As has already been proved the umpteenth time, benchmarks is where you get to have a good peek of even the most secluded piece of hardware. Case in point, the recent viewing of the upcoming Pixel handsets.
Originally speculated to comprise of three devices, what has emerged off late is that the Pixel 2 range will actually have two devices after all. So while there used to be three fish based codenamed – Taimen, Muskie, and Walleye – to denote three devices in the making, it seems there will be the Taimen and Walleye that would eventually get to see the light of day.
The recent benchmark sightings too have thrown up interesting insights about the upcoming handset. Those include a 4.97-inch full HD display for the Walleye that no doubt will be the successor to the base Pixel handset. Further, the device is touted to come with 64 GB storage and will have stereo speakers.
Worth mentioning is that the Walleye does not seem to have the 3.5mm headphone jack. This might come as a disappointment for many, more so since Google had highlighted the inclusion of the port in Pixel in light of iPhone 7 missing out on the same. Strange to see Google going back on its words in just a year down the road.
Coming to the bigger Taimen which should emerge as Pixel XL 2, the phone is shown to carry a massive 5.99-inch 1440p OLD display along with an equally massive 128 GB storage. That apart, the phone will sport a unique glass and metal building with the top made up of a glass window, as has been the case with the present Pixel devices.
Further, both the Pixel 2 (Walleye) and Pixel XL 2 (Taimen) is shown powered by the latest Snapdragon 835 handset, which is hardly surprising. Both the devices also have the same memory of 4 GB.
Another feature that has come to the fore is that both the handsets will likely have a single lens camera at the rear. That might seem a bit odd given that dual lens rear cams have almost become the default on at least flagship handsets. That said, the Pixel has always been highly acclaimed for its superb picture quality and there is no reason to believe its successor will be found lacking on this.
Meanwhile, there is no mention what the design language for the new Pixel range will be like. The only bits that have found mention is that there will be extremely slim bezels while the fingerprint scanner won’t be there at the rear. Whether that signals a possible placement beneath the display remains to be seen though.
