Leak shoots down hope of early Pixel 4 release

Google's decision to tease the Pixel 4 yesterday after several renders were leaked had some Pixel fans excited. After all, the image shared by Google showed a phone that gave a rather high-end appearance. And Google's comment, "Wait 'til you see what it can do," had many wondering whether the rumors about the phone's support of fine hand gestures is legit. And the fact that Google would even do such a thing had some wondering whether the Pixel 4 would be launching much earlier than expected.

The traditional October release of the Pixel line means that the phones have the latest and greatest Snapdragon chip for only 4 months. Then, the next generation of handsets starts to launch, powered by a brand new Snapdragon SoC. So some were hoping that Google had decided to move up the release of the Pixel 4, changing the cycle so that it could have more time appealing to those who want their phones to contain the most recent chipset.

But those hopes have been dashed thanks to a tweet from tipster Evan Blass containing a leaked 2019 Verizon marketing calendar. The image shows Big Red's road map for Tier 1 device launches from May through December. Last month's launch of the Pixel 3a was listed, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 apparently set for a late August release. A late September launch of the 2019 Apple iPhone models appears to be in store, followed by a mid-October release of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. So if Verizon sticks to this timeline, it would appear that we won't see the next high-end Pixels until the fourth quarter of this year.

Besides including the aforementioned support for fine hand gestures (thanks to the inclusion of Google's Project Soli chips), we could also see the new Pixels automatically make a major screen adjustment. Similar to Apple's True Tone and Samsung's Adaptive Display, the Pixel 4 could have a feature that will automatically adjust the white balance on the display based on ambient lighting. This should give images on the Pixel 4 display a more natural look. Speaking of looks, any talk about the upcoming Pixels can't be complete without mentioning the square camera module found in the upper left-hand corner of the rear panel. Looking almost exactly like the camera housing we've seen on Apple iPhone 11 renders-and in the same location too-the Pixel's module will apparently sport two cameras. This might not be a big deal for most phone lines; however, the Pixel handsets have long been considered one of the best phones for photography despite having just one sensor on the back. 

Missing from the teaser tweeted by Google yesterday was a button for the fingerprint scanner. Now, you could assume that the Pixel 4 will have an in-display fingerprint reader, but the speculation is even more interesting; there is speculation that the Pixel 4 will feature a facial recognition system that can hold its own against Apple's Face ID. The rear camera will reportedly include a spectral sensor, never used on a smartphone before. The sensor will track x-rays, ultraviolet light, and infrared beams.

If all of the rumors and speculation turn out to be true, Google could have a winner on its hands. And now that all four major carriers will be able to offer the Pixel 4 to their customers, now would be the best time for Google to make a favorable and lasting impression on them by delivering an amazing phone. We would make one suggestion though. Google should make sure that enough testing is done in advance to exterminate all of the small annoying bugs that typically pop up after the Pixels are launched.