There never was a Nexus or Pixel phone that didn’t leak before Google unveiled it. And sure, almost all leaks were pretty exhaustive, leaving very few secrets for Google to reveal during official announcements. But the Pixel 3 is easily the worst of them, and a nightmare for Google. A batch of prerelease Pixel 3 XL units was stolen at some point during the summer and then sold online for around $2,000 a pop. Russian and Ukrainian bloggers who got their hands on the devices were able to offer in-depth reviews of the Pixel 3 XL.
This is Google’s own iPhone 4-like mess, but worse. Back in 2010, an iPhone prototype was left in a bar, and that’s how the world learned everything there was to know about its design a few months before the phone’s launch. Google’s Pixel 3 XL was actually used in the wild, as Google hasn’t been able to wipe all those stolen units remotely.
It turns out that the leaks keep on coming. A few days ago, a thorough Pixel 3 leak revealed details about the phone’s specs, including its dual-lens camera.
A few days later, someone forgot a working Pixel 3 XL unit in a Lyft ride. The driver, recognizing the device, took the photos above and sent them to Android Police, before returning the unit to its rightful owner:
These images were sent to us by a reader, who will be referred to as Anonymous Alligator in this post. Alligator is a Lyft driver, who found the phone in the back seat of his car after he dropped off a few passengers. He thought his own Pixel 2 XL had somehow fallen back, but he realized it was the 3 XL after seeing the notch and Google logo on the back.
Google will reportedly launch the Pixel 3 series on October 9th in New York.
