We knew that Google was planning on releasing a new version of the Pixel later this year, but beyond that, details were scarce. However, a new leak has shed some light on Google's upcoming smartphone and it looks to be every bit as awesome as the first Pixel.
Pixel 2 Display
One of the most important and noticeable features on a smartphone is the display. Whether it's watching videos, sending texts or browsing the web, a good screen is one of the defining features of smartphones. In recent years, we've seen a trend towards larger screens with minimal bezels. The Samsung Galaxy S8 launched with Infinity Display and the iPhone 8 is expected to feature a similar design. Now, it turns out that Google's Pixel 2 will follow the same path.
The leak — first reported by WinFuture — describes a 5.6-inch screen with a near 2:1 ratio of 2,560 x 1,312, placing the Pixel 2 in line with the S8 and LG G6. This would imply that Google and HTC may be creating an edge-to-edge screen.
Pixel 2 Specs
In terms of technical specs, the Pixel 2 will allegedly feature a 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip backed up by 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage space. This would give the Pixel 2 the same amount of RAM as the S8, but more storage space as the latter only offers 64GB of internal storage — at least in the United States.
In terms of operating systems, the leak reports that it will use Android 7.1 Nougat. However, with Android O expected to launch sometime this summer, it is likely that the Pixel 2 will launch running that version of the OS unless it is delayed for some reason.
The leak did not give us any information on the type of battery that is being used and that's one area where Google and others could stand to improve. Short battery life is one of the biggest weaknesses of modern phones and we're still waiting for someone to address that issue.
Pixel 2 Cameras
The leak shows that the Pixel will feature a 12-megapixel camera capable of 4K recording and a front-facing 7-megapixel camera. Beyond that, we don't know much about the camera, but the original Pixel featured one of the best cameras of its class so the Pixel 2's should be pretty good.
Leak Accuracy
As with all leaks, this one should be taken with a grain of salt until an official announcement is made. Some of the details outlined in the spec sheet match up with what we expected, but the OS gives us pause. Assuming Android O does launch this summer, it would be surprising if the newest version of the Pixel did not launch with the latest version of Android. After all, one of the selling points of the Pixel is the ability to get updates directly from Google.
