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Google Pixel 2 Specs And Features That Will Challenge The Galaxy S8, Release Date Rumored In May

By Ronald Cress
Published on: 04:14 PST, May 6, 2017

Google Pixel 2 is one of the most intriguing Android smartphones that is yet to come, mostly because its predecessor is considered to be a success. As usual with upcoming flagships, not much is known about the upcoming successor. But here are its expected specs that will pose a challenge for the hottest Android right now, the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Specs And Features That Should Be Upgraded To Be Competitive

1. Camera. Although the camera on the first Pixel was above average, Google still has much room for improvement. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 remains to be a strong challenger in the camera department, but the Pixel 2 may just have the advantage over the popular flagship: a dual-camera system.

According to Value Walk, early renders of the Pixel 2 included dual cameras arranged vertically at the back with the fingerprint scanner right below it. Seeing that this kind of setup is expected in every mainstream flagship that is releasing this year, it won’t be a surprise if Google’s upcoming flagship adopts this feature from the iPhone 7 Plus.

2. Design. The Galaxy S8 may be the best-looking smartphone out there right now, and it would take a lot for others to beat that. The Samsung flagship has effectively ditched the physical home button to allow the curved display to take up the whole front side of the smartphone, making for a beautiful façade.

The path that Google should take here is obvious – the Pixel 2 should also remove the home button and thin out the bezels for a full-display front. While they’re at it, they should also change the dual-color rear design, ditch it completely or choose better colors.

3. Battery. CNET reported that the original Pixel ran continuous video playback for 13 hours – good enough but not enough to be competitive. The same battery draining test was performed on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, in which they lasted 16 and 18 hours respectively. If the Google Pixel 2 wants to challenge these devices, it better have upgraded battery and improved optimization to have a longer battery life.

4. Storage Options. Pixel customers only had two internal memory options: 32GB and 128GB. Both choices are enough for some, but considering that the S8 has expandable memory on top of a built-in 64GB storage, Google is losing here. Pixel 2 should be able to offer more memory, which might be a decisive factor for other customers.

Google Pixel 2 Release Date Rumored To Be Real Soon

We already know that the Google Pixel 2 is going to be great when it is released – whenever that is. Tech Times speculate that it might be nearer than initially thought. Even though the Pixel was released in October last year, its successor may be revealed as early as this month, specifically on the Google I/O event on May 17 to 19.

This is primarily because a prototype of Pixel 2 Walleye has already been spotted, which the Inquisitr previously reported on. A Google engineer is already testing the Android O on the smaller device hinting that the search engine company is planning to release it soon.

However, Walleye’s siblings haven’t been spotted yet. This could mean that the other Pixel 2 devices with bigger screens – codenamed Muskie and the other one allegedly Taimen – do not have prototypes yet.

If so, Google Pixel 2 can be expected to be revealed much later this year. If it is an early bird as reports believe, we may see it as soon as August. But if the tech giant follows its schedule, the next flagship will be unveiled in October and then launched the next month.

Let’s just hope that this time, Google fixes its shipment issues so that customers can actually buy one.

[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

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