Google Pixel 4 Could Boost International Street Cred With This Feature

We're still roughly six months away from the launch of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, but that isn't stopping the leaks from making their way to the internet. This latest news surrounding the Pixel 4 family is with respect to its cellular capabilities, which should be a boon for international travelers.

The current Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL technically support dual SIM functionality; however, both SIMs (one physical SIM, one eSIM) cannot be used simultaneously. That means that it is mainly used as a convenience feature, saving you from having to pull out the SIM card tray to swap cards when you need to hop onto a different network. 

With the Pixel 4 family, Google will reportedly support Dual SIM, Dual Standby (DSDS). This means that even though you can designate a primary SIM, the secondary SIM can also receive calls, texts, and data on command. This is allowed as long as the primary SIM is not currently being used on a call or is actively receiving texts.

DSDS is used on Apple's current generation of iPhones that were introduced in late 2018, along with countless other dual SIM-capable Android devices.

What's interesting is that that Pixel 3 hardware is technically capable of supporting DSDS, but Google has not enabled that feature. But thankfully, Google is extending this capability to the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, which will run the Android Q operating system.

In addition the Dual SIM, Dual Standby support, the Pixel 4 family is widely expected to adopt Qualcomm's new 7nm Snapdragon 855 processor. We’ve already seen some alleged benchmarks of this future Pixel smartphone show up in Geekbench with an early build of Android Q.

We're still very early in the game with respect to news on Google’s upcoming flagships, but recently uncovered patent drawings for an assumed future Pixel smartphone suggest that the device will go with a notch-free display and will retain its single camera on the back.