Google’s second-generation Pixel smartphones will likely be unveiled this fall. But details about the phone’s hardware have been leaking for months.

Now Android Police has published what the site claims is the first accurate picture of what the phone will look like when it ships.

The picture is a rendering “based on information from sources we deem extremely reliable,” and it allegedly shows the phone that’s code-named “Taimen.”

It’s said to be manufactured by LG, and the picture shows a phone with slim top and bottom bezels, and slightly curved sides that give the left and right edges of the phone the same sort of bezel-less look that you get with the Samsung Galaxy S8.

The phone is expected to feature a 6 inch display with a 2:1 aspect ratio. Thanks to those slim bezels, the phone probably won’t be much larger than the original Pixel XL, which has a 5.5 inch display.

On the back of the phone you can see what appears to be a single-lens camera. Google is keeping the fingerprint scanner on the back of the device. While there’s still a two-tone finish on the back of the phone, with the top of the device covered in glass, this time it looks like the glass section is smaller, and the fingerprint sensor is below the glass area rather than within it.

One surprising new feature? Android Police reports that Google’s new large-screen phone will have pressure-sensitive sides, allowing you to squeeze the phone to perform certain functions. That’s a feature that first debuted on the HTC U11 squeezable smartphone.

In a lot of ways, this seems like a premium phone that… doesn’t break a lot of new ground. But it grabs some of the best ideas utilized by other phone makers in the past year. It has the ultra-wide display and slim bezels of an LG G6 or Samsung Galaxy S8. It has the squeezable sides of an HTC U11. And it has a design that’s reminiscent of the HTC/Google-built Pixel and Pixel XL from last year, while still incorporating those new ideas.

What remains to be seen is when the phone will launch, how much it will cost, and even what it will actually be called. Is this the Pixel XL 2? Maybe it’s the Pixel 2 XL. Or it could be called something else altogether.

But based on Android Police’s track record, there’s a good chance it’ll look a lot like the picture posted above… unless Google’s plans change by this fall.

 

 

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,547 other subscribers

3 replies on “Our first good look at the 2nd-gen Google Pixel XL (leaks)”

  1. Not interested if:
    – overpriced
    – lacks front stereo speakers
    – lacks 3.5mm headset jack
    …which it seems the Pixel 2 will have all the unwanted options.

    I also don’t like the look and feel of that half-glass/half-metal backplate.
    Nor do I care for the “squeeze” functions. But I could live with it.
    What’s really becoming bothersome are these unusual aspect ratios.

    They make the device unnecessarily large. Imagine watching YouTube videos on it, you will either get chopped foreheads or letterboxing. Thus, the only reasons the extra horizontal space could be justified is to serve the space needed for the curved corners, persistent notification bar, persistent Nav-bar.
    These are trade-offs that are not worth it.

    Keep it 16:9, or 17:9 if you want to add a persistent notification bar and curve the corners.
    Use on-screen Navigation Buttons… have these hide-away when doing things like watching videos.
    This way the device will have the same functionality, except in a smaller, and ergonomically-friendly format for your palm and pocket.

    Regardless, these leaks may or may not be accurate.
    Tough I’m more excited to see if there’s going to be a ZTE Axon 8 !!
    (since the OnePlus 5 was the predicted overhyped let-down)

  2. Don’t understand the purpose of these thinner displays unless it’s to push VR tech on the consumers further down the road. A peripheral vision thing… Not unlike Google’s enemic storage to push cloud services.

    Consumers haven’t been driving tech for a long time. It’s been forced upon them by agenda-driven tech companies. Thankfully, there are other options when it comes to hardware.

Comments are closed.