Google Pixel 4a Coming Soon?
While Google has yet to announce the Pixel 4 release date officially, device hounds have been rooting around the hints that the tech giant has dropped about the latest iteration of their smartphone. The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are expected to be announced at some point, but with the Pixel 3 and its variants entering the market earlier this year, speculators are unsure as to whether the company will announce the new version just yet.
9to5Google did some digging and located mentions to a device called “needlefish” which appeared alongside names of “flame” and “coral,” both codenames for the expected Pixel 4 devices. In the past, the “needlefish” reference has been seen in other Google memos, linked to Qualcomm. What this suggests to phone enthusiasts is that the device might not be a smartphone, but could be an Android-based gadget operating off a Snapdragon chip.
On-Brand Competition a Potential Problem
Normally, when Google unveils a smartphone, they usually reserve the announcement for the mid-ranged versions of the same line for later in the year. The tech giant’s competitors Apple and Samsung have gone the route of releasing all of their phones, including the mid-range models, at the same time of the year, and often at the same events. Google may consider following their example. The downside for the company is that the release may affect the overall sales numbers for those high-end devices. More consumers may see it as economically feasible to invest in a mid-range phone at a lower price, especially since they don’t have to wait for later release dates.
So far, all of the news surrounding the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL are speculative, but the evidence is strong that these phones are likely to make a splash on the market. The company has leaked images of the phone, so everyone knows what it looks like, but other information about the device is wild with speculation and hype. Only time will tell if the handset will live up to it.
