Pixel 7 Ultra tipped to join Google’s phone lineup this fall

Google Pixel 7 reveal at Google IO 2022
(Image credit: Google)

Update: The Google Pixel 7 Ultra could be on the way according to new discoveries in Google's Pixel 7 source code

Could the Pixel 7 be a triple threat? Newly discovered code seems to suggest that there's a third model of Google's flagship phone in the works.

If so, a Pixel 7 Ultra — or whatever Google calls this rumored third device — would be quite a departure from Google's normal pattern of smartphone releases. Typically, the company has only released two models — a standard version and a plus-sized variation that offers improved specs in some areas. And when Google teased the Pixel 7 earlier this month, it only showed off two phones, the regular Pixel 7 and a Pixel 7 Pro model.

Yet, when poking around the Android Open Source Project, 9to5Google's Kyle Bradshaw has spotted references to code names for the Pixel 7 Pro (C10) and Pixel 7 (P10). There's a third device in there, code-named G10, which has fueled speculation Google has another member of the Pixel 7 family up its sleeve.

The display data linked to the G10 model certainly suggests we're dealing with a high-end Google phone. The coding says the G10's screen would have a resolution of 3120 x 14440 with a 120Hz refresh rate. Those screen specs match the ones for the Pixel 6 Pro. Measurements of 163 x 79 mm would mean the G10 device is slightly bigger than the 164 x 76 mm Pixel 6 Pro.

That would seem to suggest this phone isn't related to Pixel's A Series phones, as 9to5Google reports that the code-name for the Pixel 7a is already accounted for in the code. There's a reference to another phone, though it's speculated that could be the long-rumored Pixel Fold, which is reportedly being delayed by Google.

That leaves a larger Ultra-sized model as the most likely possibility. If true, it would give Google a real competitor to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which currently tops our best Android phone rankings. The Pixel 7 Pro, assumed to have a 6.7-inch display, is more comparable to the Galaxy S22 Plus, so presumably the third Pixel 7 model could provide a bigger screen option more comparable to the 6.8-inch S22 Ultra.

How else a Pixel 7 Ultra might differ from the other Pixel models is unclear. Google hasn't really revealed any specs about its fall flagship phones, other than to confirm that a new generation Tensor chip is going to power the Pixel 7 series. A 120Hz refresh rate would match what the Pixel 7 Pro is expected to offer, so other than a larger screen and potentially better cameras, there's not a lot of other remaining ways to differentiate the two larger Pixels.

There's a long way to go to get from code hinting at a new phone to an actual product launch. With the Pixel 7 devices not slated to arrive before the fall, that gives us plenty of time for more rumors to emerge that confirm the existence of a Pixel 7 Ultra alongside the two confirmed models.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

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