Google Pixel 4 XL Leaked Images Tip Larger Camera Aperture, Compared Against Galaxy Note 10+ in Video

Pixel 4 leaks are everywhere. After everything from gaming review videos to hands-on articles with images surfaced, a fresh batch of Pixel 4 XL images has made its way online. The Pixel 4 XL's leaked images show the white variant of the phone running system information apps, revealing some key specifications. Additionally, a camera comparison video of the Pixel 4 XL against the Galaxy Note 10+ has also surfaced online. And if that was not enough, a mysterious Pixel device codenamed ‘needlefish' has re-surfaced, and an alleged Pixel 4 XL 5G packing 8GB of RAM has been sighted on a benchmarking platform.

Starting with the leaked images, they come courtesy of a Vietnamese phone seller named D Store Mobile via The Verge. The leaked images, which are 21 in number, claim to show the Pixel 4 XL's white variant, running a couple of system and hardware information apps. While most of the internal specifications have been documented in previous leaks as well, it is worth noting that the camera aperture of the Pixel 4 XL's primary 12-megapixel is f/1.73, which is larger than the Pixel 3's f/1.8 aperture. What this indicates is that the Pixel 4 might be able to click brighter photos compared to its predecessor, thanks to the difference in the aperture size.

It is also revealed by the leaked images that the Pixel 4 duo will click images in the 16:9 aspect ratio by default, spreading the viewfinder across the display rather than keeping the menu and controls floating in a black background when the aspect ratio is set to 4:3. The implementation is similar to what Apple has done with the iPhone 11 trio, where the viewfinder shows an elongated scene for the wide-angle –lens to capture photos in the 16:9 aspect ratio. SlashLeaks has also shared a few images of the Pixel 4, with one of the images showing the upcoming Google flagship alongside the iPhone XR and an Oppo Reno series phone.

Moving over to the camera comparison video pitting the Pixel 4 against Galaxy Note 10+, it comes courtesy of a Vietnamese YouTube channel named Relab, which recently posted the phone's gaming review video as well. The reviewer mentions that the Galaxy Note 10+ delivers better bokeh selfies that have more detail, while the Pixel 4 faltered occasionally while blurring out elements. But when it comes to the overall picture quality, the Pixel 4 tends to be more realistic, while the Galaxy Note 10+ delivers warmer colours. Both the phones can record 4K videos at 30fps, while the front cameras max out at full-HD resolution.

When it comes to videos, both phones had a similar dynamic range and good stabilisation, but the selfie camera of the Galaxy Note 10+ proved superior at recording videos. However, the reviewer notes that the Pixel 4 XL unit he tested was a demo unit and a lot of camera functions were not working, which means the final camera output might be even better. The video also mentions that the third sensor at the top is a laser autofocus module for faster focusing.

A Geekbench listing, which was first spotted by Gizchina, titled Pixel 4 XL 5G has also surfaced online, indicating that Google might launch a 5G version of the Pixel 4 XL that will pack 8GB of RAM. This is the first time we are hearing about a 5G-capable Pixel phone, and also one with 8GB of RAM, so do process this some scepticism, especially considering the ease with each fake Geekbench listings are being created these days.

Interestingly, another Pixel device codenamed “Needlefish” was spotted in the Google Camera app's code. However, not much is known about what this device will turn out to be. 9to5Google, which first came across the “Needlefish” name, claims that it can turn out to be the Pixel 4a, the Pixel Watch, Pixel 4 Ultra, a new Pixel series tablet, or something entirely different.

Moving over to software, XDA-Developers has unearthed more Pixel 4 camera features such as Night Sight with zero shutter lag for quicker capture in low-light scenarios, Live HDR, HDRNet, and mesh warping in Google Camera app's version 7.0. Audio zoom for directional focus on audio while recording a video, dynamic depth for blur adjustment, photobooth integration with playground AR stickers, and document scanning recommendation by Google Lens have also been spotted in the code. Interestingly, the motion blur feature in the camera app's code is codenamed ‘paneer' after the Indian cottage cheese.