[Update: Nope, just Soli] Four mystery Google Pixel phones hit the FCC w/ hints at 5G

We’re still over a month away from the usual timeframe for the Made by Google hardware event, where Google will wow us with their latest phones, computers, and smart home tech. Today, we’re getting another peek behind the curtain, as the company has just filed four new FCC listings that seem very likely to be the Pixel 4, complete with support for Google’s Project Soli.

Before a wireless device can be sold in the US, it needs to pass through the FCC for approval. When a device is submitted for approval, the FCC publishes information about the device and what “bands” of the wireless spectrum a company intends to use with it.

This morning four Google devices hit the FCC — G020I, G020J, G020MN, G020PQ — all labeled as “phones.” While we knew that the Google Pixel 4 would be coming later this year, there’s one extra thing that really makes these listings stand out. They’ve requested a band of 5G connectivity from the FCC (58-63.5 GHz), but we’ve learned from public research and a past FCC waiver that Google’s Project Soli works on this same millimeter wave wireless technology.

Considering the only Pixel phones that we know are coming soon are the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, it seems very likely that today’s FCC listings are for those devices. The timing also lines up very well for that to be true, as the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL first hit the FCC on August 31st of last year.

However, there are some minor red flags that prevent us from saying with certainty whether these devices are Google Pixel 4. Critically, all four of these model numbers fall more in line with the Pixel 3a series of phones, which feature model numbers ranging from G020A to G020H. It seems strange to us for Google to reuse a previous model number for their flagship Pixel 4.

Google also seems to be using an interesting new tactic with their FCC filings. When looking at the included “eLabel” for G020MN, you’ll actually find two separate labels, one for G020M and G020N. It’s not clear at this time what the difference between these two models would be, and could simply be the difference between a Pixel 4 and its XL variant.

With that in mind, despite there only being four listings, we’re actually looking at six different models, as MN and PQ are both actually two models under one FCC listing. The Pixel 4 having that many models is not a surprise by any stretch though, as even the Pixel 3a had eight different models hit the FCC.