This coming Wednesday, Google is holding an event where the company is expected to release the next iterations of its Pixel phones, namely the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. According to a new report, however, the company also has an as-yet-unknown third device in the works known as the "Ultra Pixel", which could also debut at the October 4 event.
Arun Mani of Mrwhosetheboss, a popular tech-oriented YouTube channel, yesterday uploaded a video claiming someone anonymously sent him a bunch of pictures and videos showcasing a Google product known as the "Ultra Pixel".
The pictures and video in question are not, in fact, of the phone itself but, rather, stills taken from a presentation designed to introduce the phone and so many of the details about the phone, as stated by Mani, are inferences, and not necessarily proven by the images. Some of his claims are also supported by additional information provided by this anonymous source but since the source can"t be verified, it"s hard to take them at their word.
The images show a smartphone with a rather thin frame and significantly slimmer bezels with a near edge-to-edge display. Mani also claims that the phone will have a dual-camera system and possibly have a fingerprint scanner embedded into the display, a technology that exists but is not yet available on any commercially sold devices, meaning the Ultra Pixel would be the first of its kind if this information is true.
Perhaps even more fantastically, Mani suggests, as prompted by his anonymous source, that the version of Android found on the phone will ditch the three familiar navigation buttons Android devices have had since the OS was first released. Instead, apart from presumably a volume rocker and power button, there will be no physical or hardware keys on the devices with all of that functionality replaced by gestures, in a manner similar to what Apple has done with its iPhone X.
Now, it"s entirely possible that the "Ultra Pixel" is simply the Pixel 2 or its larger sibling the Pixel 2 XL but that may be unlikely due to the dual camera system, which is not what rumours about the two phones suggest about their specs. This might lend some credence to there being a third device and would, therefore, enable Google to compete with Apple in a similar hierarchy as the iPhones 8, 8 Plus, and X.
Of course, with no verification of the source, there"s no real way of knowing how accurate any of the information is but luckily we"ll find out soon enough in a week"s time.
Source: Mrwhosetheboss via Android Central