Google Pixel 4 XL could have a smaller, sharper screen than its predecessor

Google Pixel 3 XL
(Image credit: Future)

While many phone makers seem to be under the impression that bigger is better, Google could actually be shrinking the screen on the Pixel 4 XL, albeit only slightly.

A leaked image shared by 91Mobiles and coming from an apparently “reliable source” shows what appears to be a Google Pixel 4 XL running the DevCheck Hardware and Software Info app. This lists the phone as having a 6.23-inch display, which would be ever so slightly down from the 6.3-inch display on the Google Pixel 3 XL.

That’s not the only way the screen is seemingly different, as it also apparently has a 1440 x 3040 resolution (up from 1440 x 2960 on the Pixel 3 XL), and 540 pixels per inch (up from 523 on the Pixel 3 XL).

So the Pixel 4 XL’s display is seemingly both smaller and higher resolution, though not by enough that you’ll really notice. Nor will you likely notice the apparently different aspect ratio, which is listed as 19:9, while the Pixel 3 XL is 18.5:9.

The image also lists a Snapdragon 855 chipset, which is no surprise though notably that’s slightly lower end than the new Snapdragon 855 Plus that’s starting to appear in a few phones. What we can see of the Pixel 4 XL itself in this image matches what we’ve seen before, with a large bezel above the screen and a smaller one below.

Of course, as with any leak we’d take this with a pinch of salt, but a previous leak had said to expect a screen of between 6.2 and 6.4 inches, which this would be. We should find out the truth sometime in October, as that’s when the Pixel 4 range is expected to land.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.