GOOGLE is expected to unveil its next smartphone - designed to rival Apple's iPhone X - on October 4.

The technology giant has confirmed it will host a live event at the beginning of next month, where new versions of the firm's Pixel and Pixel XL will reportedly be announced.

A teaser video has been posted to the firm's Twitter feed shows a series of questions about phone performance being typed into a Google search bar, including queries about poor battery life, before a message appears reading "funny you should ask. Oct 4".

The date marks exactly one year since the original Pixel was announced - marketed as Google's first own-built phone, which had virtual helper Google Assistant at its centre.

A Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are now being named in reports as the likely new devices to be introduced.

The event comes on the heels of Apple's latest live event earlier this week, where a trio of new iPhone handsets were revealed, including the £999 iPhone X, marking the 10th anniversary of the phone's original launch.

The original Google Pixel was warmly received by critics last year, and rumours suggest notable upgrades to this year's device will include the addition of optical image stabilisation (OIS) to the rear camera for the first time, reducing the number of blurry photos taken.

Google's event will complete a busy period of smartphone announcements, with Samsung, LG and Sony having all introduced new smartphones in September.