Google last month was reported to be dropping the Nexus-branding, and launch the Android 7.0 Nougat platform lead devices under its own brand.
Google seems to be making some major changes to its hardware portfolio, and recently it was reported that the company planned to shelve the Nexus moniker from its upcoming smartphones. Now a report claims that the upcoming Marlin and Sailfish smartphones will get the ‘Pixel’ moniker instead, and Google will be unveiling them along with other hardware products at an event on October 4. Continuing with hardware, another report also claims that Google has given up on its dreams of building a modular smartphone.
Let’s first start with the smartphones, and according to Android Police, the upcoming 5-inch Sailfish and 5.5-inch Marlin smartphones will be called ‘Pixel’ and ‘Pixel XL’ respectively. In line with the earlier report, these smartphones won’t have the Nexus branding anywhere. Neither will there be a HTC logo, which is widely expected to be manufacturing these smartphones for Google. This year’s Nexus/Pixel smartphones will essentially have the same innards, and will be only differentiated on the basis of size, display resolution and battery. The report does answer one important question about what brand would replace Nexus, and Pixel does prove that Google is working towards streamlining its hardware portfolio. This is something it had announced when bringing back former-Motorola chief Rick Osterloh to head the hardware division. Back in 2013, Google introduced the Chromebook Pixel, and last year alongside the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, it also unveiled the Chromebook Pixel 2 and the 10.2-inch Pixel C tablet.
While Google has yet to make an official announcement, Android Police claims that the company will be hosting an event on October 4. While details about the time or venue are currently not available, the report does state that Google will be unveiling the new Pixel smartphones, a 4K-capable Chromecast, Google Home and a Daydream device reportedly called Daydream View. Strangely, the one thing missing here is the rumored Google smartwatch running on Android Wear. A recent report stated that Google was working on two Android Wear smartwatches, codenamed Angelfish and Swordfish, which would be unveiled alongside the new Pixel smartphones.
Based on what we have come across so far, the Sailfish aka Pixel will feature a 5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display, and will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. It will also offer 32GB storage, and will come with a 12-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. It is also expected to include a fingerprint scanner at the back, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Marlin aka Pixel XL, on the other hand, is expected to feature a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 paired with 4GB of RAM, and 32GB and 128GB storage options. It is also likely to feature a 12-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel selfie camera, a 3,450mAh battery, and USB Type-C port.
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