The Google Pixel 2 has quite a lot of catching up to do and some expectations to reach, since its predecessor made big waves during its release last year. One of the main gripes that buyers had with the Pixel phones was the issue with availability. With the newest iteration on its way, Google will be improving on a number of factors with the brand and build on the momentum that its first phone has gained. Here are all the rumors surrounding the Pixel 2 phones that are headed to buyers later this year.
2 is better than 1
Just as last year and the year before that, Google is sticking to releasing two phones of different sizes. There will be the Pixel 2 standard and the Pixel XL. It is expected that this year, Google will be partnering with LG to make the newest generation of Pixel devices. Google has been known to partner with HTC the last few times, but it seems that they will be sticking to LG, who has been a long-known collaborator of the software giant.
Design
If the recent renders have “leaked” online are any indicators, they show that the bigger pixel will more or less have the same design philosophy as last year’s pixel, but with changes in the display. These phones will no doubt be bezel-less or near-bezel-less devices. While some reports speculate that the smaller of the two new Pixels may not feature the same bezel-less design, Google might want to rethink its approach to make its phones look as modern and consistent, just Samsung has done with its Galaxy S8 and S8+.
Software
Of course, the latest and greatest Android version will feature on the phone. We may get to see the finished version of Android O as well as a name for the version too. The phone will come with a dark theme for the first time and there will be various display settings for users to play around with the phone’s OLED display. The phone will also have its own Pixel Tutorial that will play when the phone is initially setting up.
Hardware
As far hardware is concerned, the Pixel 2 phones will most likely come with the Snapdragon 835 chipset coupled with the Adreno 540 and 4GB of RAM. Storage wise, the phones will come with 64GB and 128GB options. Being a Google phone, we expect it to come with its own revolutionary hardware features that have been featured on other phones as well, such as Project Tango which would make for a great prospect to have on the Pixel since even the latest Galaxy phones along with LG’s and HTC’s phones do not have it yet. Pushing the envelope and being progressive in functionality will make the Pixel 2’s strengths outnumber its rivals, especially when Project Tango is already released on a couple smartphones this year. The Pixel 2 could be the phone to revolutionize Mixed Reality. Unfortunately, there have not been many rumors surrounding the addition of Project Tango, so it could be possible that it won’t feature on the new Pixels as well.
Camera
This has been a tricky slope to speculate upon, since the phone’s GFXBench leaks only indicate that it will come with a 12MP camera at the back and 7MP camera out front. Whether it will apply for both the variants of the phone or whether the larger variant will feature dual-sensors at the back is yet to be seen. Last year’s Pixel phones featured one of the best cameras on a smartphone, and the same can be expected this year as well, dual-cameras or not.
Price and Release
As far as pricing is concerned the new Pixel phones will likely feature a similar price tag as last year’s models. This means that a base price for the smaller variant will be around $650 and for the larger variant will be about $770. In terms of release, Google has been known to release its new hardware between October and November in the year, just in time to take on the new iPhones as well.
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