Google Pixel 4 release date, price, news and leaks

The Google Pixel 4 official launch is October 15

This is what the Google Pixel 4 will look like. Image Credit: Google

The Google Pixel 4 is one of the most anticipated phones of 2019, and like all upcoming handsets, we've already heard a ton of leaks and rumors about it. 

The Pixel 4 hasn't exactly been kept under wraps – Google showed us the design itself, in a bid to bypass months of speculation – but there's no stopping the rumor mill. Even so, there's much we still don't know about the upcoming device.

Or devices plural, since we're expecting to see a Google Pixel 4 XL and possibly a Google Pixel 4 XL 5G too.

We don't know exactly how many devices are in store for us, but we do know the release date: October 15, according to Google's official announcement. Indeed, the end of the year is 'big phones launch season', with the iPhone 11 and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro already unveiled.

Latest leak: A leaked render has given us a close look at the Google Pixel 4 in orange. Plus, we've also seen leaked promo videos showing off Motion Sense and new Google Assistant features, while a leaked specs list points to camera improvements.

• These are the best camera phones you can buy
• This is what we thought of the Pixel 3
• This is what we thought of the Pixel 3 XL

Since its launch in 2016, the Pixel line has become a reliable tent-pole in the smartphone release calendar. Offering a suite of features with an almost unmatched level of software polish, and impressive cameras too, the handsets have done a lot to earn the adoration of the tech community at large.

That's not to say the competition is resting however, and Google in 2019 really needs to keep on its feet if the Pixel line is to meet expectations with its next iteration. Could it reach the top of our list of the best Android phones, or best camera phones as the Pixel 3 did before it? Only time will tell.

Read on for the most up-to-date list of rumors regarding its design and pricing, and a full breakdown of what we’d like to see feature-wise from Google's upcoming pocket rocket.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next photo and AI powerhouse from Google
• When is it out? October 15, 2019
• What will it cost? Possibly close to $1,000/£1,000

Google Pixel 4 price and release date

For years now, Google has opted to release its Pixel lineup in the latter half of the year, after the usual roller coaster of smartphone releases from the first half of the year has died down.

Google has officially announced when the Pixel 4 will be unveiled: October 15. It's likely that Google will take the opportunity to launch a few other hardware options at the same time, such as the long-rumored Pixel Watch.

Four new Google phone models have been listed by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), which is something we'd expect to happen close to launch, adding more evidence to an October announcement.

Following the announcement, it's likely that the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL release date will be in early November, if past years are anything to go by.

In terms of the Google Pixel 4 price, the cost of Pixel handsets have been climbing for years now. 

With the extra features now included and the general emphasis on a premium fit and finish, the Pixel 4 - or at least the XL model - could be the first of the line to break the $1,000/£1,000/AU$1,500 mark.

We'll probably also see multiple different storage capacities offered at different prices. 

Indeed, a store listing puts the Google Pixel 4 at €825.33 (roughly $905 / £730 / AU$1,340) for a 64GB model and €947.10 (around $1,040 / £835 / AU$1,540) for a 128GB one, while it states that the Pixel 4 XL is 1,015.98 (around $1,115 / £900 / AU$1,650) for a 64GB model and €1,132.83 (roughly $1,245 / £1,000 / AU$1,840) for a 128GB one.

We would however take these prices with a pinch of salt - they might be wrong, and even if they're not it won't be an exact conversion for other regions.

More information will arrive closer to the launch, so watch this space.

Google Pixel 4 leaks and rumors

We've heard a few leaks and rumors about the upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone, so we've collected them below so you can find out what we know.

Google Pixel 4 design

We know what the Google Pixel 4 will look like (on the back at least), thanks to Google itself posting a tweet with a picture of its upcoming handset.

It confirms that the Google Pixel 4 design will feature a large, square camera bump on the rear - which we'd seen in multiple rumors before Google posted its tweet.

On closer inspection, it appears the bump houses two cameras - which would be a first for the Pixel line of phones, which have stuck to just a single rear snapper to date - along with a camera flash below them (with a sensor to its right) and another sensor at the top of the square.

Another key point we can glean from the official Google Pixel 4 image is the lack of a fingerprint scanner. Every Pixel handset to date has had a rear fingerprint scanner, which points towards the Google Pixel 4 coming with an in-display scanner.

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL may not have fingerprint scanners at all though, if Google opts to go all-in on face, retina or voice recognition instead, as has also been rumored.

While the front design isn't totally clear, it's also rumored that the Pixel 4 range might have a full bezel at the top, rather than a notch or punch-hole.

You can see a close look at the likely bezel (along with the square camera block) in the leaked photos below.

That full bezel is a claim that someone else who seemingly snapped a Pixel 4 in the wild also makes (though the front isn't visible in the photo). It's also an idea that Google itself has virtually confirmed, so this looks likely.

And yet more people have seemingly photographed the phone, with another source catching the front, complete with that top bezel but seemingly almost no bottom bezel.

Better yet, what appears to be the Google Pixel 4 XL has also been caught on video, as you can see below.

The phone is shown from all angles, highlighting the top bezel, the lack of a 3.5mm headphone port, and the glass back that's all one color, rather than two-tone as we saw on past Pixel handsets. This single-hue, single-finish rear is supported by another release by noted leaker @evleaks showing the front and back of an alleged Pixel 4. 

Another Google Pixel 4 XL leak with case renders supports this top-bezel design and gives more angles to see the phone's potential design. Sadly, if this render is true, there's no return of the 3.5mm audio jack that we surprisingly saw in the Google Pixel 3a.  

Whatever design the phone has, it might come in some new colors, as a mint green shade has leaked alongside the expected black and white models. We've also seen images showing off a new coral color, the latter of which has now appeared on a billboard as you can see below, as well as in a leaked render (also below).

We also have an idea of what this shade will be called, with multiple sources pointing to the name 'Oh So Orange' - and saying that it will be joined by the existing 'Just Black' and 'Clearly White' shades.

Google Pixel 4 camera

A site claims to have got hold of a Pixel 4 unit early, and suggests that it has a very good camera - outperforming the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus in their tests, with more natural but less vibrant colors. They added though that it struggled to focus on close up shots.

Leaked Pixel 4 XL images meanwhile a dual-lens camera on the front, and a triple-lens camera on the back. We don't know for sure what specs the camera will have yet, but rumors suggest it will include a 16MP telephoto lens and improved color capture.

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Elsewhere we've heard that the Pixel 4 could have both a 12MP main lens and a 16MP telephoto one, as well as a "DSLR-like attachment."

There's also a chance that the Pixel 4 could have an improved zoom, possibly offering up to 20x zoom. We're basing this theory on a zoomed-in photo posted on Instagram by Claude Zellweger (Google's design director), in which he says "20x zoom #Pixel" in a reply to a comment.

However, in another comment he clarifies that the shot was taken on a Google Pixel 3a using a mix of zooming and cropping. So it doesn't sound like this is a new feature, but it could be hinting at one. We're not convinced, but you never know.

Other rumors point to an 8x zoom, though it's not clear whether or not that's all going to be optical. There's also talk of a new Motion Mode to help you take the best action shots without blur, and an improved night mode, one which a leaked marketing video further suggests.

And despite the images above, another leak, this time in the form of case renders, suggests the Pixel 4 might have a notch, one housing two cameras. The renders also show a big bezel below the screen housing a speaker, and the same square camera on the back as the leaks above.

There's also alternatively a chance the Pixel 4 might arrive toting the punch-hole design used by the Honor View 20 and then brought into the mainstream by the Samsung Galaxy S10 line.

At least, that's what an image for a screen protector seemingly designed for the phone shows, along with stereo speakers and virtually no bezel.

We've also similarly seen a leaked image below, supposedly showing the Google Pixel 4 XL with a dual-lens camera cut into the top right corner of the screen - although as we now know the rear design it suggests is incorrect, it pours cold water on the rest of the claims made here.

Indeed, it's since been rumored that three Pixel 4 designs were in the works before Google settled on the one with the square camera block, so the images above may have once been in consideration.

The design that won out seemingly involves a full top bezel on the front, and just one selfie camera - at least in the base Pixel 4. In a seeming bid to get ahead of leaks, Google announced two new features, the hand gesture control Motion Sense and Face Unlock (detailed below). Both require a full suite of sensors located in the big top bezel, though that seemingly edged out the second selfie camera.

We've also seen what might be the Pixel 4's new and improved camera app, which sports an expanded photo-taking view, a horizon-leveling feature, and more.

Plus, there's been mention of a 'Pixel Neural Core', suggesting that neural networks will play a big role in photo processing.

Google Pixel 4 display

In screen news, the latest leak suggests that the Pixel 4 XL will have a 6.23-inch 1440 x 3040 screen with 540 pixels per inch and a 19:9 aspect ratio. That would make it marginally smaller and sharper than the Pixel 3 XL.

Previously we've heard that the Pixel 4 could have a 5.6-5.8-inch screen, while the Pixel 4 XL could have a 6.2-6.4-inch one (compared to the 5.5-inch Pixel 3 and 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL).

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That same source says the Pixel 4 will be roughly 147.0 x 68.9 x 8.2mm (or 9.3mm thick including the rear camera bump), and the Google Pixel 4 XL will be around 160.4 x 75.2 x 8.2mm (rising to 9.3mm at the camera bump).

Another source claims that the Pixel 4 will have a 5.7-inch screen and the Pixel 4 XL will have a 6.3-inch one. That matches the leak above, but this source adds that the phones will have a 90Hz refresh rate, allowing for smoother scrolling than most handsets. This would apparently be marketed as 'Smooth Display' and it's a feature we've heard about more than once.

Google Pixel 4 specs

We've seen a Geekbench benchmark possibly for the Google Pixel 4. It lists a top-end Snapdragon 855 chipset, along with 6GB of RAM - up from 4GB in the Pixel 3 range. It also, unsurprisingly, lists the phones as running Android Q.

The benchmark includes a single-core score of 3,296 and a multi-core one of 9,235, which are solid but unexceptional results for a top-end phone. Of course, this would be pre-release hardware and software, so results at launch might be better.

We've heard from multiple sources, in fact, that the Pixel 4 could launch with 6GB RAM. So far all the Pixel phones have had 4GB RAM, so this would be a long-overdue step up in terms of processing power.

Another source has pointed to the same specs, along with 64GB or 128GB of storage, and a 2,800mAh battery for the standard model and a 3,700mAh one for the Pixel 4 XL. Elsewhere we've also seen the Snapdragon 855 mentioned

However, there might be a model that comes with as much as 8GB of RAM - along with 5G, as exactly that has also appeared on a benchmark.

Elsewhere, we've seen evidence that there could be a third Pixel 4 model, which could be the Google Pixel 4 XL 5G benchmarked above, though there's an outside chance that it could be a Pixel 4a or something else.

In more unusual news we've heard that the Google Pixel 4 might have capacitive buttons rather than mechanical, clickable ones - however the image Google has shared appears to go against this, with raised buttons on the side of the handset suggesting mechanical ones.

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It's possible that this change would be made to allow Active Edge (the ability to launch Google Assistant by squeezing the frame, as found on previous Pixels) to work along the full length of the phone's frame, and it could also help improve the design of the phone. Though notably image leaks still show physical buttons, so take this with a pinch of salt.

The same source added that the Pixel 4 will have front-facing speakers and a punch-hole camera.

Finally, code added to the open source foundation of Android suggests that the Google Pixel 4 might have improved dual-SIM support, letting you use both a normal SIM and an eSIM at the same time.

Throughout the year more leaks will continue to arrive, so keep checking back here for all of the latest developments.

Google Pixel 4 Motion Sense

In an apparent bid to get ahead of leaks, Google itself revealed two big features coming to the Pixel 4, one of which is a type of hand gesture control called Motion Sense.

Motion Sense uses the Google Pixel 4's whole new suite of sensors alongside its front-facing camera - specifically Soli, a motion-sensing radar concept - to track hand gestures for theoretically easy, no-touch controls. Ostensibly, these will be used to perform simple actions like skipping music tracks and swapping apps.