Google Explains Why It Didn’t Unveil a 5G version of the Pixel 4

While rumors seemed to indicate that the Pixel 4 will almost certainly come with a 5G chip inside, that wasn’t to be as Google didn’t speak about 5G during the course of the announcement. Well, the exclusion was deliberate and well thought out as it turns out. Speaking to PCMag, Google’s VP of Product Management, Brian Rakowski said that this is more a matter of timing and the fact that the components required to make 5G work are still “power-hungry and immature”.

This also touches on the fact that 5G phones require bigger than usual batteries since these networks have the tendency to drain out your phone pretty quickly. This is also why Apple didn’t get on board the 5G train with its iPhone 11 lineup this year, and it makes sense that Google is playing safe for now. One can hope, however, that with networks expanding rapidly across the U.S., Google will eventually bring 5G to its phones, possibly by 2021.

Google also clarified that it’s not giving up on 5G by any means and is closely tracking the developments in the area to ensure they’re on top of any new innovation that comes out of it. For the time being, the lineup of 5G phones is fairly limited and includes the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the Galaxy Note 10 5G, as well as the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. Surprisingly, OnePlus decided not to include a 5G chip with its most recent OnePlus 7T flagship, citing similar reasons as Google.

Have you tried 5G networks in the U.S.? Do you think it will become mainstream by 2020?

Via: PCMag