Google Pixel 3: Latest rumours, release date and specs - what's so special about these upcoming phones?
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Loading... - Ava Candace
- 25 Sep 2021
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With Apple 's iPhone XS and XS Max launched it's time to look to Google for the next exciting phone. The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are set to be announced on October 9.
The new phones will no doubt form a big part of Google's upcoming products, but if previous years are anything to go by we may see a whole range of new products.
We've seen rumours of new wireless earbuds and a new Chromebook. There's also a suggestion that the company will announce a wireless charger that will be the companion to the two new Pixel phones.
Rumours of a Pixel watch have, however, been squashed .
New renders emerge
Noted and reliable leaker Evan Blass who tweets as @evleaks posted some new renders on September 22. They seem to fit with a lot of the other leaks we've seen recently too, suggesting one phone has a notch while the other does not.
An even better camera
Google's Pixel phones are well-known as being amazing tools for photographers. In most tests the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL beat pretty much every other phone on the market.
But Google hasn't used a dual-camera setup on its phones yet and the rumours suggest that this will remain the same this year, with only a single lens to be found on the rear of the camera.
That said, rumours suggest that the new Pixels will have dual front cameras. These will be used for portrait photos (in spite of the fact Google does this on the rear camera without needing two sensors) and face recognition.
There has been information suggesting a new "super selfies" feature too, which might be something to do with these new dual front-facing cameras.
Techradar suggests that one of the front cameras will have aperture switching, which is useful for low light photos. Both front cameras will be 8-megapixel, apparently.
The phones will also have fingerprint scanners too though, so you won't be forced to use facial recognition to unlock, if Google includes it.
It's also possible one of the front cameras will be fitted with a wide angle lens for fitting more into selfies.
Another notch
Also reported is that Google is launching the Pixel 3 without a notch, while the larger Pixel 3 XL will indeed have one.
One of the criticisms that has been common around the notch on the leaked Pixel XL images is that the phone continues to have "chin" on the bottom.
On the iPhone X, XS and XS Max, the screen fills nearly the whole phone. Some commenters have branded this as ugly, while others have said that the Pixel isn't about "style over substance".
Wireless charging
Both new Pixel 3 handsets will, apparently , feature a new glass back. This is to allow wireless charging, which won't work through a thick metal case.
Google may also release a wireless charger of its own to go with the new phones. Google will almost certainly make a joke about Apple's AirPower if it does have a wireless charger ready to go.
Colours
It's already been revealed that there will be at least three colour options on the new Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
The handsets will keep the two-tone design from last year, apparently, and also add two new colours. One light blue (or green) and one in a sort of light pink.
A leak of Pixel wallpapers also suggests that those colours might be legitimate. Many of the wallpapers echo the leaked colours.
The leaked wallpapers also suggest that they change depending on certain conditions. For example, the time of day or movement from the phone.
Waterproof
GSM Arena suggests that the phones will be waterproof and rated at IP67. That means 1m depth for 30 minutes.
This was a new feature last year as the original pixels didn't offer water resistance. It's not likely to be going away this year, although it may improve.
The eSIM will stay
Last year's Pixels had eSIMs like the new range of iPhones do. There's no reason to expect this will change.
We might see increasing support for that feature from UK mobile operators now Apple is onboard too. Vodafone and EE have support for eSIMs and this feature is likely to get more common over the next year - goodbye plastic SIM cards?
Specs
It looks like the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will be powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 845. Some rumours suggest 4GB of onboard RAM, while some lean toward 6GB.
The processor has eight cores, four run at 2.8GHz and four at 1.7GHz. As with most phones these lower-clocked cores will be used to save energy. The higher speed set will be used for games and high-intensity tasks.
Storage is likely to be 64GB and 128GB however increasing numbers of Android phones have much more storage now, so perhaps a 256GB or 512GB model could appear.
However Google's business model is all about the cloud, so big phone capacities almost certainly aren't a priority.
Display resolution on the XL should be around 1440 x 2960, a slight increase from last year's phone, but not enough to be noticable. The Pixel 3 will apparently have a 1080 x 2160 resolution.
In the box
A leak of the Pixel 3 packaging suggests that Google will bundle some interesting-looking USB-C headphones in the box. These appear to be a step above the usual in-box nonsense that come with many phones.
There's also a USB-C to USB-A adaptor, a USB-C charging cable and a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack. Are you listening Apple? Google is still doing the adaptor in the box!
Stay tuned
We'll have coverage from the Google launch event, so make sure you come back on October 9 to get the official details about these two exciting phones.
