Google Pixel 2 Confirmed and ‘It Stays Premium’!

Google Pixel (left) and Pixel XL (right)

So far the Google Pixel XL is easily the best smartphone of 2017 and you would agree. So the good news is this red hot new range will not be a one-off experiment.

Speaking at a round table discussion during Mobile World Congress 2017 last week, Rick Osterloh - Google’s senior vice president of hardware - told Android Pit: “You can count on a Google Pixel successor this year, even if you don't hear a date from me now."

This is great news, but don’t expect a price cut as Osterloh also confirmed that “ Google Pixel stays premium”. He said that “with the current Pixel, there are too few devices to meet consumer demand, still there will be no cheap Pixel. Google will continue to leave lower price segments to other manufacturers”.

Of course ‘How premium?’ will be the big talking point. After all the Pixel and Pixel XL are already priced in the same bracket as Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S range. Furthermore with iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 price rises expected in 2017, what will presumably be called the ‘Pixel 2’ and ‘Pixel 2 XL’ could be even more expensive than last year.

It’s understandable that the premium price tag of the Pixels upset many given they replaced the affordable and beloved Nexus line-up. But Nexus models always had compromises and there are many high quality bargain replacements these days like the OnePlus 3T. Instead what stock Android lacked was a truly premium model and the Pixels take the battle to Apple and Samsung and often come out ahead (particularly their cameras), so there’s no reason why they cannot be priced similarly.

That said Google does need to drastically improve two aspects of the Pixels for 2017: to compete with the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 redesigns, Google must greatly slim down the Pixels huge top and bottom bezels. It must also get a grip of its supply chains since the stock shortages that have plagued the Pixels since launch is nothing short of embarrassing. Building great phones and spending millions on advertising is pointless if no-one can buy them.

Still if Google can produce such impressive premium smartphones at its first attempt, then the hopes for the newly confirmed next generation should be sky high.