Google appears to have played a ‘marketing stunt’ with the string of Pixel 3 XL leaks. According to Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech (FPT), Google appears to have misled tech bloggers and journalists about the final look and specifications of the Pixel 3 XL. He also claims that Google contacted him and four other YouTube vloggers (video bloggers), asking them to submit clips which could be used to promote the upcoming Google flagship.
As per these videos, posted on the ‘front page tech’ YouTube channel, Prosser can be seen saying that he did receive an email from a person associated with Google’s hardware division, regarding the possibility of lending footage from previous Front Page Tech shows for the promotion of Pixel 3 XL.
In the first video, posted on September 6 (Episode 727), Prosser does mention making a background check of the employee, whose LinkedIn profile indicated that the Google executive was listed as a Line Producer. While some mocked him for making a false claim, Prosser does go on to show a screenshot from the email received from the unnamed Google employee on the September 7 FTP episode (Ep. 728).
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While the contact details are blurred out, one can clearly see the said person introduced himself as one of Google Hardware’s creative producers, seeking a ‘high quality’ version of the clip used in a previous FPT video.
The email also contains a line, wherein the employee mentions ‘contacting 5 tech bloggers, including you’ for video grabs of Pixel 3 XL leaks that have been reported over the last month. This hints at the likelihood of Google creating a montage of such video clips, that has been looked at by Prosser as a genius marketing tactic.
He also takes the upcoming iPhone launch into account, and indicates that Google could have created the ‘fake’ hype around the phone, so as to divert user interest toward the official Pixel 3 XL promotional posts, and eventually, the launch.
While earlier being slated for October 4, Google did finally send official press invites with the October 9 launch date. In addition, the surge of leaks seen throughout August, as well as the start of this month, seem unnatural for a phone that is to launch almost a month away.
As per the leaks, Pixel 3 XL has been seen with a notched display and an all-glass back, as well as a single rear camera and dual front camera sensors. These images had been seen repeatedly, with 3D image grabs, 360-degree hands-on videos as well as high-quality product shots. The most recent incident among these involved a Lyft driver finding the phone in his cab, and clicking pictures of the phone, which to him, appeared like the rumoured Pixel 3 XL.
Ultimately, the phone could look very different from the leaked images that have been posted across social media platforms until now. It remains to be seen if any of the specs do match up between now and the October 9 launch event.