it’s ridiculously deep notch. The Pixel 3 XL will bring what is perhaps the deepest notch yet, and some people are already finding it hard to digest. This is if the renders and live hands-on videos are true. A recent tweet by Google seems to suggest the company has some surprises up its sleeve. Will it magically remove the notch? We will have to wait and find out.
The Pixel 3 is tipped to come with a 5.5-inch 1080p display as per recent reports, which is 0.5-inches bigger than the Pixel 2 thanks to smaller bezels. The Pixel 3 XL, on the other hand, will come with a really tall 6.3-inch 1080p display which would be the biggest on a Pixel phone yet. Both the phones are also expected to get full glass panels on the back, which would also suggest wireless charging support. Based on all the leaks so far, you can expect three colours on offer — Clearly White, Just Black and a new pink sand.
The noteworthy new feature is that the Pixel 3 XL will come with dual front-facing cameras. We can’t say this will be the case for the regular Pixel 3, but the XL model will get dual front cameras, which is perhaps the reason behind the deep notch as well. Engadget recently got its hand on a pre-released Pixel 3 XL unit that was being sold by a shop in Hong Kong. The website confirmed that the 3 XL will come with two 8MP front cameras and one of the sensors will have a wide-angle lens. On the back, both the Pixel phones will get a single 12P sensor. As for everything else, it is widely expected that the Pixel 3 duo will be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset. The base variant should come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phones will also ship with Android 9 Pie.
While we know mostly everything about the main Pixel 3 phones, perhaps the surprise new announcement could be the Pixel Mini. Not much has been said about the Pixel Mini, but Google recently hinted that the phone exists on the Made by Google Instagram account. The Pixel Mini device is tipped to be a mid-range phone that could get a Snapdragon 710 chipset as per a report by Roland Quandt of Winfuture.de. It’s probably Google’s answer to the iPhone XR, but we can only know for sure later today.
Last year, Google announced the Pixelbook Chromebook two-in-one. This year, the company may just announce the Pixel Slate, which is a tablet that will run Chrome OS. The tablet will also double up as a laptop with a keyboard accessory. Tipster Evan Blass recently posted a render of the tablet which shows slim bezels all around and the keyboard that Google will most likely sell as an accessory.
Google could also announce its own Smart Display speaker to take on Amazon’s recent Echo Show. Not much is known about this speaker at the moment but it is tipped to bring a 7-inch touchscreen display. The smart display will add to Google’s current lineup of smart speakers that includes the Google Home Mini and Home Max.
We also expect new Pixel Buds to be unveiled, but again there is not much known at the moment. Google could refresh the design, make it smaller compared to the first iteration and improve the sound quality as well.
