These days, nothing ever gets officially unveiled and have it become a total surprise. Nearly all new smartphones that came out this year were leaked before their unveiling, showing their designs down to the full spec sheet. The latest victim is Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL devices.
In addition to new Google Home smart speakers and a new Pixelbook, Google is expected to unveil this year's Pixel handsets during an Oct. 4 event, but fans don't even have to wait that long. Evan Blass has now posted images showing what he claims are the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, complete with their revamped designs and user interface.
Google Pixel 2 Leak
The Google Pixel 2 showed in the leaked photo features thick upper and lower bezels, a screen that's more traditionally square than rounded, plus a 16:9 aspect ratio. This design seems a bit odd considering the growing trend of bezel-less displays, but it still doesn't look that bad.
There are dual stereo speakers on the front, which rumors already predicted previously. Google seems to have opted to put just a single camera instead of two on the back, and it also made the glass panel a bit smaller. The fingerprint sensor is still where it was last year.
Google Pixel 2 XL Leak
Blass's photo of the Pixel 2 XL shows it wearing a case, but there's also one where it's not. At first glance, the screen looks edge-to-edge, but it never actually goes that far. The phone still has pretty thick bezels all around, especially at the top and bottom, but that's offset by the display having an 18:9 aspect ratio and rounded corners, very much like the bezel-less designs on other devices.
Similar to the Pixel 2, the front also features dual stereo speakers. On the back is a single camera housed inside the now-shorter glass panel. There's the same fingerprint sensor as last year's Pixel. Overall, the design isn't a dramatic departure from the Pixels of last year, but the Pixel 2 XL deserves more points here because its display looks a little more polished and modern than its smaller Pixel 2 sibling.
Google Pixel 2 User Interface?
Google also made some changes to the Pixel interface. There's no longer a "G" button on the upper left corner. It's appears to have been replaced with a Google Search bar at the bottom, directly below an initial row of apps on the home screen.
At the top is a widget displaying an upcoming calendar event and its start and end times, plus the weather. This is a much cleaner setup than last year's, making for a more polished and less cluttered look overall.
Thoughts about the designs? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
