Home » Google Pixel 2 Leak Features Squeezable Sides and Slimmer Bezel

Google Pixel 2 Leak Features Squeezable Sides and Slimmer Bezel

Assuming Google is working on a yearly cadence, we’re about three months out from a release of the second Google Pixel. That means we’re getting into proper leak territory, and, as usual, various news reports are giving us our first look at Google’s latest flagship.

Android Police has posted a render that it says is “an accurate representation” of the new Pixel design. The news portal did exactly the same thing last year with the original Google Pixel, producing a very accurate render of the device three months before the official launch.

The new render represents a second-generation Pixel XL, previously outed as an LG-built device with the codename “Taimen.” Both Android Police’s report and previous rumours expect the largest “Taimen” device to be a departure from last year’s design, with the smaller Pixel 2 (codenamed “Walleye”) to have a more conservative layout.

From the front, Pixel XL 2 looks like every other Android phone released this year: the bezels are slimmed down (fixing one of the Pixel’s biggest downsides), and the corners of the screen are rounded. It’s not surprising that the front of this LG-built phone looks a lot like an LG G6, just with the LG logo scraped off and a wider earpiece grill attached.

Unlike the G6, the display is a 6-inch AMOLED display made by LG, which will be a big change from the G6’s 5.7-inch LCD. As is standard for 2017 (unless you are HTC), this display has an extra-tall aspect ratio, 2:1 in this case.

Some of the little details may still change from this render. Android Police says that “small changes may still occur before the phone makes it into production.” The site isn’t sure if the camera lens will be totally flush with the body or not, or if the final design will have antenna bands, or if the top earpiece will function as a speaker, or if it has a headphone jack.

The back shows a mostly metal body with the Pixel’s trademark glass window shrinking so much that the fingerprint reader now rests outside the window. The metal body is a big deal this year. With Samsung, LG, and HTC making all-glass devices, Google will have the only major flagship using a back material that won’t shatter when dropped.

The Pixel’s camera was one of the phone’s biggest selling points last year, as Google’s high-tech HDR algorithms made it the best Android camera you could buy. Android Police’s render features a positively massive camera lens—it looks to almost be the size of the fingerprint reader! Will this extra-large lens mean an even better camera?

The report mentions one final curveball: the 2nd-gen Pixel XL will be squeezable, just like the HTC U 11. You’ll be able to put pressure on the sides of the frame and a function will happen. While HTC’s was configurable and meant for launching apps and functions (like a flashlight), the report says you’ll be able to squeeze to interact with the Google Assistant.

A yearly cadence would put the Pixel 2 launch in October, but we’re sure there will be more leaks before then.

Have your say!

0 0