Google’s Pixel 2 is coming. We know that thanks to Google’s hardware head Rick Osterloh, who previously said: “You can count on a successor [to the Pixel] this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now.”
What Osterloh neglected to tell us, it seems, is that the Pixel and Pixel XL follow-ups could be joined by a third device.
Code spotted in the Android Open Source Project (via) hints at three new Pixel devices currently in development, all of which will seemingly pack the latest Snapdragon 835 chip from Qualcomm.
Related: Pixel 2 – What we want to see
The inclusion of Qualcomm’s latest chipset is hardly surprising, seeing as the Pixel 2 and its cohorts are expected to be top-end devices.
But this is the first we’ve heard of a third handset to accompany the new versions of the Pixel and Pixel XL, referred to respectively under the codenames Muskie and Walleye.
The third handset appears to be codenamed Taimen – all sounding a bit fishy, right? – and details are sparse, which roughly translates as ‘we have no idea just what this phone is’.
The Pixel XL was the larger of the two original Pixel handsets
Some reports have suggested the mystery device could pack a larger screen than the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, similar to 2014’s Nexus 6.
That could very well be the case, following reports that Samsung is expected to sell more versions of its larger Galaxy S8+ than the standard Galaxy S8.
Analysts have been talking in recent months of larger screens becoming more popular, which could have played into any possible decision from Google to develop a larger-screen Pixel 2 device.
But at this point, nothing has been confirmed. We don’t know whether the third device will see the light of day or just what that device is, so stay tuned for more in the near future.
HTC is expected to be making the new Pixel devices, as it did for the original Pixel and Pixel XL, and both new handsets are expected to come with top-end hardware including the Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, and of course, Android 8.
Do you want to see three new Pixel phones in 2017? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.