bump on the back, forehead on the front

Google has never been particularly interested in making its Pixel phones stand out from the crowd. With its large forehead, last year’s Pixel 3 looked like a two-year-old mid-ranger, while its bigger brother, the Pixel 3 XL, had one of the largest notches around. 

Now, renders of the upcoming Pixel 4 XL, courtesy of reliable leaker @onleaks, show that phone adopting the look of the Pixel 3 on the front, and mimicking the rumored look of the upcoming iPhone 11 on the back. 

Fully aware that tastes differ, I wouldn’t exactly call the new design exciting. 

The square camera bump on the back of the Pixel 4 (and, presumably, Pixel 4 XL) has already been made public by Google, so it’s hardly surprising that the new renders confirm it. 

But if the new renders are accurate, Google will be adorning the front of the Pixel 4 XL with a hefty forehead, a la Pixel 2 XL. Notches are hardly ideal from a usability perspective, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the new Pixel 4 XL looks like a very old Android phone. 

On the bottom, the Pixel 4 XL has a smaller (but still visible) bezel, which is a standard on most Android phones these days. In contrast, the iPhone XS/XS Max have an OLED screen that extends all the way to the bottom. 

Google’s Pixel phones have always been more about the pure Android experience and the special (or early) features Google tends to give these phones. But visually, the Pixel 4 XL appears to have inherited the worst traits of both the iPhone and the Android world. 

There are a few assumptions here that don’t necessarily have to become true; for one, we can’t be sure what the next iPhone will look like at this point, and the Pixel renders could be inaccurate. 

There’s one potentially redeeming quality the Pixel 4 XL might have. An early rumor predicted the “forehead” look, but said this forehead will house “5 different imaging units.” These aren’t visible in the new renders, but who knows; maybe the forehead houses new tech that will bring us unprecedented selfie/3D imaging/face unlocking features. 

The renders also indicate a triple rear camera for the Pixel 4 XL, as well as an in-display fingerprint scanner. 

Google’s Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are likely coming in the fall, with other potential features being a True Tone-liked display and gesture controls.