Design-wise, the larger Pixel 2 XL is said to include a new look and screen that'll reduce the phone's bezels, similar to what Samsung did with its Galaxy S8 and Note 8. The Pixel 2, on the other hand, might keep those big bezels intact. It'll likely look just like the first-generation phone.
As far as specs are concerned, Android Authority, says it obtained the details for both phones. It says the Pixel 2 XL will feature a curved QHD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, either 64GB or 128GB of storage, a USB-C port, an E-SIM slot (like we saw with the Apple Watch Series 3), a second-generation Google-branded fingerprint sensor, and a 3,520mAh battery. It'll reportedly cost $849 for the 64GB version, and $949 for the 128GB model.
Meanwhile, the smaller Pixel 2 will feature a Full HD display, a 2,700mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 64GB and 128GB storage options, and an E-SIM slot. The 64GB option is rumored to cost $649; the 128GB option will reportedly go for $749. The Pixel 2 will likely come in three colors: “just black,” “clearly white,” and “kinda blue.” How exciting that Google is sticking with its blatantly named color schemes.
Both phones are expected to ditch the headphone jack for dual front-facing speakers and USB-C, although there have been multiple reports that suggest otherwise. (VentureBeat's Evan Blass also previously suggested the phones would include a Snapdragon 836 processor, but that no longer seems to be the prevailing rumor.)
As I mentioned above, HTC is only expected to manufacture the smaller Pixel, and because of this, the phone is rumored to feature a squeeze functionality similar to the the HTC U11's. (Last year, HTC manufactured both the Pixel and Pixel XL.) Users will be able to open an app by squeezing the sides of their phone, which definitely seems like a gimmick, but apparently it's one Google is willing to market. The Pixel 2 XL might also come with this feature, despite the fact that LG will make the device.
Most surprising is that both phones are expected to ship with similar cameras as their predecessors. This goes against Google's biggest competitors — Samsung and Apple — which both opted to include rear dual-camera systems on their flagship devices. However, Google does always compensate for its lack of a second sensor by including advanced camera software, which could keep the company's phones competitive for another year.
This year also might be the last that we see Google outsource much of its device development and manufacturing, given that the company acquired HTC's smartphone teama couple weeks ago. So while we're excited about what we'll see on Wednesday, we're also already dreaming up what could happen next year.
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