Google may be working on a Pixel 4 with 5G

Another day, another potential Pixel postulation.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Google may beat Apple to the punch with regards to 5G. Citing sources familiar with the smartphone, Google may be developing a 5G-capable version of the Pixel 4. The sources stated that Google may announce the new variant at the Pixel launch event on October 15th, but the phone likely won’t be ready in time for the event. That would mean the rumored Pixel 4 5G would launch a few months later than its non-5G brethren at the soonest.

The inclusion of 5G in a Pixel phone seems a bit odd. While the Pixel phones aren’t strangers to the latest and greatest in the Android world, they’re rarely testing grounds for yet-unproven technology. Rather, the Pixel brand has long been a refinement of Android and a launching ground for new Android software rather than hardware.

Currently, only a handful of OEMs offer 5G-compatible handsets, largely because 5G networks are still in their infancy. Considering the small market share owned by the Pixel brand, a 5G-capable Pixel 4 would be a small (and expensive) fish in a small pond; it’s unlikely that consumers would bite.

We’ll see if Google has any surprises left at the Pixel launch event next week. At this point, there’s so little we don’t know about the upcoming Pixel phones; an unknown device announcement would be refreshing but is highly unlikely. (Google Pixel 3 Unlocked on sale now at Amazon)