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Google has posted out invitations and a teaser video for a special event it is hosting today.

It's widely believed to be a launch event for a pair of new smartphones that the search giant hopes will square off against the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Plenty of rumours are already flying about what to expect - the most notable of which is that Google will be dropping the Nexus branding in favour of Pixel.

Yesterday, the cat looked to be well and truly out of the bag thanks to Carphone Warehouse. The UK retailer has inadvertently listed pictures and details of the upcoming phones.

The finished pictures show the phone from both sides as well as listing some of its key features. The white gadget bears a striking resemblance to the iPhone 6 although it has the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner popular with other Android handsets.

Both the smaller Pixel and the larger Pixel XL will make the jump to the USB-C charging port and both will have 4GB of RAM and the same 12MP camera on the back (8MP on the front). There will be a choice of either 32GB or 128GB of internal storage.

According to the Carphone Warehouse listings, Google will be offering unlimited amounts of photo storage through its Google Photos app. The latest version of Android (Nougat) is preinstalled and with that comes Google's AI-powered assistant Allo and the FaceTime-style app Duo.

It also revealed new Live Cases - basically covers for the phone that match with live wallpapers you can install.

What time does the event start?

The event itself is being held in San Francisco and kicks off at 9am Pacific Standard Time.

Over here in the UK, that equals 5pm in British Summer Time.

(Image: Getty)

The event will be live-streamed on YouTube for any of those who can't make it over to San Francisco in person.

What else to expect on October 4?

Along with the two new smartphones, Google is going to try and push further into your home with its other new kit.

First up is expected to be a 4K version of its popular Chromecast streaming device. Netflix and YouTube already offer some content in 4K so providing your TV is up to the task, then the Chromecast can handle it.

What made the original Chromecast so popular is that it was available at £30. If Google keeps the price the same for the new one then it could have another hit on its hands.

What about the speaker?

Just like Amazon, Google has a speaker that's designed to sit in your home and answer any query you have - from football scores to the news headlines and the weather.

It's called Google Home and isn't a secret - but we're expecting the company to announce pricing and availability in the UK at its October 4 event.

Amazon has recently launched its own Echo speaker in the UK, which means Google will have to bring it out quickly and at an attractive price in order to compete with the retailer.