Google Pixel 4 will have a new take on the Apple iPhone XS's trademark feature

New details around the forthcoming Google Pixel 4 have emerged online – and make for some very interesting reading. First off, Google looks set to add more grunt under the bonnet of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL successors.

According to sources, the Pixel 4 series will get a bump to 6GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the previous entry in the Google Pixel range. While that's likely to be a noticeable boost for anyone who upgrades, it's still a far cry from the 12GB of RAM that can be configured inside the OnePlus 7 Pro, for example.

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Like the latest flagship smartphone from OnePlus, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will be powered by the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-a-chip and will ship with the latest version of Android OS out of the box, the report continues.

Both Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will ship with 128GB of built-in storage, according to the exclusive leak published by BGR. The US publication has a solid track record when it comes to reporting details on as-yet unannounced products, so it seems likely we'll see this configuration when the new Pixel phones are announced in October.

The report also suggests the Google Pixel 4 series will have higher resolution displays – 2280 x 1080 on the Pixel 4, and 3040 x 1440 on the Pixel 4 XL. That's a sizeable increase on the 1080 x 2160 resolution on the Pixel 3, and 1440 x 2960 on the Pixel 3 XL.

Finally, Google seems to be preparing an equivalent to the Face ID facial recognition system debuted on the Apple iPhone X and subsequently used on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR.

It has been almost two years since Apple introduced the system, which can be used to unlock the phone and authenticate contactless payments via Apple Pay, but no Android manufacturers have been able to replicate the same level of security. Samsung does offer face unlock – as does OnePlus – but neither allows users to use this method to authenticate payments or unlock banking apps because it's not secure enough.

Hints at the forthcoming Face ID rival have been unearthed in the Android Q beta operating system. When Google tweeted an image of the back of the Pixel 4, fans were quick to spot the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner found on its predecessor has been ditched. So, Face ID or no Face ID, the Pixel 4 is definitely using some new authentication method.

The smartphone is expected to launch in early October, so we're likely to hear more about the flagship in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.