One of the most anticipated smartphones of the year is almost here: the new Google Pixel 4.
Google is gearing up to host its annual #MadebyGoogle event in New York where it traditionally unveils its new smartphone range, as well as some new smart home products.
Last year’s event included the Pixel 3 smartphones, the Pixel Slate tablet, as well as the Google Home Hub, since rebranded to the Google Nest Hub.
What will be on the cards today? Will it be a new Pixelbook? Maybe even a 5G Pixel phone? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2019 Made by Google event.
How to watch the Pixel 4 launch event
The new Made by Google event takes place today, October 15. Held in New York, the event will start at 10am EST, which works out to 3pm UK time.
If you haven’t managed to scour an invite to the event, then you can tune in to the live stream over on YouTube.
Alternatively, you can watch the event over on Twitter, where you can set a reminder to start listening in at the right time.
Follow along with our Google Pixel launch event live blog here
Google Pixel 4 leaks
The main announcement today centres on the new Google Pixel 4 smartphones. We already know some information about the devices from Google, after the tech giant tweeted out pictures of the back of the device earlier this year, pointing to an iPhone 11-esque square camera array, as well as the removal of the fingerprint scanner.
Google also released some information about the new facial recognition scanner and motion-sensing tech in the new phones. The tiny sensor, named Soli, sense small motions around the phone and uses algorithms to recognise when the device’s owner is nearby. Google says Pixel 4 owners will be able to skip songs, snooze alarms and silence phone calls by just waving their hands.
On the back of the device, there is expected to be two cameras: the standard lens alongside a 16MP telephoto zoom lens, as well as a time of flight sensor to improve portrait photography and night sight images.
The phones are expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor, run Android 10 out of the box, and include 6GB of RAM, an upgrade from last year’s 4GB variants.
All eyes are on whether Google is going to bring out a 5G version of the Pixel 4. As the device features the Snapdragon 855 processor, which powers other 5G phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, it’s likely this could happen. This would make Google the first US smartphone maker to release a 5G phone.
When is the Google Pixel 4 coming out?
Last year, the Google Pixel 3 range was unveiled on October 9, with the phones available to buy in early November.
Whilst Google is a week behind last year’s schedule with the Pixel 4 announcement, it’s likely the new devices will also be available on a similar time scale so expect to get your hands on one in either the first or second week of November.
What else is Google set to reveal?
In the market for a new laptop? Rumour has it that Google is going to release a new Pixelbook, named the Pixelbook Go today. 9to5Google managed to get its hands on a prototype of the new device, which has a unique ribbed back to make it nice to carry around, a 13.3-inch Full HD display, a pair of front-facing speakers and a dedicated Google Assistant button on the keyboard.
It also wouldn’t be a Google event without a new home product. It’s likely Google will also unveil its next-generation Nest Mini smart speaker. IDC reported that the Amazon Echo is still set to outsell Google’s smart speaker range this year in Europe, however a new Nest Mini should go some way to boosting Google’s sales.
