Meet the new Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

We are only a day away from Google’s Pixel event and here we have a look at both the upcoming Pixel 2 smartphones. Evan Blass has outdone himself with the images of both the new Google flagships, which he posted yesterday on Twitter.

Going by the images he posted, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are expected to feature front-facing stereo speakers. The Pixel 2 XL features a similar design to the LG V30 with an 18:9 tall display with super tiny bezels which melt into the frame of the phone. Even with the tiny bezels at the top and bottom, you see dual speakers on the phone. Sadly, the Pixel 2 isn't going the bezel-less route and looks archaic in its design compared to its larger brother. The bezels look awfully huge, especially with those dual speakers.

The leaked images also show a new design for the home screen with Google search bar on the bottom of the dock and just above the navigational buttons. Another huge change with the Pixel 2 smartphones, is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack on both phones.

Both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 flagship processor coupled with 4 GB of RAM. There will be two storage options, 64 GB and 128 GB with no option to expand storage. The cameras on both phones is still a mystery. Even till date, the 12.3-megapixel camera has been lauded as one of the best on any smartphone on both sides of the pond. The only feature it lacked was optical image stabilization, which may find its way onto the new variants.

The differences between Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL lie in display size, battery capacity, and of course, the price. According to Blass, Google would make the Pixel 2 available by October 19th and it would take an extra month (around November 15th) for Pixel 2 XL to come by.

Apple is going to hit the market with iPhone X by the beginning of November which would be the strongest competitor to the new Pixel smartphones. While the Pixel smartphones are an evolution of their predecessors, the iPhone X is a complete reimagining of what a smartphone should look and feel like.

Going by what we have been hearing the Pixel 2 XL isn't going to be much cheaper than its Apple competitor. The 128GB storage variant is expected to come in at $949 which is just $50 off the base model of the iPhone X. The entry-level Pixel 2 XL is expected to cost $849, while the Pixel 2 will come in at $649 for the 64GB storage option and $749 for 128GB internal storage.