Google will reportedly hold its Pixel 3 event on October 9, according to a new leak, making official what has already become some of the most controversial smartphones of 2018. The latest in Google’s self-developed Android handset range, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are expected to lay out a roadmap of sorts for how the company hopes other manufacturers will pick up and run with the OS over the coming year.
However, early leaks well in advance of any official reveal have already divided would-be Pixel 3 buyers. A significant number of Pixel 3 XL handsets made their way into the wild – including the shot above, shared on Twitter – reportedly after a batch of phones was acquired by Russian dealers and sold. The early coverage that resulted from that premature publicity hasn’t gone down entirely well.
It’s the notched display on the Pixel 3 XL which has caused most consternation. Some Android fans have long been skeptical about the design approach, which some handset-makers have adopted in order to satisfy both a consumer desire for minimal screen bezels but also the reality of front-facing cameras, sensors, and other components.
In 2017, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were notch hold-outs. For 2018, though, the Pixel 3 XL is expected to go notched, alongside native code for handling UIs on screens with cut-outs in Android 9 Pie, the latest iteration of the platform. What’s really prompting ire, though, is the sheer size of the notch itself.
If the leaked handsets are to be believed, it’s turned out to be one of the largest of the current trend. As many iPhone X owners, initially skeptical of Apple’s notch, discovered, after time you typically stop noticing the cut-out. All the same, the Pixel 3 XL’s display interruption looks to be deeper than that of the iPhone.
Now, we think we know for sure when we’ll see the new devices. According to Bloomberg‘s sources, Google will hold an event on October 9 in New York City, where it will officially launch the new phones. The search giant declined to comment, but that timescale would fit with previous events.
In doing so, it’ll see Google round-out the main smartphones of the year. Apple will have revealed its 2018 iPhone range – every model of which expected to have a display notch, incidentally – the month before, and Samsung made its flagship play earlier this month, in the shape of the pen-enabled Galaxy Note 9.
What’s unclear at this stage is whether the new Pixel 3 range will be accompanied by other hardware. Google is also believed to be working on a new set of Pixel Buds earphones, after the underwhelming reception its first-generation smart earbuds received last year. Meanwhile, a new Pixelbook Chromebook is also said to be in the pipeline, though it’s not certain whether it will share the limelight with the updated Pixel phones.
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