We are one week away from the official reveal of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and people are itching to see Google’s newest devices live in the flesh. The iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8 are out and a lot of flagship smartphone shoppers are holding off on deciding where they want to put their money. If you are one of those people then hopefully we can help you get prepared for the big Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL launch next week. So let’s run down some of the details and rumors that we know!
As far as timelines go, it looks like Google is following a similar schedule to last year. The October 4th launch date is similar to what we saw for the original Google Pixel and that means we can expect a release date around October 20th much like last year as well. If you are looking to pick up a Google Pixel 2 then the Google online store will be the place to go for most people. Verizon is going to be the exclusive carrier retailer for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in the United States which, again, is similar to how the release went last year.
It sounds like the devices will have different designs due to different manufacturers working on each. We have seen from various certification leaks that HTC is working on the Google Pixel 2 and LG is working on the Google Pixel 2 XL. This means we will see unique design elements from each manufacturer in the two devices. With the Google Pixel 2 we can expect a similar design to last year with the addition of the squeezable frame that will be used to launch Google Assistant. In the Google Pixel 2 XL there will likely be a bezel-less design that resembles the LG V30 and follows the bezel-less trend being furthered by Apple and Samsung. One design element that a lot of people will be disappointed in is the loss of the 3.5mm headphone port. Google may introduce wireless Google Assistant headphones to make up for the loss of the headphone port but that will be of little reassurance to some people.
The camera is always a big consideration for people when shopping for a new smartphone and the Google Pixel camera from last year was one of the best cameras on the market. This year, all rumors seem to point to Google using a single camera sensor. That may cause the Pixel devices to fall behind some dual sensor devices like the iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8. Of course, the software is a huge consideration when judging a camera and we will have to see what kind of new features Google packs into their camera software to help them make up the difference between single camera sensor and dual camera sensors.
As far as specs, this is one of the areas that still seems to have some confusion even as we get so close to launch. All summer we heard that the Google Pixel 2 would have a Snapdragon 835 chipset but recently we have been hearing that the 836 either does not exist or is delayed. That means the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will most likely sport a Snapdragon 835 much like other Android flagships on the market. 6GB of RAM also seems to be the standard in flagship Android devices so that’s probably a good bet for the upcoming Pixel devices as well.
Of course, Google is known for their software more than their devices so it will be exciting to see if any unique features are packed into the devices that show off the future of Android smartphones. We have been hearing about interesting features in leaks and rumors. One feature like this is the always on listening feature that will keep an ear open for music playing in the background and display the song and artist info on the lockscreen. It’s kind of cool and kind of creepy at the same time. We will see what else Google has up their sleeve next week.
If you’re not into the Pixel smartphones there will be other devices to check out during Google’s event. We are expecting to see a new smaller Google Home and a Pixelbook which is an expensive, sexy, but expensive (I had to say expensive twice to get my point across) Chromebook.
Are you getting excited to see what Google has in store for us or are you already looking at spending your hard-earning cash on anther device? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
