Pixel 5 development tipped to still be in flux despite leaks

The Pixel 4a is terribly delayed and, if things happen in order, the Pixel 5 might come even much later than usual. Either that or both phones will launch side by side, which is an equally strange situation. There have been very little in the way of leaks about the Pixel 5 aside from its probably mid-range specs. Renders of what is claimed to be the Pixel 5 and its dubious nature has sparked discussion on the rather uncertain situation that the phone's development is currently in right now.

Google has so far consistently launched its Pixel phones in October although it broke that pattern by launching the mid-range Pixel 3a in May last year. May should have also seen the Pixel 4a's debut but, thanks to COVID-19, that has seemingly been pushed back all the way to the third quarter of this year. The Pixel 5 may be similarly delayed but it isn't just the coronavirus to be blamed.

Sources are now casting doubt on recently published renders of the Pixel 5 which looks exactly like the Pixel 4, just with a punch-hole camera. It isn't just because it looks too unbelievable to be even true but because they believe that the actual state of Pixel 5 development is currently chaotic.

The pandemic has thrown not only schedules into chaos but also established workflows and processes. Things are even more difficult when it comes to designing hardware, as Apple will undoubtedly confirm. But while Apple has already reached at least its Engineering Verification Test phase, Google is allegedly still in its planning phase for the Pixel 5.

Google's next high-end phone is believed to not be so high-end as far as the Snapdragon 768 5G chip is concerned. There will also be none of the fancy Soli radar technology for its gesture-based controls. At this point, however, even those might still be subject to change, which is to say that having a final design is probably the last thing on their minds at this point.