Renders reveal Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 XL in all its notch-less glory

By Andy Boxall July 8, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Google Pixel 4 is coming this year, and if you’re wondering how the Pixel 4 XL — the larger of the two phones expected — will look, here is a good idea. This is a render of the phone based on official news, leaked information, and alleged schematics, and it’s very different from the Pixel 3 XL. The good news from a design standpoint is that the gigantic notch blighting the 3 XL’s clean lines looks likely to disappear for the Pixel 4 XL.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Instead, the Pixel 4 XL will potentially adopt a sizable bezel around the top of the phone, much like the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a. It houses a pair of camera lenses and a speaker, according to the rendered images, which were created by @OnLeaks for pricebaba.com. If Google is hoping to avoid backlash against the design this year with its decision, it may not have succeeded. Comments on the Twitter post are filled with complaints about the phone’s design, accusing it of looking outdated already.

At the bottom of the screen is a far smaller bezel, while on the back is the controversial new camera lens array, which is set inside a large section in the top left of the device. Look carefully and you’ll notice the render does not show a fingerprint sensor, indicating Google will fit an in-display sensor, or adopt face recognition using the multiple camera sensors seen in the bezel. Both these features have already been rumored, and it’s not the first time we’ve heard the Pixel 4XL will lose the notch either.

Other changes? The small lower bezel does not contain a speaker, suggesting the Pixel 4 XL will not have front-facing stereo speakers. Instead, speakers can be seen on the bottom of the phone, in a more traditional place alongside a USB Type-C connection. Neither end of the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Other rumors point to the Pixel 4 XL having a special time-of-flight sensor on the front to provide a gesture control system like the LG G8.

While these images are not confirmed by Google, they do feature elements the company has sent out itself. We know the camera array will look like that, so what about the notch and the bezel? The Google Pixel 4 and 4XL are expected to launch around October, and unless Google breaks the news again, we’ll find out then.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

I used to love the Google Pixel Fold. Now, I’m not so sure

Google Pixel Fold in Obsidian in hand in coffee shop.

A few years ago, the dominant player in the foldable market was Samsung, at least in the U.S. However, 2023 seemed to be the year of folding phones, as Google entered the fray in July 2023 with its very first foldable, the Google Pixel Fold.

One of the problems I have with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series is the narrow cover screen, which makes it awkward to type and use when closed. But the Google Pixel Fold was appealing to me because the cover display was essentially the same size as a standard phone's, so it felt easier to use. I also like that it opens up like a book. I gave the Pixel Fold an overall positive review as a result of all those things.

Mobile

Google is finally fixing an annoying issue with its Pixel phones

A person holding the Google Pixel 8, showing the back of the phone.

When Android 7.0 Nougat arrived in 2016, Google introduced a new seamless update system that allowed users to keep using their devices while the update was installed in the background. Down the road, Google made it mandatory for all smartphone makers, and it's most prevalent on Google's own Pixel smartphones. But the system was not without its fault — even on the latest Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices.

Now, it seems like the latest Android 14 QPR update has considerably sped things up and fixed problems plaguing the whole update pipeline. What are seamless updates, though? It involves an A/B disk partition strategy, which ensures that you can keep using your phone while an update is installed in the background. The only time you'll notice something's up is when it reboots to switch to the updated version. After an update, rebooting your device is just as fast as a normal restart without much extra waiting.

Mobile

The Google Pixel 8 just got its first update. Here’s what’s new

Holding the Google Pixel 8 Pro in front of a bush.

Google has started seeding a new software update for its Pixel phones, which also happens to be the first one for its latest Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro models The update notes don’t mention the arrival of any new features, but the update does fix crucial problems that users have been complaining about in online forums for months and apply to the Pixel 8 series as well as its predecessors.
At the top of the list is a solution for display- and graphics-related woes, including the problem of “a green flash when the display is turning off in certain conditions.” Google’s post mentions a specific scenario where the green screen issue appears, but users have been reporting it for a while.
Moreover, the “green goblin for Pixels” manifests itself in various ways. One user shared an image of the Pixel 8 Pro on Reddit with a vertical green line running across the screen. Others mention random screen flashing or a permanent tint on the panels, both partial and full-screen. The reports date back at least a couple of years and seem to affect phones as old as the Pixel 6 series.

Previous