Yep – there will be a Google Pixel 2 in 2017
The Google Pixel and Pixel XL launched in 2016 and were, for the most part, very divisive handsets. People either loved or hated them. I fell into the former category and I even went as far as saying the Google Pixel XL was the best Android phone released in 2016.
That was my opinion, of course, after living with the Pixel XL for a month and while many might not agree with me, a lot of people will because Google’s Pixel lineup of phones weren’t just great looking handsets, they were also solid performers.
The camera was brilliant, the battery life superb. I loved the software, pure Android, and I do actually regularly use Assistant for a variety of tasks on a day to day basis.
Google even sold quite a respectable number of Pixel phones too.
The big G has now confirmed that there WILL be a series of successor model Pixel handsets in 2017, as expected. Whether these handsets will be called the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 remains to be seen, after all, Google used to name its Nexus series primarily based on the display size (Nexus 5, for example) and would then put a year in brackets afterwards for repeated iterations of the same size device. All of these naming conventions are somewhat clumsy, however, it would be great if Google could come up with a neater, tidier naming scheme for the Pixel series.
Google Pixel 2: Definitely Room For Improvement
The Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL were solid phones and all-round performers. But they weren’t perfect and there are definitely a bunch of areas where Google can improve things.
The first is design; Google can do a lot in this area, so expect some big(ish) changes to the way Pixel phones look and feel in 2017. The original phones were very conventional and, in some ways, rather dull.
I’d expect this to be the first thing Google tackles when planning the sequel.
The next thing that springs to mind is water-resistance; neither Pixel handset featured this and, to be honest, in 2016/17 that isn’t really acceptable. Even Apple’s iPhones are now water-proof.
I’d like to see Google include microSD support as well, there’s so many great SD card options around these days, though this doesn’t seem particularly likely given the company’s track record.
Wireless charging would also be nice, as well as some improvements to the handset’s audio capabilities – the speakers were crap on the Pixel and Pixel XL and I’d love something like a HD DAC included inside the sequel, just like HTC did on the HTC 10.
According to a report from 9to5Google, which is usually pretty well connected regarding such matters, the Pixel 2 series could follow the iPhone and other handsets in ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack. It's allegedly stated in an "internal Google document" that the traditional headphone port is being dropped. Assuming this is accurate, it's also not being presented as something that is merely under consideration, but rather a solid plan already in place. The report says, "the language used presents the removal of the jack as a matter of fact." It's also not clear what the motivation for the removal is, in theory it could be to do with waterproofing, which the existing Pixel phones famously skipped due to time constraints, however, other devices have been waterproofed with nanocoatings and have kept their headphone jacks. Another possibility is in order to make a device that is ultra-thin, thinner than a 3.5mm jack would allow, or alternatively some new and innovatively shaped form factor - perhaps even a folding OLED phone?
There Will Be TWO Pixel Devices In 2017
Yep – Google’s doing two Pixel releases in 2017. But the second model will run alongside the follow-up to this year’s Pixel and Pixel XL and will likely be priced cheaper.
This “new” model sounds a lot like a Nexus phone; it will be cheaper, with lower-grade specs. This handset is apparently referred to as the Pixel 2B internally at Google.
How this phone will work is unclear at present; it could be targeted at emerging markets as a replacement for Google’s Android One initiative or, what we’re hoping for, is that it is something similar to Nexus phones of old.
Google’s Rick Osterloh has said that Pixel will remain premium, however, so it is looking increasingly likely that this Pixel 2B phone will be targeted towards emerging markets like India and Brazil where demand for high performance, mid-range Android phones is huge.
What would you like to see from Google with the Pixel 2? Let me know in the comments below.
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