New details and photos of Pixel 4 XL surface

We've heard so much about the upcoming Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, much of it from Google itself, that you might wonder what will be left to reveal on October 15th. That is when Google is holding its next Made by Google event and the stars of the show figure to be the two handsets. Meanwhile, a site called Nextrift (via 9to5Google) claims to have a Pixel 4 XL in its possession, running pre-release software. The device is the Clearly White model (the other two options are rumored to be Just Black and Oh so Orange), and Nextrift posted some more details about the device.

First off, the 6.23-inch AMOLED display on the Pixel 4 XL will indeed refresh at 90Hz. This feature is called Smooth Display and when enabled, only apps that don't support the faster refresh rate will do so at a slower speed. Unfortunately, it does appear that Google has opted not to equip the phone with the overclocked Snapdragon 855+ Mobile Platform. Instead, the non-plus version of the chip can be found under the hood of the Pixel 4 XL along with 6GB of memory. The model that was obtained by the site carries 128GB of storage and a 3700mAh capacity battery.

Since the device that was obtained by the site is running pre-release software, the camera did not have a way to access the rear-facing 16MP telephoto lens outside of using pinch-to-zoom on the screen. Also, the Motion Sense feature powered by the radar-based Soli chip was unavailable; when enabled in certain markets, Motion Sense will allow users to skip songs, reject calls, dismiss alarms and more through the use of hand gestures.

Face unlock will be the only biometric security feature on the Pixel 4 XL. There is no fingerprint scanner, not even one underneath the display. Just as Apple has done with Face ID, Google is putting all of its biometric eggs in one basket. The setup process requiring users to move their heads in a circle is similar to how iPhone users set up Face ID on their phones. Unlike the improved version of Face ID, Face unlock will not work if the phone is placed on a desk with the user looking down at the handset. Pixel 4 XL users will be able to set Face unlock to unlock their phone, sign into apps and verify the identity of the phone owner for mobile payments. Another option will allow users to go directly to the last used screen after Face unlock does its thing. And users can enable a setting that will require that their eyes be open to use Face unlock.

While Google was able to get rid of the wide notch on the Pixel 3 XL that many did not like, the result is a big forehead that houses the Motion Sense chip and the sensors required for the facial recognition system. The aspect ratio of the Pixel 4 XL is 19:9 based on the 1440 x 3040 resolution of the display. That makes the screen a little taller and thinner than last year's model which featured an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.

Many of the specs for the smaller Pixel 4 are going to be the same as those found on its larger sibling. But we expect to see that model sport a 5.7-inch AMOLED display with a 1080 x 2280 resolution (also producing an aspect ratio of 19:9). The Pixel 4 will likely be equipped with a 2800mAh capacity battery.

Both Pixel phones will launch with Android 10 pre-installed and we could see pricing match last year's Pixel 3 series. If so, the Pixel 4 could be tagged at $799 and up with the Pixel 4 XL starting at $899.