GOOGLE PIXEL 2 PRICE, RELEASE DATE, SPECS AND RUMORS

The Google Pixel 2 is on its way, following the success of the original Google Pixel and Pixel XL, despite a few small quirks. Recently, we had a chance to talk to the head of hardware at Google about what to expect with the next Pixel smartphone. Read on for our overview and assessment of all the Pixel 2 news and rumors so far, including a render which reveals the design of the Pixel XL 2.

Google Pixel 2: release date and price

During MWC 2017, we had a chance to talk with Rick Osterloh, head of hardware at Google. As the Pixel and Pixel XL are his babies, we decided to ask him about their successor: the Pixel 2. He told us two concrete details about the upcoming device: it will indeed arrive this year, and it will stay a premium device. That means the Pixel wasn't just a one-off experiment, and there won't be a cheap variant of their expensive flagship.

If Google plans on sticking to an annual release cycle as Osterloh suggested, it’s probable that we would see the Pixel 2 arrive in October 2017. Google will continue to charge high-end prices, as Apple does with the iPhone. The future model would therefore likely surpass the price of the Pixel and Pixel XL, which came out starting at $649 and $769 respectively.

You might recall that HTC was contracted to build the original Pixel and Pixel XL devices, which were code named S1 and M1. According to a report from Japan, it seems that HTC might be at it again. The system files of the new HTC flagship, the HTC U11, hint at two new devices: the S2 and M2. So, it seems possible that HTC could be building the Pixel and Pixel XL 2. Even if the Pixel XL 2 has been scrapped in favor of an LG-manufactured Taimen, as has been rumored, this remnant of information in the system files of the HTC U11 still seems plausible.

Codename Taimen

Google has a history of code-naming its devices after various sea-dwelling creatures: last year's Pixel phones were 'sailfish' and 'marlin', the Nexus 6P was 'angler' and the Nexus 5X was 'bullhead'. Keeping with tradition, it seems Google may be doing the same for the Pixel 2 series and it looks like these names could be 'walleye' and 'muskie', though muskie's future is contested now.

Don't sit back just yet though, because it seems there may be a third Pixel device too, code-named 'Taimen', which, of course, is also an aquatic animal. The relative sizes of these three fishes might be lending us an insight into the size or specs of the future Pixel devices: a taimen is bigger than a muskie and a walleye and is also in a different family. Does this suggest that the taimen phone will be bigger than the muskie or walleye? Might it be a tablet rather than a phone? Maybe it won't be branded as a Pixel?

In any case, the device codenamed Taimen has just surfaced on Geekbench. Someone with a prototype has tested it with the benchmark, meaning the results and their insights into the device's specs are now out for all the world to see. Instead of being able to confirm the chipset via the motherboard info reported in the system information, it simply says "taimen". We can also see that it has an octa-core Qualcomm processor - very likely the Snapdragon 835. The Google Taimen device is also shown to be packing 4 GB of RAM. While that's standard right now, some users will undoubtedly be a bit disappointed that a more future-proof 6 GB wasn't provided. Of course, Taimen was running Android O at the time of the test.

It seems LG might be manufacturing Taimen, as a Googler may have inadvertently revealed in the Android Issue Tracker, according to 9to5Google. A bug report from March by an LG employee, for a USB PD compliance failure, was replied to with a request to close the entry and re-open it under "Android > Partner > External > LGE > Taimen > power", which seems to suggest LG is building the device. There is also a report that Google is shelving 'muskie' in favor of the larger Taimen.

Google Pixel 2: tech specs and build

Google Pixel XL 2 design revealed in a render
A render shared by Android Police shows the Google Pixel XL 2017 in all its glory. While the image is dark, you can see that the Pixel will again have a single rear camera. The same source which gave Android Police the render says that the new Pixels will be squeezable like the HTC U11, and that LG will be building the Pixel XL and giving it a 6-inch AMOLED 2:1 format display.