There were a few rumors about Google’s Pixel 4 series including a 5G variant at some point, but there wasn’t a single word about it during the company’s reveal event this week. One Google representative did confirm, though, that a Pixel 4 5G isn’t coming because it’s “not the time.”
Speaking to PCMag, Brian Rakowski, Google’s VP of product management, explained why there is not a 5G variant of the latest Pixel phone. Really, it comes down to the timing. Google believes – and rightly so – that 5G deployment isn’t to the point where enough users can benefit from it yet. PCMag further details the reasons why 5G isn’t ready and why the connectivity won’t be ready for a couple more years.
Further, there’s the issue of hardware. Rakowski explains that the components needed to implement 5G are still “power-hungry and immature.” So far, most 5G devices are larger than average to make room for much larger batteries. The Galaxy S10 5G, for example, is considerably larger than even the Galaxy S10+.
Rakowski says that Google is “closely” tracking 5G and while it’s clear there’s no chance a Pixel 4 5G is coming, the door isn’t closed on delivering the connectivity in a future device.
It will get there, but now is not the right time to buy a 5G phone. Both from a deployment perspective—the coverage is not broadly available in enough places for enough users to benefit from it—[and] from a hardware and phone perspective—it’s still power-hungry [and] immature. There’s work to be done there. We’re tracking it closely and we’ll bring a phone out when we feel like it’s a good time for users, but now’s not the time.
More on Google Pixel 4:
- Where to buy Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL
- Pixel 4 tidbits: Face unlock security, ‘new’ Google Assistant details, more
- Early Pixel 4 vs iPhone 11 Pro camera samples arrive – which do you prefer? [Poll]
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