There’s a new concept video for the Pixel 2, and it looks amazing – but does it give away more than it should? Read the latest rumours on the 2017 Google Pixel specs, price and UK launch date.
A new concept video of the Pixel 2 XL has popped up online (shown above) , whetting our appetites for what’s to come later this year. But has it accidentally just given away the release date too?
Wednesday 25 October, which is shown on the display in the video, could well be the release date of the new Pixels. Or it could be no more than a guess.
We now have a public beta of Android O, so all we need is some new Google phones on which to showcase it. Codenamed ‘Walleye’ and ‘Taimen’ respectively (‘Muskie’ is thought to have been dropped) , the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL2 are said to offer some interesting specifications.
Both are thought to be Snapdragon 835-powered smartphones with 18: 9 curved screens. The Pixel 2 could look something like this (via uSwitch) :
Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s head of Android, told Bloomberg last October that while the company wasn’t closing the door completely on Nexus it didn’t currently have plans for any Nexus devices. Based on this alone we would suggest the next Google phone is a Pixel rather than a Nexus.
Rick Osterloh, Google’s Senior Vice President of Hardware, has also confirmed that the Pixel will get a successor in 2017.
In the past we’ve seen Google phones manufactured by LG, HTC, Huawei, Samsung and Motorola. The maker of the new Google phone could be any of these partners, but equally it could be a brand-new hardware partner. Nevertheless, our money is on HTC.
Early rumours suggested HTC is once again in position to make the phones, and the fact the design is thought to be very similar adds weight to that theory.
As does the fact HTC has signed a two-year contract with Google, and that the codenames S2 and M2 have also popped up within files found in the Taiwanese version of the HTC U11 (the Pixel X and XL were codenamed S1 and M1) .
Google Senior Vice President of Hardware, Rick O sterlo h, has confirmed that a Pixel 2 will arrive in 2017. “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it, ” Osterloh said. “You can count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now, ” Osterloh told Android Pit. Osterloh also said the Pixel 2 would retain its premium price.
Allowing for a good few months of Android O betas prior to the final release, Google phones are traditionally unveiled in late-September/early-October. The current Pixel and Pixel XL were announced at a special event on 5 October 2016, and went on sale on 20 October. We’d expect a similar time frame for the Google Pixel 2.
The concept video at the top of the page shows the date Wednesday 25 October on the phone screen, but we don’t know whether this is merely a guess or a good indication of when the release date may be.
Rick Osterloh has confirmed that Pixel will retain its premium pricing in 2017.
When it switched its phone line branding from Nexus to Pixel in 2016, Google moved away from high-value devices and toward more premium phones. The cheapest Pixel today costs £599, while the cheapest Pixel XL costs £719.
9to5Google suggests we should expect at least a $50 increase on this due to improvements it is making to the camera and adding waterproofing.
However, the same source also suggests Google is experimenting with a cheaper, lower-specified Pixel 2B that it hopes to launch at the same time or shortly after the Pixel 2 in emerging markets. If it goes ahead there is no guarantee we will see this cheaper Pixel in the UK.
Rumours surrounding the upcoming Google phones for 2017 are now coming in thick and fast, with the latest information tipped by XDA Developers .
Only last week a device said to be the Pixel XL2 also popped up in a GFXBench listing, reportedly with a 5.6in 2560×1312 display, Android 7.1.1, a 2.4GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 540,4GB of RAM and 13Mp and 8Mp cameras.
This followed a Geekbench listing that seemingly confirmed an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM and Android O. This device scored 1804 points in the single-core test, and 6248 multi-core. That’s blistering performance, and only slightly down on the recently released Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Mi6 flagship phones.
That Google will specify the Qualcomm SnapDragon 835 isn’t especially surprising, and though it was also said to be testing models with Intel chips earlier this year Google apparently ruled out cheaper brand MediaTek. The Snapdragon 835 also popped in some Google code associated with ‘Walleye’ and ‘Taimen’, making it appear to be the likely candidate.
9to5Google reports that the Pixel 2 will also be waterproof and feature an improved camera (enhanced through features – especially with low-light photography – rather than the megapixel count) .
Editor Stephen Hall tweeted in late-January that he recalled being told back in October that the next Google phone would be waterproof, and the fact the current model was not came down to an issue of time constraints, and the need to keep down costs. He says Google was forced to choose between upgrading the camera and making the Pixel waterproof.
The current Pixel and Pixel XL are IP58 rated, which means they are dustproof and protected against spraying water, but not submersible or water-resistant.
According to 9to5Google, an internal document shown to the site confirm that Google will follow Apple in removing the 3.5mm headphone jack in the Pixel 2. We presume this means it will instead get USB-C audio.
There’s also talk of a Samsung Galaxy S8-esque curved screen coming to the Pixel 2. According to a report from South Korea’s Electronic Times, Google is investing $880m in LG Display Company so it can get hold of flexible OLED screens.
The video shown at the top of this page is the latest creation from Concept Creators. It shows renders of what the Pixel 2 may look like, based on speculation and rumours.
One interesting thing to note is the inclusion – once again – of a red Google Pixel 2.
Google’s new devices for 2017 will come with Android O preinstalled. The public beta is available to download now, which means we’ve already been able to take a good look at what we can expect.
Android O focuses on ‘fluid experiences’ and vitals, with new features headlining during its first public appearance at Google I/O 2017 including picture in picture (multi-windowing mode) , notification dots (long-press an app shortcut to view the notification right there onscreen) , autofill (like in Chrome but now in apps) , and Smart Text Selection (automatically recognises names, addresses and phone numbers so you don’t have to fiddle around with selection handles; it can also suggest a relevant app) .
