Google prepares to unveil Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones
27 September
What's the price?
There's no word yet of a UK price, but Android Police says it thinks the standard Pixel will start at $649 (£499). This would make the phone more expensive than any of its Nexus predecessors - "but these aren't Nexus phones. They're Pixels," says VentureBeat.
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Are there any pictures?
An unofficial "press render" of the front of the Pixel can be seen in VentureBeat – and it looks "exactly like the HTC-made phone with a 5-inch screen that's been teased for months", says TechRadar. The front looks like the Nexus 5X, it adds.
What is the rear panel?
It has been rumoured the backs of both the Pixel and Pixel XL have a large glass or shiny plastic panel covering about the top third of the phone, while the rest of the body is expected to be metallic. What could this be? According to SlashGear, it's possible the panel is a rear-mounted touchpad.
A rear touchpad?
Why would the new phones have a rear-mounted touchpad? Slashgear says it could be used when the handset boots into a desktop mode through either USB-C or Chromecast, allowing apps and browsing to be accessed through a large monitor or TV.
Google to unveil Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones
26 September
Google is expected to unveil its new smartphones at a launch event on 4 October. The handsets are believed to be called the Pixel and Pixel XL.
Details of the launch are being kept under wraps, but a promo video for the event released on YouTube seems to hint at a new phone - Google's familiar search bar morphs into a handset-like shape.
It is thought the phones will be announced alongside other new products, including a 4K version of Google's Chromecast audio-video dongle and, according to Cnet, a "sexy" new router, as unlikely as that might sound.
Commentators also expect the internet giant to unveil Andromeda, its new Android-Chrome hybrid operating system, says International Business Times.
The new smartphones have long been rumoured, but now a listing for the Pixel XL has appeared on Geekbench, says Science World Report. Here's what we know – or can guess – about the new devices.
The name change
Google's previous smartphones were branded Nexus, but the Geekbench listing makes it almost certain that will change. Pixel has appeared on Google tablet and laptop products in the past.
Who will make them?
Not Google, says the Daily Mirror. In the past, the company has partnered Huawei, for the Nexus 6P, and LG, which built the Nexus 5X. Other devices have been built by HTC and Asus. The top rumour is that HTC will make the Pixel phones.
Will they be out soon?
Google has given no word of a release date, but it seems likely it will want its phones on sale as soon as possible in order to compete with Apple's new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The Mirror expects the Pixel range to be available "towards the end of October" or early November.
The design
Based on information from an unnamed source, Android Police has mocked up an impression of what the new smartphones will look like. The site says it has an "eight out of ten" confidence level about the image it has created, which shows an aluminium body and a "gentle curve around the edges".
What are the technical specs?
Both phones will have quad-core Qualcomm processors, 4GB of RAM and 12-megapixel cameras, says the Mirror. That processor will be clocked at 1.59GHz, reports Science Report World, while the OS will be Android 7.1 Nougat. It's rumoured the XL version will have a 5.5ins (139.7mm) display.
Will they be waterproof?
No, nor will they be as water-resistant as the new iPhone 7, at least according to Android Police.
What are Marlin and Sailfish?
The code names for the new phones, which can now be discarded.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/07/05/exclusive-this-is-what-the-2016-nexus-phones-sailfish-and-marlin-will-look-like/
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