Google Pixel 3 'Lite' XL Won't Have A Notch In Its Display

There’s an ongoing rumor that Google will release “Lite” versions of its Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones. Now, renders for the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite XL have surfaced online, and both of them don’t have notches in their displays.

Both versions of the Lite models feature the same basic design language of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. They both have a single camera module on the back and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The handsets also have the same two-tone color scheme on the back panel, which has been a staple in Google’s design since the very first Pixel phone.

The renders of the Pixel 3 Lite and the Pixel 3 Lite XL were made by 91Mobiles in collaboration with Twitter leaker @OnLeaks.

Up front, the Pixel 3 Lite and Lite XL still have some bezels on the sides and at the top and bottom of their screens. The displays aren’t edge to edge like the ones found on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, but at least neither of them have a display notch. The Pixel 3 Lite will have a 5.5-inch display, while the Lite XL will have a 6-inch display. The Pixel 3 XL, which arrived this year with a 6.3-inch OLED display, was heavily criticized for its notch.

Although a lot of recent Android phones have notches, the notch on the Pixel 3 XL is deemed by many as ugly because it’s big and eats up more screen real estate than other notches. Google also decided to put a bottom bezel on the Pixel 3 XL, which may have been necessary to implement dual-front facing stereo speakers.

With the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite XL, it looks like Google has decided to completely ditch the idea of putting any type of notch in the display of its handsets. This gives the two smartphones more of a traditional design, while still offering up a tall screen aspect ratio.

Aside from the absence of the notch, both models of the new Pixel 3 Lite are also missing another thing: dual front-facing cameras. The Lite models of the Pixel 3 will only have a single-camera setup up front, which will allegedly be equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor. The original Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL both have a secondary camera that’s equipped with a wide-angle lens.

As for other features, both of the upcoming Google phones will have 4GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera and 32GB of storage. There’s no confirmation yet, but it’s possible that these devices may have 64GB variants, as pointed out by Android Police. Neither of these phones will have an SD card slot of any kind. That may be a bummer, but at least the devices will still have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

There's also some confusion on what chipset will power the upcoming Google phones. It was previously rumored that the Pixel 3 Lite will be powered by the Snapdragon 670, while the larger Lite XL will have the Snapdragon 710. However, it seems unlikely that the two will have different chipsets, which is why 9To5Google believes that both devices may be powered by the Snapdragon 670.

There’s currently no information on when the Pixel 3 Lite will be released, but it’s heavily believed that both phones will arrive with cheaper price tags. The current Pixel 3 XL model comes with a starting price of $899, while its smaller sibling starts at $799.