Google will unveil its next Pixel smartphone on October 9 (GOOG, GOOGL)

pixel 2

Google will unveil its next generation of hardware products on October 9.

Invitations to a Made By Google launch were sent out late Thursday afternoon. The event will be held in New York City for the first time — Google has held launch events for its previous smartphones in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here's a portion of the invitation that was sent to reporters. Note the "<3," an emoticon that could hint at what Google has in store.

At the event, Google is expected to unveil the Pixel 3 smartphone in both regular and the larger XL sizes. However, Google's thunder may have already been stolen: In the weeks and months leading up to the event, numerous photos and videos have leaked that appear to reveal the design and specs of the upcoming phone. In fact, over the weekend, someone seems to have left one of the new phones in the back of a Lyft car.

So far, looks like the Pixel 3 XL will have a design similar to the Pixel 2 XL, except for a notch at the top of the device similar to the iPhone X. The standard-sized Pixel 3 will likely look similar to last year's Pixel 2.

Overall, the Pixel 3's specs look like an upgrade over the Pixel 2's, bringing it closer to other flagship smartphones released this year.

While previous reports hinted at a Google-branded smartwatch that would be announced at the event — possibly called the Pixel Watch — Google confirmed it will not be releasing its own smartwatch this year and will instead continue to focus on adding its technology to third-party smartwatches.

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