Google Discontinues Pixel 4 And Pixel 4 XL Early, Pixel 5 Launch Date Allegedly Leaks

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Well, it has been a remarkably short run for Google's Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones, as the company confirmed this morning that both Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered devices have been discontinued. This is frankly an odd move from Google considering that the previous Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 flagships were on sale for roughly 18 months following their introduction -- the Pixel 4/Pixel 4 XL are being given the boot after less than a year.

Google's actions are even more perplexing given that the replacement for the Pixel 4 series -- the Pixel 5 -- hasn't even been officially revealed, and is on track to arrive in the fall. “Google Store has sold through its inventory and completed sales of Pixel 4 [and] 4 XL,” said Google in a statement to The Verge. “For people who are still interested in buying Pixel 4 [and] 4 XL, the product is available from some partners while supplies last."

Google goes on to say that the Pixel 4/Pixel 4 XL will continue to receive major OS and security updates up until three years after they were first made available for sale. A quick trip over to Amazon confirms that there is still some Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL inventory floating around in the channel, but that supply is likely to dry up soon:

So that means that the only currently available smartphone direct from Google is the newly announced mid-range Pixel 4a, which is priced at $349. However, the Pixel 4a is only up for pre-order at this time.

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In other Pixel news, it appears that Google has "leaked" the release date for the upcoming Pixel 5 flagship. This information comes courtesy of the Pixel 4a announcement blog as written by Google France. While the reference has since been taken down, the blog originally stated that both the Pixel 4a (5G) and the Pixel 5 would be available for pre-order starting on October 8th. That puts the timing right in line with previous fall launches for flagship Pixel smartphones.

However, that timing does put Google without a flagship smartphone offering on sale for the next two months.