As expected, leaked Verizon timeline suggests Pixel 4 will launch in October

Ben Schoon | Jun 13 2019 - 6:01 am PT

There’s been little reason to think that the Pixel 4 would deviate from Google’s typical launch schedule, until the company dropped an official image months ahead of time. That’s got some thinking that Google might drop the Pixel 4 a bit earlier, but a leaked Verizon timeline suggests that the release date of Google’s next flagship will be just as we always expected.

The original Google Pixel was announced on October 4th, and went on sale later that month. The same pattern followed for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3. After yesterday’s teaser, some assumed that perhaps Google is planning a slightly earlier launch for the Pixel 4.

Thanks to Evan Blass, we’ve got a peek at a Verizon timeline for the remainder of the year that shows when major devices are launching. It pins down the Galaxy Note 10 in the back half of August, and the next iPhone in late-September as well. Importantly, it also shows that the release date of the Pixel 4 will be sometime in the second half of October.

That effectively puts to rest any hope of the Pixel 4 coming earlier in the year, and leaves it on the same timeline as the generations before. Of course, it’s important to always take these leaks with a grain of salt. Despite the track record of Blass, there’s always room for error, especially when carriers are involved.

9to5Google’s Take

While I don’t think yesterday’s unprecedented teaser at all teases an earlier arrival, I do agree that Google would do well to see the phone launch a bit earlier in the year. As our friends at Android Police pointed out yesterday, the company would overcome some roadblocks such as soon-to-be-outdated chipsets and Black Friday sales that take away from the device’s value. As we mentioned last year, Google has made a fairly strong case against buying a Pixel when it launches, and putting the launch date so late in the year doesn’t really help that.

At this point, Google needs all the help it can get.