With the Android Q beta program well under way, we're starting to get a little information trickling in on the forthcoming Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones that will launch running the new software.
As is so often the case with these sorts of things, the codenames were revealed through the process of communicating about addressing development issues with the software on Google's phones. Developers working on Android's SELinux policy refer to two never-before-seen Google devices codenamed "Coral" and "Needlefish" right alongside the Pixel, Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 series of phones.
The names themselves aren't particularly important, but they unlock the ability to track their progress.
The codenames fit the history of Google devices using nautical names, and when then cross-referenced to the latest version of the Google app, well they're clearly linked to two new phone models: Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. The only wrench thrown in this whole thing is that in the Google app, the Pixel 4 is linked to the Coral codename while the Pixel 4 XL is linked to "Flame" instead.
Perhaps a change was made one way or the other between the two, but it seems odd that Google would drop its nautical naming scheme between two devices to be released at the same time. It also leaves the door open to speculate about what a potential third Pixel 4 model could be, including the chances it could be a lower-cost mid-range version in the lineup to alleviate some of the pressure Google is feeling from people who were not fans of the Pixel 3 and 3 XL's price increases.
Codenames are fun and all, but they don't really tell us much at the moment. What they do offer, though, is the ability to track their names through development from this point forward to get more clues as to what they'll have to offer when they're released. The "Coral" name lets us put one thing together already: linking back to a leaked benchmark that referred to the device running a Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB of RAM. These are the kinds of little bits of information we can expect to see flow in now that the names are readily known. The hype is already starting, and we have several months to go before the Pixel 4 lineup's expected release in October.
