Google surprises Android fans with new phone that’s coming next month

Google recently confirmed its next major Android event will take place on August 20, where the tech giant is expected to unveil its new range of Pixel 10 phones. Usually that means things are kept under wraps until the big day, but Google has decided to get ahead by publishing an official video of one of the phones online.

Right now, if you visit the homepage of Google’s online store, you’ll be greeted with a full video promo of the number ‘10’ morphing into a silvery-grey Pixel phone.

“Google Pixel 10. Coming on 20 August”, text above it reads, as if we needed any more clues as to what this is.

With my phone reviewer hat on, I would say this is the Pixel 10 Pro rather than the Pixel 10, but Google has not confirmed either way. Although leaks suggest Google will upgrade the Pixel 10 from the Pixel 9 to feature triple rear cameras, the presence of the temperature sensor below the flash suggests this is the Pro model, as the Pixel 8 Pro and 9 Pro also had this sensor.

Google hasn’t said why it has chosen to run this video, complete with “an exclusive offer on 20 August when you sign up for emails” for ordering the phone, which is only available to new subscribers. But it may be to attempt to get ahead of the leaks of the upcoming flagship Android phones that are spilling onto the internet.

Google has never been good at stopping Pixel leaks, with images and videos of upcoming devices annually making their way online before any official announcements.

Tech site Android Headlines claims to have the Pixel scoops this year, publishing what it says are official renders of the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold in recent days.

The base Pixel 10 has vibrant blue and green options, with more muted tones available for Pro Pixels. Remarkably, the designs don't seem to have changed that much, if at all, from the Pixel 9, which is rare for Pixel phones year over year.

Google's promo video doesn't give anything else away, but we expect all the new Pixel 10 phones will run an updated chipset, most likely to be called the Tensor G5. Google has used its own in-house processors in Pixels since the Pixel 6 in 2021.

The phones will go up against the Samsung Galaxy S25 as well as Apple's expected iPhone 17 range, which is rumoured to include an all-new slimmer iPhone, potentially to be called the iPhone 17 Air. Apple usually announces its flagship iPhone range in September, so Google is getting in first with its August 20 event.

Google took the unusual step of announcing Android 16, the newest version, before the release of the Pixel 10. Usually, Google releases its new Pixels as the first phones with the latest Android flavour, but currently you can get Android 16 on the Pixel 9 and 9a phones, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7.