- 9to5Google found new references to the 2020 Pixel lineup in the Google Search app.
- The code suggests the company won’t release an XL variant of the Pixel 5.
- Instead, we’ll get a 5G model of the upcoming Pixel 4a.
It’s looking less likely Google will release an XL variant of its new flagship phone this year. Digging through the code of the latest beta version of the Google Search app, 9to5Google found new references to the company’s upcoming 2020 Pixel lineup.
For the past couple of months, 9to5 had been tracking two codenames: Redfin and Bramble. The site assumed the latter was Google’s internal designation for the Google Pixel 5 XL. However, a new string of code in the Search app associates Bramble with a phone called the “Pixel 4a (5G).� See the screenshot below:
Before today, there have been reports that Bramble would feature a Snapdragon 765 processor. We have also seen rumors that Google doesn’t plan to use Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 865 in the Pixel 5. This combination of evidence suggests the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will both feature the same processor: the Snapdragon 765G. They may also launch at the same time later this year.
An essential piece of context here is that we expect the long-overdue Pixel 4a to feature a Snapdragon 730 processor. So it looks likely Google will release three phones this year: the mid-range 4a, the 5G-capable 4a 5G, and the flagship Pixel 5.