Just like the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, Google, dubbed "lites," have been the talk of the town for the past few months. They've leaked some information about what they'll look like, what their hardware features will be, and even some camera samples. Who wouldn't want the Pixel 3's better camera in a more affordable device? But the release date (and price) of these phones remains a mystery: Google didn't announce anything about it at Mobile World Congress, so we're guessing the new phone could launch in the spring or maybe even later. Android Police has reported that it'll be available from Verizon sometime in the spring.
Some recent FCC filings suggest that Google is indeed close to launching the phone. There aren’t many details, but the new phones are said to be the Pixel 3 and 3 XL Lite. (It’s not certain that they’ll go by that name, though.) There are eight in total, but when you factor in the different colors, storage, and sizes Google will be offering, it’s essentially just two products. They’re also said to run Android 9 Pie.
Google wants the files to remain confidential until August 24, 2019, which is some time before the company's usual October event. So it's likely that these devices will be released sometime in the coming months in place of the upcoming Pixel 4.
The Pixel 3 and 3 XL Lite will feature a plastic body similar to the general design of Google's flagship phones and will be powered by less powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. They also won't have the dual selfie camera system and dual front-facing speakers. However, they will have a headphone jack, which we've seen since the Pixel 2, and will have a camera that will offer images on par with the standard 3 and 3 XL. There's been a lot of information released about the Pixel 3 Lite, but not about the XL version.
Google has been slashing the price of the Pixel 3 and 3 XL heavily over the past few months. They're currently $200 off their regular price (on the company's store). So it'll be interesting to see what price Google will set for the new phones. $600? $700? A little less? Hopefully we'll learn a lot more soon.
