Back before the Pixel line was a thing, Google’s Nexus phones were prized for their solid builds, stock software (with day-one updates), and affordable prices. But after several generations of Pixels with flagship price tags, it’s seemed like making affordable phones was something Google left in the past. That may change, however, because a Russian gadget blog claims to have gotten its hands on the mid-range Pixel 3 people were hoping to see at Google’s most recent event.




Acquired to Rozetked, the same blog that leaked what turned out to be genuine versions of the Pixel 3 two months prior to launch, this new device appears to be a third, unreleased Pixel 3 model. Rozetked claims this is the device that was codenamed “Sargo,” which we first heard about earlier this summer after it was referenced in a few snippets of code in Google’s ARCore software.



From the outside, it looks very similar to a standard Pixel 3, except that instead of a glass back, it apparently features a cheaper plastic rear panel and an FHD+ LCD display in place of the Pixel 3's AMOLED screen. Meanwhile, on the inside, the phone reportedly sports a mid-range Snapdragon 670 chip versus the Snapdragon 845 featured in the standard Pixel 3, along with 4GB of RAM(the same as a Pixel 3), and 32GB of storage.


However, this apparent prototype has one thing its more expensive siblings don’t: a headphone jack. The rest of the phone’s specs are relatively unremarkable, according to Rozetked, including its 2,915 mAh battery and support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+. One small surprise is that it seems this device sports the same 8-MP and 12-MP front and rear cameras used on the current Pixel 3s.

For all the people who wish Google would get back to offering solid mid-range devices, these photos offer a bit of hope. Rozetked claims this device—which has been dubbed the Pixel 3 Lite— carries a price tag between $400 to $500 and could be officially announced before the end of the year, or possibly sometime in early 2019.

So while the Nexus line might be dead, this Pixel 3 Lite could be the successor stock Android fans have been waiting for since the Nexus 5x and Nexus 6P came out in late 2015.


[Rozetked]