Google Pixel 4 Lacks Notch, Headphone Jack, and Fingerprint Reader in New Renders

[Tsing]

iGeeksBlog and OnLeaks have published the best look yet at Google's smaller-sized Pixel 4. Thankfully, the newest model won't adopt the ugly notch from last year's Pixel 3 XL, but it does lose the Pixel 3a's 3.5 mm headphone jack. Also missing is the fingerprint sensor, which implies some kind of facial recognition system for unlocking.

Overall, the Pixel 4 is shaping up to be the XL model's smaller identical twin. The phone will measure in at roughly 5.6 inches (147.0 x 68.9 x 8.2 mm) and feature a bulky camera bump comprising two lenses, a ToF (time-of-flight) sensor for resolving distance, and LED flash.

On the front, we can see two lenses; one for facial recognition and other for portrait selfie. ToF sensor is a camera itself, which identifies the object and calculates the distance between the camera and the object. While capturing the object, ToF will blur other elements in real-time; this was earlier done by software once the photo was captured.

 

[DWolvin]

Or the fingerprint sensor could be in the front under the screen.

 

[northrop]

I do wonder if at some point we will see a rise of dedicated mp3 players with audio jacks after every smart phone manufacturer scraps the jack in favor of wireless solution.

 

[blkt]

Unfortunately no, you are expected to buy a USB DAC with amplifier or a new pair of USB headphones. They want to drop the external audio circuit and components. It's really messed up considering the alternative Bluetooth audio quality is lossy.

I am not aware of a car or deck that supports USB digital audio streaming so we're forced to load up a USB flash drive, SD card or use our phone as USB storage. This is fine, but if you use a music streaming service you are SOL unless your deck natively supports it.

Some phones are capable of passing analog audio out through the USB port, which makes compatibility confusing for those looking to buy USB headphones as now there are cheap analog only models. The same problems persist with adapters: do you need conversion, amplification, both or just pass through?

If you care about audio quality, you may have to worry about your app(s) truly bypassing the internal DAC and Android drivers. You may also have to deal with jitter/sync issues (snap crackle pop).

Lastly, USB ports break. Plugging and unplugging more often is going to accelerate things and you only have one port. Even if you are super careful, you can't charge your phone battery or do anything else with that port if it's occupied with a pair of headphones. When is the last time you broke a 3.5mm TRS headphone jack?