Rick Osterloh at the recently concluded MWC 2017 confirmed a successor to the Pixel smartphone.
Google created a lot of hype last year with the launch of its ‘Made My Google’ smartphones Pixel and Pixel XL. The smartphones caught everyone’s attention and also exceeded expectations, especially in terms of its high-quality camera. The Pixel and Pixel XL however burns a hole in your pocket with the starting price of Rs 57,000 in India. Google has now confirmed at the recently concluded MWC 2017 event that there is a Pixel 2 smartphone in the making. This comes as a quote directly from Google’s head of hardware Rick Osterloh.
At the MWC 2017 event in Barcelona, AndroidPit asked Osterloh about the future of Pixel smartphones, and to which he replied saying that a successor will definitely come this year. He also said that the next Pixel smartphone will remain in the premium segment as seen with the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. Although he did not confirm a specific launch date for the next Pixel smartphone, Osterloh told BGR India that Google will continue to follow the yearly flagship launch timeframe. So we will most likely see the smartphone in October this year.
In addition to the fact that the new Pixel smartphone will remain in the premium category, BGR India asked Osterloh about Google’s stand with Android One smartphone, and also if there any plans for affordable smartphones in the country. He replied by saying that Android One is still a focus for Google and “Android in general is the way the company gets to work with many consumers with many different partners to address price points”.
He continues by saying, “The focus of the hardware team has been to try and drive innovation and generally speaking that involves purchasing or creating new technologies that ends up typically costing more. So we will most likely be pursuing our premium product strategy in general and the company will continue working with partners to get broad reach and broad scale.”
This goes on to say that while Google could continue its project for affordable smartphones in a price-conscious market like India, it will however not reduce the expensive price tag for the future Pixel 2. Even though this may be the case, it would probably still favor Google as even with the Pixel and Pixel XL, the company managed to garner a 10 percent market share within just 17 days. This helped Google to reach the third position in the list of companies in the premium smartphone segment. ALSO READ: Google Pixel, Pixel XL capture 10% of India’s premium segment in just 17 days; Apple dominates with 66% share: Counterpoint
As for the new Pixel 2 smartphone, an earlier reported suggested that Google will be focusing primarily on the camera and is aiming to make low-light photography even better. It is expected that while there won’t be a boost in megapixel count, there will be insertion of certain subtle features that will make even the standard megapixel count deliver maximum results. Google Pixel’s camera is its main highlight with a 12.3-megapixel rear camera along with 1.55μm pixels and f/2.0 aperture. It also comes with PDAF and laser detection auto-focus technology. Up front, the smartphone houses an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture and fixed focus. ALSO READ: Google Pixel 2 leak hints at improved camera; budget variant expected
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