Google is shifting its next round of smartphones from Nexus to Pixel. (Photo : Getty Images/ Justin Sullivan)
Google Pixel and Pixel XL are slated to be announced on Oct. 4 and as Google gets ready to launch new flagship smartphones in 2016, everyone is curios what the company that rolled out the highly commendable Nexus 6P will bring next.
Leaks about the Nexus replacements and supposedly made by HTC reveals much of the Pixel (codename Sailfish) and the Pixel XL (codename Marlin). The devices will be the first smartphones made under the "Pixel" name, as Google has allegedly opted to do away with the "Nexus" branding this time round. Rumors are rich about Google's upcoming Pixel XL, the larger smartphone which sports the codename "Marlin."
Pixel XL is rumored to have a 5.5-inch display, 4GB of RAM, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 processor along and the choice of either 32GB or 128GB of internal storage space. The device will come with a back camera of 12-megapixel and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
The above render is the latest to leak ahead of the Pixel XL official launch by Google. Although the new smartphone is a bit darker, it does not mean that the Pixel XL will look like the new iPhones with jet black color. Pixel XL comes with a "window" at the top, which is where many of the sensors are found, such as Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and more. This window is needed because it is easier for those to penetrate glass, as opposed to aluminum. Google Nexus 6P had such a window too, but it was much smaller than this.
Pixel XL has a similar front look to many other HTC smartphones, but it does not have the fingerprint sensor nor a home button on the front sported on many HTC's devices. The fingerprint sensor is located on the backside of the device just like the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P had.
According to Techradar, the Pixel XL will be a pretty costly smartphone from Google and it will not be as cheap as the Nexus 5 or Nexus 4 were. The device may come pretty close to the price of the Nexus 6P which was released last year for around $449 for the 32GB model. This was quite low compared to its competitors. If by any chance the Pixel XL hit that price point this year, it will also be much lower than its competitors such as Apple and Microsoft.
In addition to the above features, Google has make some steps in the device connectivity as it will be ditching the microUSB and instead, rely on the all-rounded USB-C on its future Pixel gadgets.
It is also expected that Google will utilize its latest operating system, Android 7.0 Nougat, in the new Pixel smartphones.
Though no official release date from Google, people close to the matter speculates that the tech giant will make the official communication of the Pixel smartphones on Oct. 4, with the devices hitting the shelves as early as Oct. 20.
