The third generation Pixel smartphone -- the Pixel 3 -- will not make its debut until later this year, but as always, speculation about Google’s upcoming flagship offering is never in short supply. This time around, the latest round of rumors is fueled by the roll out of an early version of the tech giant’s Android P (the newest version of the world’s most popular mobile operating system, now made available in beta).
According to a report recently posted by XDA Developers, there is evidence in Google’s code that suggests that the yet to be announced Pixel 3 will come with full support for wireless charging capabilities, by way of a charging dock. By looking through the code, the folks at XDA found references like “com.google” as opposed to “com.android” pertaining to the wireless charger, which hints that the charger is designed for Google branded devices.
Less than a week ago, images of the Pixel 3 were leaked on the interwebs, and based on these pictures, there is some indication that this year’s new generation Google branded smartphone will come with a glass rear casing, which in itself suggests the possibility of wireless charging support. While it is true that not every glass back handset comes with wireless charging, several phone makers have already opted for a glass material instead of metal for their respective wireless charging phones.
Of course, Google is no stranger to releasing phones with wireless charging features. As a matter of fact, 2014’s Google Nexus 6 (made by Motorola) and 2013’s Google Nexus 5 (by LG) featured wireless charging. But in the next four years, however, that functionality would vanish in subsequent Google branded devices (LG’s Nexus 5X in 2015 and Huawei’s Nexus 6P).
Which brings us to this year’s new Pixel -- if it does launch with wireless charging capabilities, the flagship would be in a nice position to compete with the two best selling smartphones in recent months -- the iPhone X and the iPhone 8. Both released last year, these iPhone models marked the first time that Apple has embraced wireless charging technology to its main revenue generating product.
XDA Developers also reported that the next generation Pixel could also be equipped with squeezable sides, also seen in last year’s Pixel 2 as well as HTC’s U11 (also released in 2017).
Nearly a couple of weeks ago, rumors had also circulated that the Pixel 3 XL will be fitted with a front side notch (like the iPhone X), plus a pair of cameras on the front side.
