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Once the rumors surrounding Google's upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone started emerging, Google itself wanted to join in on the fun and tweeted a teaser image of the device.
With Google's own image, there are at least a couple things about the Pixel 4 that we can confirm: It'll come with a dual-lens rear camera system, and it won't have a rear fingerprint sensor like the Pixel 3 does.
But by confirming a few things, Google actually raises more questions. What will the second camera lens do? And how will users unlock their phones? Will there be an in-display fingerprint sensor, or will the Pixel 4 rely on facial recognition?
The truth is that we don't know, but rumors at least points us down certain paths. We'll have to see if those paths lead to the actual Pixel 4, or if they lead us astray.
First of all, here's the 100% real and confirmed Pixel 4, straight from Google itself.
It looks like the Pixel 4 will come with a dual-lens camera system.
With a few simple adjustments to Google's photo, we can see a dual-lens camera system.
One of the lenses is surely a regular camera that all smartphones have, and the other is likely an ultra-wide-angle lens. It's possible the second lens could be used for zoomed photos, but Google can already achieve artificial zoom with its AI and software. Ultra-wide photos, however, cannot be replicated by AI and software.
And the Pixel 4 has supposedly been seen in the wild.
You'll be able to control certain things on the Pixel 4 with gestures.
Google is apparently adding a special "radar" chip with the codename "Project Soli" in the Pixel 4 that's meant to let you control certain elements of the phone without touching or talking to it.
I'm immediately skeptical of this feature. We've seen gesture-based features on other smartphones, including Samsung's Galaxy phones and LG's recent G8 smartphone, and they've never proven particularly useful.
I'm absolutely willing to be pleasantly surprised and proven wrong about gesture-based features, and if there's any company that can make them useful, it's Google.
Google might ditch the fingerprint sensor and go all-in with facial recognition.
You may have spotted in Google's own tweeted image of the Pixel 4 that there's no fingerprint sensor on the back.
One possibility is that Google will adopt an in-display fingerprint sensor, like we've seen on the Galaxy S10 and OnePlus 7 Pro.
Lewis Hilstenteger of the Unbox Therapy YouTube channel, however, suggests that Google might be using facial recognition for the unlocking duties in the Pixel 4.
In fact, Hilsenteger believes the Pixel 4 will have a relatively large top bezel, or "forehead," so Google can fit a bunch of sensors for facial recognition. If Google needs that many sensors for facial recognition, it could mean the company is going for a super-secure, iPhone-style Face ID system that uses several kinds of sensors to securely map a face to unlock the iPhone.
We can take a pretty good guess as to the chip Google will be using in the Pixel 4, but we're still missing rumors on an important spec.
I'll be very surprised if Google doesn't use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip in the Pixel 4. It's the chip of choice for high-end flagship devices in 2019.
With that said, there's no word on how much RAM the Pixel 4 will come with. The Pixel 3 came with 4 GB of RAM, which I'm declaring is simply not enough for a top, high-end flagship device. The Pixel 3's performance is fine with 4 GB of RAM, but it's noticeably slower than other phones from 2018 that come with more RAM, and the Pixel 3 costs just as much.
RAM is the special memory in phones that keeps all the apps you've recently used open in the background. It lets you return to an app without having to open it from scratch, which takes longer than simply returning to it.
Here's hoping the Pixel 4 comes with at least 6 GB of RAM.
The Pixel 4 is expected launch in October.
Google usually announces its new Pixel phones in October, so that's when we're expecting the Pixel 4.
Gadgets leaker Evan Blass obtained a supposed release calendar from Verizon that also suggests an October announcement for the Pixel 4.
As for the price, that's still up in the air at the moment, but check back once in a while to see if any pricing rumors have emerged.
