Pixel 3 Looks Like Pixel 2, Pixel 3 XL Sports Major Upgrades

Google is not launching its new Pixel smartphones until later this fall, but details about the new handsets keep on popping up online. A new report claims that while the Pixel 3 XL comes with major upgrades, its smaller sibling, the Pixel 3, won’t be that much different from last year’s Pixel 2.

Bloomberg reported Thursday that Alphabet Inc.’s technology unit is working on at least two new handsets that are currently dubbed “Pixel 3” and “Pixel 3 XL.” They are the direct successors to last year’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL handsets. However, the smaller model is said to look just like the Pixel 2. This means the regular variant could be a minor upgrade.

On the other hand, Google is believed to introduce some drastic changes with the bigger Pixel 3 XL. People familiar with the matter said the larger phone has a nearly edge-to-edge screen, except for the bottom bezel known as the chin. The display of the device is also said to come with a notch or a cutout — a feature that many manufacturers, except Samsung, are introducing with their latest flagship releases.

The new design of the Pixel 3 XL is expected to help boost the revenue of Google’s smartphone-manufacturing unit. On the other hand, it wasn’t explained why Google chose to make the Pixel 3 a minor upgrade of last year’s Pixel 2.

Industry sources said there is a good reason why Google is adopting a new design for its Pixel 3 XL, and it has something to do with the company’s future plans. Google reportedly wants to completely get rid of bezels in the future, but for this year it is choosing to retain the notch and chin so that stereo speakers remain on the front of the device.

The notch of the Pixel 3 XL will house two camera lenses, while the Pixel 3 will only have a single-lens, front-facing camera. Both handsets are said to have single-lens cameras on the back. The inclusion of two lenses up front is said to give the Pixel 3 XL advanced features like the ones found on the iPhone X’s dual-lens rear camera module.

Google’s Pixel phones may be the best options for those who always want to get the latest OS upgrades, but they undeniably lag far behind Apple and Samsung’s handsets in terms of sales and market share. Analytics company IDC disclosed that Google only managed to ship 4 million units of its Pixel handsets last year.

With its new design approach for the Pixel 3 XL, Google is reportedly hoping to see big changes this year. The company is expected to launch its new Pixel phones in October, which is a month after Apple typically introduces its new iPhones.