Google Pixel

Verizon has provided Google's own-brand phones through its stores since their first generation. However, the latest leak on this subject alleged that the carrier would not continue on with the Pixel 5. The company has refuted these claims, saying that it "looks forward" to the OEM's new devices.

Earlier (on February 13, 2020), Android Police spotted a page for a new Android Developer Preview on this OEM's website. However, its download links never went live. Now, this page is back to its old Android 10 self, suggesting that the new version is still not here in any form after all.

Fancy a look at the Pixel 5 XL nine months before Google releases it? Well, that is what Jon Prosser and Front Page Tech claim to be offering, at least. Unconvinced? Yeah, so are we.

Samsung has opened up its Galaxy S20 series trade-in program for reservers and there looks to be a few issues with it. For one, owners of the Galaxy S10e get the short end of the stick.

There have been plenty of headlines written in regard to smartphone owners waiting to receive an update to Android 10. However, smartphones are definitely not created equally, as an image of a Google Pixel 2 XL running on an alleged version of Android R has demonstrated. Android R is likely a preliminary name for Android 11.

Google has been working hard to bring all sorts of AI-powered smarts to Android smartphones for some time. The latest application of this technology will bring Android closer to realizing the Star Trek vision of universal translator with a forthcoming update to Google Translate for Android.

Recently, the Google/Huawei Nexus 6P was the subject of a class action lawsuit in which the claimants experienced a disproportional amount of battery drain, bootloops or both. This case was settled, and the beneficiaries have now been informed that they will receive their respective compensation. It should be issued from now until February 29, 2020.

Google Camera has just been updated to version 7.3.017 on the Play Store. A new report allegedly based on a teardown of its APK specifies the ability to record at 24 frames per second (fps). This option may pertain to upcoming phones such as the Pixel 4a series, which may also have cropped up in this code.

A new leak posted to the Geekbench 5 database purports to spill some of the upcoming Google Pixel 4a's specs. However, this "leak" is particularly unreliable, not the least as it makes the bold claim that the OEM will switch from Qualcomm to Samsung for this phone's processor. Furthermore, the SoC in question also belongs to the Galaxy S8 flagship line.

The first developer preview for Android 10 went live in March last year. We expect the same release timeframe for Android 11 this year, and the fact that a Pixel 4 has been found running Android 11 on a benchmark supports that notion.

A Pixel 4a XL may still be in the works, according to XDA Developers. The website claims to have spotted three new codenames in an AOSP repository, which may point to two new devices and potentially a development board.

Alphabet has become the US fourth company to crest the US$1 trillion market cap. This puts it up there with Apple, Amazon and Microsoft which are the only other companies to achieve the milestone.

A Google Stadia spokesperson stated that the platform will be getting over 120 games in 2020, of which 10 will be exclusives. The company also promised some QoL upgrades such as 4K gaming on the web, better Google Assistant functionality, and more. These features will make their way to Stadia subscribers in the coming months.

The Pixel 3a was one of the best smartphone releases of the year, in stark contrast to the Pixel 4 phones. Google will be hoping to build on that success with the Pixel 4a, and a new report has now revealed more than ever before on the next-gen mid-range Pixel 4.

Last year, popular YouTube tech channel Marques Brownlee hosted a blind smartphone camera test that had some shocking results—with the US$300 Pocophone F1 finishing in second place. This year's version is just as interesting, as it threw a similar curveball.

The Pixel 3a phones are widely regarded as being some of the most recommendable devices in the market right now, especially in the US. The 3a and 3a XL have MSRPs of US$399 and US$479 respectively, but can now be had with a massive US$120 off those prices—US$279 and US$359

The eSIM market is thought to be capable of growing rapidly in terms of shipment volumes until 2025. New research on the same subject now shows that its value will exceed US$700 million by the end of the year. This may be driven by their use in consumer-grade devices, as well as in newer cars and in the internet-of-things (IoT).

In a bombshell announcement, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have announced that they are stepping aside from their roles as Alphabet CEO and Chairman, respectively. In their place, long-trusted lieutenant Sundar Pichai will take over the reins of Alphabet while continuing in his role as Google CEO.

DxOMark has shared its thoughts on what it considers to be the best smartphone cameras of 2019, grouped into specific sub-categories. There are a few iffy choices, but one major takeaway from the list is just how impressive the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro is.

The Google Pixel 4 series started at US$799 at launch. However, the OEM's Black Friday event brings it down to $200 off each variant. Their predecessors are also included in this sale, as are the Pixel 3a and 3a XL.

Google's Pixel 4 exhibited various flaws in our test while at the same time neglecting important smartphone core competences. What good is innovation if the phone cannot even last until the end of the day?

A few weeks ago, in spite of its SoC disadvantage, the Google Pixel 4 XL destroyed the OnePlus 7T in a resource-intensive transcoding test designed to reflect real-world performance. In a longer, more brutal test, the Pixel 4 XL is pitted against the LG V50, Asus ROG Phone 2, and OnePlus 7T. The results are...well, interesting.

XDA contributors have found that Google has included code that supports its long-touted "Lift to Talk" setting for Assistant in its app. This feature allows the voice-activated AI in question to be prepared to answer queries whenever a user holds a given device up to their face. However, the researchers have found this option is still buggy when enabled.

Google's new Pixel 4 phones have been faced with numerous challenges since they were launched a few weeks ago. Further compounding issues, the larger Pixel 4 XL just made its way to popular YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, where it failed rather painfully.

The November 2019 security updates for Android are now available for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, and the Essential Phone. Noticeably absent from this list are the original Pixel and Pixel XL, which are no longer supported by Google. This security update includes several feature improvements, including at least part of the promised fix for the Pixel 4's 90 Hz display woes.

Google introduced a new kind of Recorder app with the Pixel 4 series. It is not merely capable of capturing audio, but of transcribing it in real time and making the resulting text searchable with the help of AI. A Mountain View representative has confirmed that it is coming to older phones of the same line soon.

Google’s parent company Alphabet is said to be deep in negotiations to buy fitness wearables company Fitbit. Fitbit had indicated late last month that it was interested in a sale of the company and it looks like it might likely end up either as part of Google’s product lineup or as a standalone Alphabet backed brand.

Artem Russakovskii of Android Police has posted a video showing his Pixel 4 XL taking ages to open the Settings and Spotify apps. Video recording on the phones also appears to be less than stellar, with obvious stutters at the start of the video. So much for being the smoothest Android device.

Phones with a headphone jack are becoming unicorns, especially in the premium segment of the market. After the launch of the Galaxy Note 10 duo, lovers of the 3.5mm jack now have their work cut out for them in the search for impressive phones with the ever-elusive port, so why not make things a tad easier for them?

The Pixel 4 phones have caught a lot of flak for being unable to record 4K video at 60 fps. According to a discovery, however, it would seem that the devices were originally able to do that but the feature ended up not making it to release software.

The Google Pixel 4's 90 Hz Smooth Display feature seems to be dependent on the display brightness setting and not on the 'content' as was originally claimed by Google. This was first discovered by a Redditor and subsequently confirmed by other reviewers as well. Although there is a way to force 90 Hz in the Developer settings, by default, the Pixel 4's screen can refresh at 90 Hz only if the brightness slider is set above the 75% mark.

iFixit has now published its Pixel 4 XL teardown, with the new Google phone earning a 4/10 repairability score. The report also reveals some previously unknown details of the phone's hardware, most notable being that of the 90 Hz QHD+ AMOLED display.

Night Sight 2.0 with a new astrophotography mode, Live Caption and offline Google Assistant are just three examples of features debuting on the Pixel 4 series. However, these will not remain Pixel 4 exclusives, with Google planning to bring them to older generations too. We have laid out Google's plans in a brief overview, underlining that you need not buy the latest tech to get the latest software.

DxOMark has now published its Google Pixel 4 camera review. Going by the website's test criteria, the Pixel 4 is overall a worse camera phone than the OnePlus 7 Pro and Honor 20 Pro. On the flip side, it's somehow the the joint best phone when it comes to videos.

A series of tests have shown the Google Pixel 4 XL hilariously outpacing the OnePlus 7T in real-world, resource-intensive processing tasks. The fact that the Pixel 4 XL has less RAM and a weaker SoC than the 7T makes it all the more impressive.

The Google Pixel 4 phones don't have support for shooting 4K60fps videos even though Android phones have been able to do that for well over a year. Google has now explained the rationale behind the decision but it's woefully unconvincing.

Google introduced Digital Wellbeing in order to allow users to track and manage their phone use, which extends to a per-app basis. This feature is now integrated into a new Chrome browser update. It can be used to display screen time and how much of it is spent on each website visited.

It's been almost a week since Google unveiled the Pixel 4 phones in New York but it's still baffling just how poor the phones are—the smaller Pixel 4, in particular. In fact, some choices by the company were so off the mark that one could almost be led to believe that the entire thing was a joke.

The Pixel 4 XL's 90 Hz QHD+ AMOLED display has been hailed for its impressive quality, even winning DisplayMate's "Best Smartphone Display" award. That raises a few questions, of course, the most important being: who exactly made the phone's display?

If you own a Pixel 3 and were about to use the Pixel 4's trade-in program to get Google's latest device for significantly cheaper, think twice. You see, Google seems to be of the opinion that the 128 GB Pixel 3 XL is worth a measly US$295, and that's a load of nonsense.

The Pixel 4 series only uses face unlock for biometric authentication; it is that secure. Or is it? Well, a video of one device unlocking to closed eyes suggests otherwise, as does the possibility of someone who merely looks "a lot like you" authenticating payments with your face data. Is the face unlock on the Pixel 4 series not so secure after all?

The new Google Pixel 4 phones may have their issues but the quality of their displays isn't to be questioned—that of the bigger Pixel 4 XL, at least—if DisplayMate's latest review is anything to go by. The new flagship has won the Best Smartphone Display Award while smashing records along the way.

Google also announced its new Nest Wi-Fi home product at the 2019 Pixel launch event. It consists of scalable router and point units in various muted colors. A single 802.11s router covers up to 2200 square feet of space each, whereas each point doubles as a smart speaker.

At its Made by Google 2019 event, Google finally took wraps off the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones. The new Pixel 4 series comes with features such as a Soli radar chip for advanced hands-free gestures, on-device AI and voice processing, and improved AI-assisted cameras. The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL can be pre-ordered starting today and will be shipping from October 24.

Google unveiled its second-generation Pixel Buds at its 2019 'Made By' event. They are truly wireless products that, as the OEM claims, have been designed to be as compact and streamlined as possible. Nevertheless, they are rated for 5 hours of battery life, or 24 hours from their charging case.

The Google Pixel 4 series launch is almost upon us, with the company expected to announce at least a Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. While the two devices will feature more cameras than their predecessors, a new leak highlights some absentees too. In short, it seems that Google is going the way of Apple, which undoubtedly will disappoint Pixel fans.

It might be hard to believe, but the Pixel 4 leaks keep coming. This time serial leaker Evan Blass has leaked official Pixel 4 renders and marketing shots ahead of its official launch next week.

The Android Instagram page has recently posted a short video that hints at a dark theme for Google Maps in the near future. It appears to cause every aspect of the app, including the map-markings themselves, to conform to a color palette that is much less bright.

Google’s forthcoming Pixelbook Go has been leaked in full ahead of its launch. The device takes on a more rounded design language than previous Pixelbooks but remains very much focused on portability.