If you thought the iPhone X notch was hideous, wait ’till you see Google’s upcoming third-generation Pixel smartphone. According to a new leak Wednesday, Pixel 3 XL could feature a really tall notch at the top of the display as well as a huge bezel at the bottom.
Android Police today shared images and videos allegedly showing a pre-release version of the phone, originally posted by a Ukrainian technology blogger on his Telegram channel. The leak suggests that Pixel 3 XL should use the recently released Android 9 Pie software and be powered by Qualcomm’s 8-core 845 processor paired with Adreno 630 graphics.
The specs sheet indicates that the smartphone comes outfitted with 4GB of RAM while the display has a resolution of 1,440-by-2,960 pixels with a pixel density of 494 PPI. The unboxing images reveal what appears to be a pretty new iPhone-like wallpaper.
As mentioned, the device has a noticeably taller notch than iPhone X. It’s unclear if the Pixel 3 XL notch was designed to house a sophisticated infrared depth camera system like the iPhone X notch or if mimicking Apple’s design is the only real purpose it serves.
Here’s the unboxing video.
What’s up with the huge bezel at the bottom?
Bloomberg says that Google aims to eventually completely remove the bezels in a future Pixel, “but is retaining the notch and chin this year to keep stereo speakers on the front of the phone.”
Packaging indicates the phone ships bundled with wired USB-C earphones that resemble Pixel Buds, along with a charging brick, a charging cable and a dongle to let customers connect their existing 3.5mm headphones to the phone’s USB-C port.
The rumor-mill thinks that 2018’s Pixel lineup will offer a smaller, notch-less 5.4-inch Pixel 3 model and the larger 6.2-inch Pixel 3 XL featuring an iPhone X-like notch.
If history is an indication, Google will hold its even in October after Apple shows off its 2018 iPhone portfolio and reveals other updates in September.
What do you make of Pixel 3 XL?
How about that huge bezel at the bottom? And what are your views on the worrying trend that has emerged in the Android camp of copying Apple’s iPhone X notch design?
Let us know in the comment down below.