Google Pixel 4's Massive Top Display Bezel May Hide Impressive Sensor Array
Smartphone rumors are coming in hot and heavy as of late. Earlier today, we reported on an Apple rumor suggesting that the company's 2020 model iPhone might wield a switchable 60Hz/120Hz display (similar to gaming phones, like the ASUS ROG Phone II), and now there is talk of Google's upcoming Pixel 4 devices utilizing a traditional bezel design at the top to accommodate an array of sensors.
Let's start with the fresh batch of renders. Notable leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) has once again teamed up with iGeeksBlog, this time to deliver a bunch of renders of the Pixel 4 based on the various leaks and rumors that are out there. As we can see in the image above, the rumored design does away with the notch and reverts back to a chunky bezel at the top of the phone.
We also see a thick square protrusion on the backside. This houses a triple camera setup arranged in a triangle, along with an LED flash. Beyond those things, there are no surprises...or are there? Well, check this out...
Another prominent leaker, Ice Universe, posted a couple of images that look like screen protectors, supposedly for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. In them, we see the usual assortment of sensor cutouts at the top for the cameras and ear speaker, but there is also an unusual oval cutout on the right side.
This mysterious cutout suggests that another sensor will be present on the Pixel 4 family, perhaps the Soli sensor that has been rumored. Born out of Project Soli, this could provide facial recognition capabilities, but also a bunch of other stuff, like object recognition and in-air gesture support. Here's a video from three years ago that highlights some aspects of Project Soli...
If that is indeed what Google is baking into the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, it will be interesting to see exactly how it will be utilized, both out of the box and once third-party developers start experimenting with it. That is getting a bit ahead of ourselves, as the oval cutout could be something entirely different as well.
All that stuff aside, one thing we are relatively confident about is that the Pixel 4 line will ship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor underneath the hood (and perhaps an outside chance it ends up with a Snapdragon 855 Plus). It's also been rumored that Google is bumping up the RAM from 4GB to 6GB. And of course Android Q is a given.
We anticipate Google announcing the Pixel 4 family in October.
