Google’s upcoming October 15 event will be focused on the Pixel 4 — no doubt about that. But Google usually only has one hardware event each year, and there’s another product we’re hoping to see make an appearance. The Pixelbook 2.
Need the evidence? Well, for starters, Google has announced some kind of Chrome OS product at this event for the past two years. Last year, it was the Pixel Slate, which has now been cancelled. From what we can tell, the Pixelbook, though, is still very much in continued development.
Some new images leaked that were picked up by 9to5Google that could show the new design of the Pixelbook 2. You can’t see much in the photos, though the rumored thinned out bezels and 4K resolution are both visible. Leaks like this have to be taken with a grain of salt, though these features do match a lot of the rumors that have been circulating for over a year at this point.
There’s more though. A recent report from 9to5Google cites new evidence that indicates Google may be launching the sequel to the popular Pixelbook. The new evidence was uncovered this week, but the story behind it began back in July. According to 9to5Google, a device that “had all the markings of a Made by Google Chromebook” appeared in the FCC’s listings.
This initial listing was created by Pixelbook partner Quanta Computers and involved an “ID Change” request to rename “an Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip from PD99260D2L to HFSG021A.” From there, it was surmised that the device mentioned in the July listing was a Made by Google Chromebook.
It appears that confirmation of that theory surfaced this week, when 9to5Google reported that a listing for that same “G021A” device was resubmitted to the FCC on September 16 and made available on September 17. In this submission, photos of the devices were requested to be kept confidential for 180 days, indicating that the device in question will most likely be launched in the next few months — and likely during Google’s October event.
In addition, the submission itself offered two more details that may indicate that the device is the Pixelbook 2 or at the very least a Made by Google Chromebook. First, one of the test report appendices contains frequent references to a “laptop.” Second, there was also a diagram of the device in a test report that shows a device that has a display screen and a keyboard arranged in a configuration that resembles a laptop. Sounds like a Pixelbook to us.