With the success the Google Pixel phones have had, the Google Pixel 2 is one highly anticipated phone in the Android camp.
Similar to what happened in 2016, the Google Pixel 2 is expected to come in with specs and features that are powerful enough to challenge the new Samsung Galaxy S8 – and S8+ for that matter. At the moment, all we know about the Pixel 2 phone is that it will be powered by Android O out of the box, as for the rest of the specs and features, they remain to be rumors and speculations.
Looking at the Galaxy S7 versus Google Pixel specs and features, we can definitely tell what the Google Pixel 2 will come with now that we already know what the Galaxy S8 brings to the table. The latter was unveiled in the U.S. not so long ago and it’s slowly making its way to other markets across the globe. However, it could take months before the Pixel 2 comes to life, although some believe that the upcoming Google I/O 2017 event could be used to shed some light on the phone.
We don’t know if Qualcomm and Samsung have plans of releasing an upgraded version of the Snapdragon 835 SoC like it happened with last year’s Snapdragon 820. In case last year’s case doesn’t repeat itself, you can expect the Google Pixel 2 to ship with the same Snapdragon 835 SoC and 4GB RAM that are found on the Galaxy S8. Given the fact that the phone will be powered by a pure Android O OS, you can also expect much faster performance from the Pixel 2 phone compared to the already fast Galaxy S8.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge was the second-best to the Google Pixel in terms of cameras. With the new Galaxy S8 having picked up from where the S7 Edge left off, the Pixel 2 is also expected to do the same, which means the camera will get even better. We don’t know the exact specs yet, but like Samsung, don’t be surprised if the same 12.3MP sensor remains, but with a larger aperture than last year’s f/2.0 and more refinements.
With the Galaxy S8 jumping to a monster 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display screen with a QHD+ resolution, we still don’t expect to see similar drastic changes to the Google Pixel 2. Instead, the phone should stick to the same display sizes of 5 inches for the base model and 5.5 inches for the high-end variant – with the same resolutions as the original models.
The battery life of the Google Pixel – and Pixel XL in particular – is amazing. With Samsung failing on this end, it’s about time the Google Pixel 2 took this already excellent battery life to the next level. The 2770mAh and 3450mAh units used on the Pixel and Pixel XL should definitely get bigger, something that could end up playing a huge part in the success of the next-gen Pixel phones.
Another aspect that the Google Pixel 2 could borrow from Samsung is the storage capacity. Shipping a flagship phone with 32GB and no room for expandable storage no longer makes sense, especially in the Android world. If the Pixel 2 is to match or beat the Galaxy S8, it’s about time the base model shifted to 64GB. Better still, the tech giant could introduce a third variant, where we have 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage options similar to the Google Nexus 6P.
All of these power will be enclosed in what could be just about the same design as the original Pixel, but some minor tweaks should come in. Given that the design of the Pixel phones was loved by many, only a few tweaks would make it near-perfect, although – probably – not as beautiful as the Galaxy S8. The S8 also adds nifty features such as iris scanning and facial recognition, features that the Pixel 2 phones could miss out on.