Potential Google Pixel 4 With Notch-Free Display Revealed In Patent Filing

Google launched its Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones last Fall, and they were highly praised for their overall performance and stellar camera. However, the Pixel 3 XL in particular caught a lot of flak for its rather large and deep display notch which houses the speaker and dual selfie cameras.

In new patent filings that were uncovered this week, it looks as though onlookers won't have a notch mock on the forthcoming Pixel 4. Drawings found within the filing by 91mobiles hows a smartphone design that unmistakably fits in with the Pixel design aesthetic. On the front, we can see dual speakers -- one at top, and one at the bottom -- with no notch in sight. 

pixel 4

There is also no readily apparent spot for a front camera (or cameras). It's possible that Google could be using some under-the-display camera technology, but gadget leaker Ice Universe has previously indicated that such technology is at least a year away.

Google could potentially go with a slider mechanism for the selfie camera, but that doesn't seem to be something that the folks from Mountain View would be bother with.

Moving to the back of the device, we can see familiar Pixel design themes including the upper panel which includes a single camera and LED flash. While other smartphone OEMs have shifted to dual, triple, or even quad cameras on the rear, Google is still delivering enviable image quality with just one camera. Why fix what isn't broken? We can also see the continued inclusion of a fingerprint in the center of smartphone's the back panel.

pixel 4 2

We have to keep in mind though that these are just patent filings and there's no guarantee that a design like this will be presented to consumers later this year. However, it's almost a certainty that the inevitable Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 SoC and will be running the Android Q operating system.

In other Pixel news, we reported earlier this week that Google's rumored Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite could be arriving very soon. In fact, the former even showed up on video with a Snapdragon 670 processor onboard.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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