Google Leak Reveals Massive New Pixel 2

Google GOOGL +0.28% likes big smartphones. Until the Nexus 6P, every Google smartphone was bigger than its predecessor but now that trend looks back on course as a potentially massive new Pixel 2 has been uncovered…
Building on news earlier this week that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are being developed under the codenames ‘muskie’ and ‘walleye’, Droid Life has confirmed “via multiple sources” that a third Pixel is also in development called “taimen”. And this tells us a lot.

Google GOOGL +0.28% likes big smartphones. Until the Nexus 6P, every Google smartphone was bigger than its predecessor but now that trend looks back on course as a potentially massive new Pixel 2 has been uncovered…
Building on news earlier this week that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are being developed under the codenames ‘muskie’ and ‘walleye’, Droid Life has confirmed “via multiple sources” that a third Pixel is also in development called “taimen”. And this tells us a lot.





Gordon Kelly ,  
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I write about technology's biggest companies
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Google GOOGL +0.28% likes big smartphones. Until the Nexus 6P, every Google smartphone was bigger than its predecessor but now that trend looks back on course as a potentially massive new Pixel 2 has been uncovered…
Building on news earlier this week that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are being developed under the codenames ‘muskie’ and ‘walleye’, Droid Life has confirmed “via multiple sources” that a third Pixel is also in development called “taimen”. And this tells us a lot.

Image credit: Benjamin Geskin
Google Pixel 2 concept. Image credit: Benjamin Geskin
In short: Google is famed for its (bizarre) obsession with fish-based smartphone codenames and the dimensions of each fish is always a factor:
  • 2012 - 4.7-inch Nexus 4 (Mako)
  • 2013 - 5-inch Nexus 5 (Hammerhead)
  • 2014 - 6-inch Nexus 6 (Shamu)
  • 2015 - 5.2-inch Nexus 5X (Bullhead), 5.7-inch Nexus 6P (Anger)
  • 2016 - 5.1-inch Pixel (Sailfish), 5.5-inch Pixel XL (Marlin)
So, for those not familiar with Google’s latest fish, muskies (circa 17kg / 38lbs) are significantly larger than walleyes (11kg / 24lbs) but taimen are truly massive and can weigh over 100kg / 220 lbs. This strongly hints that Google is going very big with its third Pixel smartphone. And with Samsung increasing its 2016 Galaxy S smartphones from 5.1-inches and 5.5-inches to 5.8-inches and 6.2-inches in 2017, the stage is set for Google to create a ‘Pixel XXL’ monster.

Then again there is also the possibly (given the dramatic size difference of a taimen) that Google is looking to re-enter the tablet space, something it has ignored since 2014’s poorly received 8.9-inch Nexus 9. Or perhaps follow-up the 2015 10.2-inch Pixel C hybrid.  
Either way, codename history suggests Google has big plans for the premium Pixel brand it has been carefully crafting since the first Pixel Chromebook in 2013. And in this case ‘big’ really does suggest massive…

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