A video depicting what’s said to be a pre-production unit of the Google Pixel 3 XL appeared online earlier today, having been shared by Ukranian blogger Канал Лучкова, with the most curious takeaway from the new development being the suggestion that the upcoming Android flagship could feature three front cameras. The author of the clip is also the source of a recently emerged unboxing video alleged to be starring the same device, though the new leak is focused on the smartphone itself instead of the contents of its retail box.
The possibility of a triple-camera setup being embedded into the display notch of the Pixel 3 XL is raised by AnTutu, a Chinese benchmark the source ran on their prototype. The testing tool listed all three units as having 8.1-megapixel sensors, though the video itself doesn’t provide a clear look at the screen cutout of the device and previous sightings indicated its notch will feature a more conventional dual-camera setup on the front. Other specs listed by the benchmark include a 6.7-inch display panel with a resolution of 2,960 by 1,440 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio, a 12.2-megapixel rear camera, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip. A 3,430mAh battery has also been referenced, together with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of flash memory, and a seemingly stock version of Android 9 Pie.
The Active Edge feature will apparently be making a return with the Pixel 3 lineup later this year, as per the same source, with the main implication of that claim being that HTC will once again be manufacturing at least one member of Google’s high-end lineup. While the newly recorded benchmark is the first indication that the Pixel 3 XL may have three front cameras, such a setup might help explain the size of its notch that appears to be larger than every other such cutout on the market, save for the ones found on devices that use actual 3D camera setups – Xiaomi’s Mi 8 and Apple’s iPhone X. The Pixel 3 line is expected to be announced on October 4 and start retailing by the end of the same month, together with the Pixelbook 2, second-generation Pixel Buds, and a new series of Pixel-branded smartwatches.