Unless Google plans to change things this year, there is without a doubt that we will be seeing the launch of the Google Pixel 3 (and Pixel 3 XL) smartphone. Exactly what the phone will feature remains to be seen, but it looks like we might have gotten a hint thanks to the folks at XDA who discovered references made to the Pixel 3 in AOSP.
This is based on a commit titled, “Cherrypick ‘Add device config to decide which Auto Selection Network UI to use’” in which the description mentions the Pixel 3 not by model number or codename, but by its actual name. It reads, “because the HAL V_1_2 only supports Pixel 3, and the new Auto Selection Network UI is based on HAL V_1_2.”
Of course it is possible that it could have been a typo meant to reference the Pixel 2, but like we said unless Google plans to not launch a Pixel phone this year, it’s not surprising if we start to see references made to the Pixel 3 now. Also based on this discovery, it has been speculated that Google could be looking to improve the networking features on the Pixel 3, although exactly what this entails is anyone’s guess.
That being said, it seems that there could be more than one Pixel phone launched this year. We have heard rumors of an entry-level Android Go Pixel smartphone, as well as a potential mid-ranger, which for the first time would see Google launch Pixel handsets catered to users of all budgets.
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