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Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: Rumored specs, features, leaks, price, release date – CNET

After last week, when some savvy Russian bloggers dropped a ton of purported information about the P..

Published

August 27, 2018

After last week, when some savvy Russian bloggers dropped a ton of purported information about the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, we thought there might be no more news left to leak. But we now have a date and a location for the big announcement — all unofficial, of course.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, we'll get our first official look at the next generation of Google's flagship phones at an event on Oct. 9 in New York. We reached out to Google for confirmation, but didn't immediately hear back.

At this point, the news is coming thick and fast. Last week, we saw some convincing videos of a Pixel 3 XL purportedly sold on the black market. Previously, Google debuted the latest version of its Android operating system, known as Android Pie, giving us a preview of some compelling new features — such as multiplayer AR and enhancements to its already-superior voice assistant — that will surely be integrated in the Pixel 3 and can't be found on any iPhone (yet).

Now Playing: Watch this: Yet another Pixel 3 XL leak

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With the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, Google will look to avoid the mistakes associated with its previous Pixel 2 XL. That phone suffered from burn-in issues and other defects related to the phone's OLED display — missteps that resulted in quite a bit of media attention, marring some initial positive reviews with caveats. It also brought the spotlight to Google's warranty, which was eventually broadened to accommodate the issues. (Note that the iPhone X's OLED display is not immune from burn-in either.)

Again, the company hasn't formally announced the Pixel 3 phones, so most of what we think we know is based on rumor and hearsay. However, because the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL and are among the best phones on the market today on account of their excellent cameras, snappy performance and tight integration with Google's homegrown Android software, many are interested in what Google will offer this time around.

We've collated the major buzz on the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL below, and will continue to update this space regularly with news and rumors.

Rumor: Google will introduce the Pixel 3 on Oct. 9

According to Bloomberg, Google plans to unveil new Pixel phones in New York on Oct. 9. Though the date isn't exactly the same as last year, this general timeframe would follow the precedent: the company introduced the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL on Oct. 4, 2017 and the original Pixel phones exactly one year earlier on Oct. 4, 2016.

Rumor: This is what the Pixel 3 XL might look like

Within one week, there were two, yes two, purportedly leaked images of the Pixel 3 XL. The first apparently took place in Toronto, where a rider with a keen eye took pictures of what appears to be the upcoming phone in the wild. The phone appears to coincide with earlier leaks of the phone, with a display notch (more on that later), Google keyboard along with UI and a two-tone rear design.

Could this be the Pixel 3 XL in the wild?

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Rumor: Pixel 3 XL may come bundled with Pixel Bud-like earbuds

A few days later, several Russian bloggers supposedly got their own hands on the Pixel 3 XL. The phones might have come from a Ukrainian black market dealer, but nevertheless the bloggers uploaded unboxing videos and tested out the camera. One unboxing shows a pair of earbuds with a meaty, Pixel Buds design. This would be a change from the Pixel 2, which didn't come with any headphones.

The images of the headphones did also have misspelled "@googel.com" email address on the label, which is a little sketch. Our email bounced when we tried emailing that address, so keep in mind this all might be a clever fake.

Separately, a Telegram user @LuchkovCH also "leaked" photos of the Pixel 3 XL and dropped a YouTube video here. In it, they walk through the Settings menu, launcher and running benchmarks. There's a look at the (notched) front, familiar-looking back and what looks like a single USB-C charging port.

pixel-3-xl-leak-rozetked-1 — This may be the Pixel 3 XL straight from the box.

Rozetked

Confirmed: Pixel 3 won't be the first to get Android Pie

Countering speculation that Google would introduce its latest operating system on the Pixel 3, the company released Android Pie to the existing generation of Pixel phones on Aug. 6. The Pixel 3 is likely, however, to be the first phone running Pie right out of the box, if that matters in any way.

Android Pie mostly focuses on behind-the-scenes improvements designed to make Android phones work faster while saving battery life. But one big update in Android Pie is support for notches — those little cutouts on phones with screens that span most of the phone face, popularized by Apple's iPhone X. Which leads us to…

Likely: Pixel 3 will have a BIG notch

We know that Android Pie supports phones with notches and according to the increasing number of renders and leaked photos we're seeing, that's no coincidence. If the photos are accurate, the Pixel 3 will have a notch — and not just any notch, but a big, deep notch.

The Pixel 3 XL's deep notch — A "leaked" photo that supposedly shows a Pixel 3 XL final production unit with a significant notch cut into the top of the display.

Android Poilce/Telegram user @LuchkovCH

The newest allegedly-leaked image, posted this week by a Ukrainian on the Telegram app, follows in the footsteps of previous images of the Pixel 3. All of them show a phone that looks quite similar to the Pixel 2 XL — but with a notch that's much deeper than the iPhone X's.

Rumor: The phone could have wireless charging

XDA Developers found evidence in an Android Pie beta release that points to support for wireless charging. This rumor dovetails with another — that the new Pixel may have a glass back that would be more conducive to wireless charging.

Google has made wireless charging phones before (like the Google Nexus 6 and Google Nexus 5), but stopped in 2015 with the launch of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. Perhaps it's bringing the feature back, however, due to the wireless charging capabilities of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

Rumor: Pixel 3 XL will have front-facing speakers

According to a recent case leak from Gizmo China, the Pixel 3 XL will purportedly flaunt two front-facing cameras.

The apparent leaked images also show that the speaker will be located on the front bottom bezel and the fingerprint reader will still be located on the back below the camera.

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Rumor: Pixel 3 XL will have two front-facing cameras, new display

In addition to the notch, Bloomberg posited that the Pixel 3 XL will have an edge-to-edge display and two front-facing cameras. The smaller Pixel 3, however, will have neither of these things apparently.

The German news site WinFuture, which has a pretty reliable record with tech rumors, also reported that Google will partner with Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn (the same company that makes iPhones) to build "new display hardware."

Rumor: A premium Pixel will battle 2018 iPhones

Tech blog Droid Life reported that Google will have three new Pixel phones in the pipeline for 2018. This trio could include a mysterious higher-end version — perhaps intended to compete with the $999 iPhone X — in addition to the standard and XL models. As a reminder, the 64GB Pixel 2 starts at $649 and the Pixel 2 XL starts at $849 (£799 or AU$1,399).

That noted, frequent tipster Evan Blass tweeted that, according to a "reliable source," Google will deliver a Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL — as well as the next generation of Pixel Buds and a Pixel-branded watch. If he's right, we're back to looking at two phones, not three. The Pixel 3 XL might have to take on 2018's iPhones on its own.

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Rumor: Or maybe Google will make a cheaper Pixel instead?

Google is said to be developing an inexpensive "midrange" Pixel for emerging markets that could debut this summer, according to Economic Times.

It's not clear whether Google would bring this budget model to the US; the timing doesn't sync up with the Pixel's usual October debut. But such a phone would certainly make an interesting foil to Apple's rumored iPhone SE 2, which we could see in September, when iPhones usually launch.