[UPDATE: thanks to one of our readers, Kyle, we have found that the design is actually from 2017. Unfortunately our source did not link to it and we were unable to find it. We can only dream that this in fact the Pixel 4.
Turns out it is for the Pixel 2 XL. The patent was filed in 2017 but was only registered last week. It seems the wheels of government move slowly not just in our country. 1.2. I will continue to dream of an all-screen Pixel 4. Shattered dreams.]
Google have been far from innovative with their hardware choices in the Pixel phones. The phones have excelled at hardware but often have been found wanting when compared to their competition in the marketplace with last year’s notch-for-the-ages a prime with 4GB of RAM example. This year Google may finally be producing a phone that looks the part.
According to 91mobiles a new patent by Google appeared on the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s website showing what appears to be a version of the Pixel that has never been seen before. The phone in the images looks similar to the 2018 Pixel 3 phones with one exception – no bezels with no notch.
The front of the new Google device in the patent does NOT have any sort of notch or cutout and has what appears to be extremely small bezels all the way around. The sides of the device are the same as previous years with the power and volume keys on the right hand side of the device and SIM card tray on the left.
There is no image of where the front facing camera is located with no evidence of a sliding phone nor a cutout. Is it possible Google are bringing an under-display selfie camera to market with the Pixel 4?
Of course it would be extremely early in the development stages of the Pixel 4 and this may be one of many prototypes that Google are looking at. Whatever the case I hope Google try and bring something modern and competitive in the Pixel 4 — they certainly need to do something about that notch.
This is just the Pixel 2 XL… the filing date on the drawings is the 28th September 2017. https://www.wipo.int/designdb/en/showData.jsp?qi=3-I9sYZ7IWfaukr7YEW4oR2DEtw+t18t501yi092762Wo=&SOURCE=CAID&LANG=en&XML=74/24/177424_20190112.0606.xml.gz&KEY=177424&NO=0&TOT=18
https://www.wipo.int/designdb/en/showData.jsp?qi=3-I9sYZ7IWfaukr7YEW4oR2DEtw+t18t501yi092762Wo=&SOURCE=CAID&LANG=en&XML=74/23/177423_20190112.0606.xml.gz&KEY=177423&NO=1&TOT=18
Thanks Kyle. Post updated. The source did not provide any links to their source. #shattereddreams
I don’t think we’ll have under-screen selfie cameras any time soon, if ever. Google has no under-screen camera.
The selfie cam is the main problem that causes the notch. There are a number of viable ways to remove it from the screen area (pop-up) or remove it entirely (using the rear camera for selfies).
But the notch is an ugly blight that has to go. Unfortunately, under-screen cameras are not the way out of this mess.
The proximity sensor needs to be located on the front panel in some way or another, as does the light sensor. It is not just the selfie camera (which, I think, is a waste of space and only panders to ego-centric, narcissistic people).
is a slider phone ala the OPPO Find x the solution in your opinion?