If you follow tech news closely, then you may have noticed something strange this week. An increasing number of Pixel 4 rumors popped up online just as we were getting closer to Apple’s iPhone 11 announcement. We saw more Pixel 4 units in the wild than ever before, complete with an additional, unexpected color for the series. We even saw the first leaked TV ad for the handset. And on the very same that day Apple unveiled the iPhone 11 series, the Pixel 4’s launch date also leaked.
Well-known leaker Evan Blass tweeted an image of the Pixel 4 with a date prominently displayed on the screen: October 15th. “Google Fall Event: 10/15?” he asked rhetorically.
Here’s the full image of the Pixel 4 that was shared on Twitter:
Google has held a Pixel event every October since the introduction of the first-generation Pixel handset that replaced the Nexus line. Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise to hear that Google might be aiming for an October 15th event date. Last year, the Pixel 3 phones were announced on October 9th and they began shipping to customers in the US and other markets nine days later.
Pixel 4 preorders should start soon after the event, with the release date likely set for sometime late in the month. That’s probably what will happen regardless of when Google launches the Pixel 4. Of note, the iPhone 11 will have been selling in stores for nearly a month by the time Pixel 4 is available to buyers.
The Pixel 4 image above also confirms what we already knew about the phone. Google’s new flagship handsets won’t have ugly notches like the Pixel 3 XL, but the phones won’t look nearly as good as the iPhone 11 or Galaxy Note 10. The Pixel 4 features an outdated smartphone design with huge bezels — the top bezel features the phone’s most sophisticated components, including a 3D face recognition sensor and a Project Soli radar.
