Google Pixel 4 official teaser reveals key design, hardware changes
What's the story
What comes as a surprise to many, Google has jumped ahead of leakers to officially share a photo of its upcoming flagship phone, the Pixel 4. The image, which shows just the back of the phone, confirms the presence of dual rear cameras while also revealing a brand new design language. Here's everything we know so far.
Twitter Post
Here's the official post
Well, since there seems to be some interest, here you go! Wait 'til you see what it can do. #Pixel4 pic.twitter.com/RnpTNZXEI1
— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) June 12, 2019
Highlight #1
Pixel 4: First Pixel to feature dual rear cameras
Surely, the dual rear camera setup is the biggest change on the Pixel 4 since 2016. The teaser image clearly shows two cameras, a third sensor, a dual LED flash, and a microphone arranged in a bumpy square camera array - similar to the iPhone 11 series. That said, we don't know if the secondary camera will be a telephoto lens or ultra-wide-angle lens.
Information
The mysterious third sensor
Just above the two camera lenses, there appears to be a smaller third sensor when we brighten up the teaser image. But it's unclear what it might be. A Time-of-Flight sensor for capturing 3D data or an improved flicker/spectral sensor seen on the Pixel 3?
Highlight #3
3D face unlock or in-display fingerprint sensor
Another major change on the Pixel 4 is the missing rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that has remained since the first Pixel phone came out in 2016. So what will Google use instead? Some speculate an in-display fingerprint sensor since they are becoming mainstream on modern-day Android flagships. The other possibility is a 3D facial recognition system, like Apple's Face ID.
Highlight #4
A new design language
Design-wise, Google has been fairly consistent with its first three Pixel phones, offering a dual-tone glass back with a smaller glossy area and a larger matte portion. But on Pixel 4, the company is replacing that look with a clean monochrome glass back and a metal frame. Moreover, the black-colored model will also get a contrasting white home button.
From the grapevine
What's on the front? A forehead!
Going by what YouTuber Unbox Therapy reports, the front side of Pixel 4 will be far more interesting. He mentioned Google will fully embrace the idea of a "forehead" wherein the top bezel will be prominent to allow for a notch-less display with an ultra-slim bottom bezel. Notably, the sizeable upper bezel will also house five imaging sensors for selfies and face detection gadgetry.
Twitter Post
Here's how Pixel 4 series might look like
This must be it. #Pixel4 pic.twitter.com/y2LdK35Qod
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) June 12, 2019
Speculations
But what about the dual front-facing speakers?
By adopting a forehead design, Google will be able to stretch the display to the edges, shrinking the bottom bezel to near zero. With this new design, one of the speakers will be housed in the earpiece while the other will be packed in the bottom edge. Hence, we expect Google to pack punchier speakers to make up for the missing dual front-facing speakers.
Certainities
Everything else we know about Pixel 4 series
Like other flagships of 2019, the Google Pixel 4 series will be powered by Snapdragon 855 chipset and we expect to see upto 8GB RAM and upto 256GB of storage. Moreover, QHD+ AMOLED displays, Active Edge sensors, and bigger batteries are also on the cards. On the software side, the upcoming flagships will debut the revamped Google Assistant as well as Android Q OS.