The Pixel 2 is set to launch in just a few months, which explains the sudden increase of Pixel 2 rumors. A new report details the design and specs of the upcoming Pixel phones, potentially revealing what may turn out to be the worst thing about Google’s new Pixel 2 series.
Recent reports have said that Google is still making two Pixel devices this year, just like it did in 2016. But HTC and LG will each build a Pixel phone, including the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, respectively. Furthermore, a recent alleged benchmark result for the Pixel 2 XL showed some of the phone’s main specs, suggesting the phone will have an all-screen design just like the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8.
A brand new leak delivers more details about the design and features of these two unreleased phones, including a detail that you won’t like. If this xda-developers report is correct, then Google’s new Pixels will not be identical.
Last year, Google finally launched the kind of “Nexus” phones fans wanted. The Pixel and Pixel XL were identical, except for screen and battery sizes. And these differences are only there because one is bigger than the other. That might change in the worst possible way with the Pixel 2 line.
According to the report, the Pixel 2 XL, or Taimen, will have a 5.99-inch OLED display with 1440p resolution, sporting a smaller bezel than the Pixel XL’s. Comparatively, the Pixel 2, or Walleye, will have the same 4.97-inch display with Full HD resolution as its predecessor, with the design being “almost identical” to the original Pixel.
In other words, it sounds like the Pixel 2 XL will have a better screen-to-body ratio than the Pixel 2.
One other reason to dislike the Pixel 2 is that it may ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack, which will be replaced by a second speaker. Surprisingly, there’s no word on whether or not the Taimen will retain the standard audio jack.
The report also notes that the Pixel 2 XL will have a single-lens camera on the back, where the fingerprint sensor should also be present. However, the glass-and-metal mix should change for the Pixel 2 XL, as the fingerprint sensor will no longer be found on the glass side of the phone. There’s no mention of the rear design of the Pixel 2.
It’d be strange to see just one of the two incoming Pixel phones come with a headphone jack. It’d be equally strange for only the Taimen device to get a rear redesign. But that might be exactly what you get from hiring two different companies to build two handsets that will be included in the same family.
As for hardware, the two phones should pack Snapdragon 835 processors, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB or 128GB of storage, with the increased storage capacity reserved for the bigger Pixel phone.
