A new leak revealed the codenames used in development

Aug 27, 2019 14:06 GMT  ·  By

A couple of leaks revealed the codenames for the upcoming Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.

We already know a great deal about the hardware and design of the upcoming Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL, but we didn’t actually know the codenames being used for development, which are important for many reasons. For example, it’s a good way to track the right system image for your particular Pixel.

Google recently announced that it drops the dessert names and is adopting a numerical notation, meaning that Android Q becomes Android 10. We also learned, also trough a leak, that the launch date for Android 10 is set for September 3rd, but there’s no official word on this matter.

Codenames galore

Codenames for Pixel devices are usually interesting and point directly at a particular device, with Marlin, Bonito, or Crosshatch. According to a 9to5Google report, a commit in the AOSP code and the subsequent comment of a Google developer unveiled two new names, Coral and Needlefish.

Previous information from the latest Android 10 Beta unveiled that Pixel 4 is named Coral, and Pixel 4 XL is called Flame. Which leaves out Needlefish, which doesn’t have a corresponding device.

Google shook things a little bit this year with the release of Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, at a time when no one was expecting something new from the company. It wouldn't be impossible that Google is actually preparing more than just the regular Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL.

If we take a look at 2018, we’ll see that the previous major release, for Pixel 3, took place on October 3, and there’s no indication that Google won’t follow the same schedule. Especially since it’s their express goal or launching a new device each year.