Google's been working on lower-cost versions of the Pixel 3 for months, and new evidence suggests those phones will arrive any day now.
Filings published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) show new smartphones are coming from Google. The documents specifically reveal two new phones from the company, likely the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite handsets that we've been covering for months. Technically, the filings include six Google device models listed as “smartphone”, 9to5Google spotted, and they show the model numbers assigned to each device.
Best smartphones 2019: The top phones available to buyThe two new phones we're focusing on, which are thought to be the Pixel 3 Lite handsets, have the model numbers G020C and G020G. For reference, the Pixel 2 series used model numbers G011A and G011C, while the Pixel 3 series used G013A and G013C. The FCC's documents also indicate both these devices support Wi-FI, Bluetooth, NFC, and LTE connectivity. They run Google's Android 9 mobile operating system, too.
Other than that, the FCC filings don't reveal too much. But it's safe to say their existence is more proof that the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite might launch sooner rather than later. Last year, the Pixel 3 and Pixel XL popped up in the FCC about six weeks before their October debut. If we apply that same logic here, we could see Google's new phones appear in April. But there's also a hint they might not arrive until much later.
Google filed a request for confidentiality that will protect images and other information in the filings until 24 August.