After several rumors about the Nexus Sailfish and Nexus Marlin being the new generation Nexus smartphones from Google, it has now been rumored that the names will be dropped entirely.
Instead, Google is planning to come with the Pixel name as the replacement for Nexus devices. The Nexus Sailfish will now be called as the Google Pixel while the slightly larger Nexus Marlin will be rebranded as the Google Pixel XL. Apart from these changes, it has also now been learnt that the two devices will offer Sony imaging sensors for the camera.
The previous Nexus range of smart phones did not suffer at all when it comes to imaging quality. This is largely down to the Sony IMX278 sensor that was behind the camera. This sensor provided the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P with the ability to compete against the best in the business in terms of imaging quality. It is now rumored that the Pixel line-up of smart phones will offer the Sony IMX378 sensor. The rear camera will have a 12-megapixel resolution while the front camera is likely to have an eight-megapixel sensor. This has been the default configuration used in many high-end devices and Google is likely to stick with the same.
Both phones will be made by HTC, although it remains unclear whether the branding from Taiwan will be present on both these devices. The reasons for Google adopting a new nomenclature is unclear yet, but the products will come with class leading specifications in almost every regard. Rumors are intense that Google will officially launch these devices on October 4. Going with sensors from Sony for both front and rear cameras is a good move considering that the Japanese tech giant has come out with some impressive sensors in the last few years.
The Google Pixel will come with a 5 inch display while the slightly larger Google Pixel XL will come with a 5.5-inch screen. Prices of the two devices have also been leaked in the last few weeks. The 32 GB variant of the Google Pixel will be the cheapest of the lot at $449. This is a substantial increase over the $399 Nexus 5X with a similar memory capacity. The Google Pixel XL is expected to be priced at $599, which is a $100 increase over the Nexus 6P. It is also rumored that the phones will come with 64 GB variants.