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Google Pixel 2 Will Be Expensive: Here’s How It Would Be Worth It

By Simon Alvarez
Published on: 11:55 PST, Mar 5, 2017

While details about the upcoming device are pretty much unknown at this point, the Google Pixel 2 has been officially confirmed by the man behind the smartphone himself, Rick Osterloh. While the arrival of the Pixel 2 later this year has managed to get numerous fans of the device very excited, the head of Google’s hardware department also gave some disheartening (albeit not unexpected) news – the Pixel 2 would be expensive.

Osterloh’s statements were taken from an interview with mobile tech-themed website Android Pit, where the Google executive briefly discussed an outline of the upcoming mobile device. Among other things, Osterloh was generous enough to give fans of the smartphone a concrete timeline as to the upcoming device’s release date.

“There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it. You can count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now.”

While the Google executive did not specify an exact date for the release of the Google Pixel 2, there is a very good chance that just like its predecessor, the next flagship smartphone from the search giant would be unveiled sometime around October. In a lot of ways, an October 2017 release date for the Google Pixel 2 makes perfect sense, considering that manufacturers conventionally follow a timeline for their flagship smartphones’ release dates.

Apple, for one, has been prone to releasing its iPhones during September, while Samsung has followed an August release date for its flagship phablet line, the Note series. From Osterloh’s statement, at least, it appears that Google would be making October into the month of the Pixel’s release.

Inasmuch as the release date of the Pixel 2 was all but confirmed by the Google executive, however, Osterloh also gave away yet another piece of information about the device. When asked about the price of the upcoming smartphone and the premise of a lower-end Pixel 2B, the Google executive’s response was brief.

“Pixel stays premium,” Osterloh said.

Rumors of a cheaper Pixel 2B variant have been emerging as of late, and it has been embraced warmly by fans of the original Pixel and Pixel XL. After all, if there is anything that is missing from the Pixel, it is the Nexus line’ value for money. As it turns out, however, it appears that rumors of a Pixel 2B are inaccurate, with the Pixel 2 maintaining its high-priced status.

This does not mean that the Pixel 2 would not be a device worthy of purchase, however. On the contrary, the Pixel 2’s high price is actually pretty justified, considering the upcoming device’s possible specs. Currently, rumors are high that the Pixel 2B would be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 6GB of RAM and a killer camera. Thus, for all intents and purposes, the expensive Pixel 2 would still be a pretty solid purchase.

For Google to fully justify the Pixel 2’s high price, however, a number of improvements on the smartphone must be initiated, according to a Forbes report. The camera and the specs of the Pixel 2 are all but confirmed to be formidable, with the former even rumored to boast a sensor that would give near-DSLR quality photos. As for the device’s design and availability, however, the search giant still has a lot of room for improvement.

The Pixel and the Pixel XL are attractive devices, but the handsets do feature pretty rather unsightly, thick bezels at the top and bottom. Apart from this, the sides of the smartphone look almost identical to the frame of the aging iPhone 6. Thus, for the Pixel 2 to warrant a purchase despite having a high price, it must have a frame that is as attractive as the device’s specs and camera.

Apart from this, the Pixel 2 must also have ample supply to meet the consumers’ demand. Currently, the Pixel and the Pixel XL are frequently out of stock. Thus, while the device is largely popular, its success has been limited due to Google’s inability to produce enough handsets for consumers. With the Pixel 2, Google must perform better and manufacture enough devices for a consistent rollout. If Google is able to do this, the Pixel 2 might very well give the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Apple iPhone 8 a run for their money.

[Featured Image by Ramin Talaie/Getty Images]

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