ISSUE 46 • ANDROID ADVISOR 41PREVIEWGoogle Pixel 3
Three new Google Pixel phones are expected to land
on 4 October 2018, with one of them potentially
poised as a rival to the iPhone X.
Release date
The Pixel phones are unlikely to be unveiled before
early October 2018, with an on-sale date later in
October probable. For the past two years Google
has unveiled the new phones on 4 October, so 4
October 2018 is as good a guess as any.
They will come with the latest version of Android
– Android 9.0 P – but as we saw in 2017 they may
not be the first devices to ship with that operating
system. It will be a pure version of the software,
running exactly as Google intends, with regular
security updates and no bloatware.
Specifications
Early rumours suggest there will be three Pixel phones
announced, but bear in mind that this was also the
case in 2017 and we saw only two new Pixel phones
announced. Alleged code names include Crosshatch,
Albacore and Blueline, according to Droid Life,
although there is talk that Google will simply
reference them internally as A, B and C to hide their
details from the outside world.
If it does happen, we could see a cheaper model
with pricing more in line with the old Nexus phones
than Pixel, which is more expensive than ever with the
Pixel 2 XL retailing at £799 (although currently on offer
at just £699). Alternatively, and as most rumours seem