There have been several bits of information relating to the phones that Google has on its table, their code names, what would they look like and similar such stuff has been reported on many tech sites. The Nexus range of phones had been manufactured by LG and the Pixel and Pixel XL were made by HTC.
It was therefore assumed that the next Pixel phone would also be entrusted to HTC only. To be precise, the rumor mills have been working overtime to guess what the name of the impending model would be.
Phone makers use their own internal project code names to distinguish the different devices they may be working on. Many of these devices may never see the light of day and could even be completely dropped.
According to information received earlier, there were three different phones in the Pixel series that Google was working on. These are Walleye (Pixel 2), Muskie (Pixel XL) and Taimen. The observers could not tell the exact details of what the last named one was meant to be.
The latest reports indicate that instead of these tags, what is being called Taimen will actually be Pixel XL2 and not Muskie and that is the phone that will be built by LG. These rumors also indicate that the device coded as Muskie has since been dropped by Google since there were technical issues with the prototype, particularly with regard to the battery and Google decided to shelve the design and ask LG to manufacture the Pixel XL2.
One more revelation about this new Pixel phone is that it will sport a bezel-free all-screen display, very similar to the recently launched Samsung Galaxy S8 and the proposed iPhone 8 from Apple slated for release this fall.
As it did with HTC, Google won’t have the manufacturer’s name on the phone when LG makes the Pixel XL2. But both the companies, Google and LG are rumored to be involved in negotiations for the manufacture of AMOLED display in adequate quantities as and when the new device’s bulk production begins.
The expectations are also that the phone will have premium features and will be priced at a premium level.
Image: Maurizio Pesce