Google Pixel 4 leak points to a big bezel and no fingerprint scanner

The Pixel 3. Image credit: TechRadar

Recently we saw leaked renders showing a Google Pixel 4 with a square camera block on the back. This was at odds with previous leaks, but it looks like it could be accurate, as the same design has now been leaked again, complete with additional, surprising details.

Shared by Unbox Therapy, the latest leak takes the form of metallic mock-ups of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, and according to the source that big square camera block on the back contains two lenses along with a “spectral sensor”.

Unbox Therapy doesn’t explain what this sensor would do, simply saying it’s another kind of “imaging technique”, but with three rear sensors the Pixel 4’s camera capabilities could be quite different to the Google Pixel 3’s single-lens approach.

But it’s the front of the phone that’s more interesting, as while it’s not totally clear in the mock-ups, the source says both phones will have a large bezel at the top, rather than a notch or a punch-hole camera.

That’s a surprising choice in 2019, but apparently it’s necessary to house the five “imaging units” that the Pixel 4 range will supposedly have on its front.

The source doesn’t know what these are for, but claims there’s no fingerprint scanner on the phone, meaning the only biometric security would be facial recognition of some kind, so at least some of these imaging units will presumably help with that - and that could mean a facial recognition system that equals or betters Apple’s Face ID.

Finally, the source says that both the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will have wireless charging and Active Edge, letting you squeeze the sides to launch Google Assistant.

We would of course take all of this with a pinch of salt, but the source notes that these kinds of metal mock-ups are generally sent to accessory makers, and that by the time you reach this phase the design is usually fairly locked down - so this could well be an accurate look at the Pixel 4.

Via Softpedia

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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