With the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch not only officially confirmed for a full and detailed October 6 announcement but also officially (and repeatedly) showcased in all their glory, many reliable tipsters and publications specialized in covering Google stuff seem to be slowly shifting their focus towards unearthing the search giant’s more distant secrets.
Thanks to developer Kuba Wojciechowski, who continues to insist he’s “probably not a journalist, analyst or a leaker” after doing pretty much all of that work on several different occasions in the recent past, and 9To5Google, whose writers often use their well-connected sources to assume the leaker mantle, we now have quite a bit of previously unknown info on not one and not two but three prospective next-gen Google products.
All of the Pixel Fold cameras may have been revealed
Google may have a worthy Z Fold 4 alternative in the pipeline.
As Google was at one point believed to be working on multiple foldables, it’s not entirely clear what kind of device might see daylight in the spring. A new theory calls for a decidedly premium model akin to the state-of-the-art Galaxy Z Fold 4 rather than the Z Flip 4, carrying the “Felix” codename, and set to be equipped with the following cameras:
- A primary Sony IMX787 sensor with a 64 megapixel count previously used by such phones as the Nubia Z40 Pro and ZTE Axon 40 Ultra;
- The same 10MP telephoto lens as Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra;
- A 12MP ultra-wide-angle IMX386 shooter found on a huge number of handsets released in the last few years;
- An inner 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor “borrowed” from the Pixel 6‘s front;
- A 10MP cover camera very similar to the telephoto shooter mentioned above.
In case you’re wondering, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 uses a main 50MP snapper, a 10MP telephoto lens, 12MP ultra-wide shooter, 4MP under-display sensor, and 10MP cover camera, so this is definitely a promising start to the Google Pixel “Felix” spec sheet. Sadly, everything else remains under wraps, and this info is obviously subject to change until the phone actually makes its debut in the spring (or not).
The Pixel Ultra remains a very interesting prospect
Whether it will be called simply the Pixel Ultra or the Pixel 7 Ultra, Google’s non-foldable super-flagship continues to sound like a potential breath of fresh air in a crowded and repetitive high-end smartphone landscape.
The Pixel (7) Ultra is obviously not pictured here.
Codenamed “Lynx”, this mysterious bad boy could bring not one but two IMX712 imaging sensors to the table, one of which would be in charge of ultra-wide snapshots from the rear while the other should take care of selfie duties.
The interesting thing is that Sony has yet to announce this particular sensor, suggesting the Pixel Ultra could be different from all other phones on the market… or still very distant. The rear-facing camera setup is further expected to include a familiar main 50MP Samsung GN1 shooter and another unknown Sony IMX787 sensor rumored to handle telephoto tasks.
Check out the Pixel Tablet smart display dock
…or, at least, a small part of it envisioned in new Android 13 Beta animations. This may or may not be representative of the final design of a key accessory for a tablet still slated for a distant (and vague) 2023 release, but what’s important to take away here is that Google indeed wants the device to pull double duty.
As previously rumored, the Pixel Tablet should be capable of seamlessly transforming into a Nest Hub of sorts (when it goes on sale at last), offering “hands-free help” even with a locked screen, playing music and casting videos directly from its lock screen, and displaying all kinds of photos and images of your choice while docked.
That’s some pretty neat stuff, although many questions continue to linger regarding the software execution, hardware shortcomings, and, well, the actual specs of this potentially affordable mid-range hybrid of sorts.