Google Pixel 2, Pixel XL 2 Rumours

Leaked information coming from past few months have revealed that the Google is working on its upcoming smartphones Pixel 2 (codenamed as Walleye) and Pixel XL 2 (codenamed as Muskie). Rumors have it that there is a third device under works which is codenamed as Taimen. It may or may not belong to the Pixel 2 family.  These flagship phones have been spotted to be powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset. New code commits in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) suggest that Google may launch its Pixel 2 smartphones earlier this year.
 
It has been found that one of the Google engineers named David Zeuthen has access to a physical handset of Pixel 2 as he was able to perform a manual test on Walleye device. This suggests that Google may be testing the prototypes of Pixel 2 and is testing it with the basic future Android code.
 
Since the original Pixel and Pixel XL phones were launched in October 2016, they are still new devices. However, new finding indicates that successor devices may be almost ready with Google and the testing process has already begun. Also, Google has already released the first Android O Developer Preview in the previous month which hints that the company is also prepping the Android 8.0 alongside the upcoming 2017 Pixel smartphones. This indicates that there is a possibility that Google may announce its Pixel smartphones early this year.
 
Samsung is pegged to announce its upcoming Galaxy Note 8 in August or September. Apple is rumored to follow its launch pattern for announcing the rumored iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 8 in September. Google is struggling to meet the demand of first-generation Pixel phones as customers are unable to purchase theme easily. Hence, Google may not want to clash the release of its Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 with the forthcoming Samsung and Apple flagships.
 
Moreover, when Rick Osterloh, the Senior Vice President for Hardware with Google was asked about the Pixel 2 release date, he said that, “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it.” This suggest that Google may stick to announcing the second-generation Google Pixel phones in October this year.
 
Even though the Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones are sold with “made by Google” tagline, but they were assembled by HTC. Since the Taiwanese company has signed a two-year manufacturing deal with Google, the upcoming Pixel phones are expected to be assembled by the same company.

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