Google could market its upcoming pair of often-leaked mid-range Pixel smartphones, as the ‘Pixel 3a’ and ‘Pixel 3a XL,’ according to new Android Q code snippets uncovered by XDA Developers.
Digging through the code of the first Android Q Developer Preview, which Google released on Wednesday, XDA Developers found multiple references to ‘bonito’ and ‘sargo.’
If you haven’t been following along with the ‘Pixel 3 Lite’ saga, Bonito and Sargo are the codenames of two new Pixel devices Google reportedly plans to launch sometime in the first half of 2019. According to most reports, Bonito and Sargo will adopt a similar form factor to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL but will feature more modest specs. For instance, Bonito will reportedly include a Snapdragon 670 chipset instead of a Snapdragon 845.
To date, most pre-release leaks and reports had suggested the search giant had planned to market the two devices as the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite, respectively.
In the code unearthed by XDA, Google references existing Pixel devices using both their marketing name and pre-release codename. So, for example, in the instance of the Pixel 3, multiple code strings associate Pixel 3 with ‘blueline.’
Not only are there multiple references to Sargo and Bonito throughout Android Q, there’s at least one line of code that directly associates ‘Sargo’ with ‘Pixel 3a XL.’ Perhaps more notably, however, there’s not a single mention of the names Pixel 3 Lite or Pixel 3 XL Lite in the code XDA examined.
It’s very possible that Pixel 3a XL is a placeholder name. It’s also possible the name represents a deliberate misdirection on Google’s part. The company is likely acutely aware enterprising individuals like XDA‘s Mishaal Rahman would go digging through the code of Android Q to find interesting tidbits about its plans.
Whatever the case, it doesn’t seem such a sure bet that Google will market its new phones as the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite.
Source: XDA Developers
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