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By Ken Manbert Salcedo, International Business Times
Google is expected to officially announce the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL later this year, but a recent leak may have already revealed some information about the upcoming handsets. The alleged screen protectors for the Google phones have leaked online and one of them shows that the Pixel 3 XL will have an iPhone X-style notch on its display.
The screen protectors for the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were first leaked on the Chinese social media site Weibo, but gained more attention when the image was shared by SlashLeaks. The screen protector for the Pixel 3 shows that the device will still have bezels, but they are noticeably thinner than what’s on the Pixel 2. The bottom bezel of the Pixel 3 also appears to have a cutout for a front-facing speaker, suggesting that the dual front-facing stereo speakers are going to make a comeback with the new handset.
Another thing to point out here is that the Pixel 3 seems to have rounded corners for its display. This is very different to the Pixel 2, which featured sharp corners. The Pixel 3 also appears to have a tall display, which suggests that the device will have an 18:9 aspect ratio. This would be another improvement from the Pixel 2, which has the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio display.
As for the screen protector for the Pixel 3 XL, it shows that the handset will have a tall display which will likely have the same 18:9 aspect ratio that’s on the Pixel 2 XL. The device will also have an iPhone X-style notch on top of its display and a slim bottom bezel. The notch isn’t as wide as what’s on the iPhone X, but it seems to be taller/longer. The Pixel 3 XL notch seems to be the same length as the notch of the Essential Phone, as pointed out by Android Police. Like the Pixel 3 screen protector, the screen protector for the Pixel 3 XL comes with a speaker cutout on its bottom bezel. Again, this suggests that the device will have dual front-facing stereo speakers.
Both of the screen protectors also show that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have cutouts for the ambient light sensor and the front-facing camera. What’s odd here is that both of them have three circular cutouts accompanying the earpiece. The smaller cutout should be the ambient light sensor, while the two larger cutouts might be for the cameras. 9To5Google speculates that Google might be implementing dual front-facing cameras on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL or it is adding a new front-facing sensor of some kind.
Can this leak be trusted? Screen protector and case leaks are typically hit-or-miss, so it’s difficult to say at this point. However, Google did include native notch support on Android P, which is a solid clue that at least one of its new phones this year will come with a notch on its display.
