Google Pixel 2 to remain premium, no budget Pixel in the works

Towards the end of January 2017, a report claimed that Google is testing budget Pixel smartphone internally referred as Pixel 2B, aimed at the developing market. It now turns out to be untrue.

Google's newly appointed hardware lead Rick Osterloh in a meeting at MWC 2017 refuted all the claims of an affordable Pixel smartphone.

Osterloh said that the Google will stick with premium Pixel models, and the next-gen Pixel smartphones will be out later this year. “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it. You can (also) count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now,” he said.

Previous reports have suggested that Google's Pixel and Pixel XL will arrive with the same 12.3MP camera as the current Pixel devices, but will get advanced low-light photography, a few tweaks and some new feature. It is said to sport a water-resistant body body (IP67 or IP68), compared to IP53 on the current Pixel phones. It will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 83X chip, and will be $50 (Rs. 3,500) expensive than the current Pixel phone, with a starting price of $700 (Rs. 48,000).

The Google Pixel and Pixel Xl were launched in October last year, so  a similar launch time can be expected for the new Pixel phones this year also.

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