According to a new report that has just surfaced from Japan, it appears that HTC will still be in charge of manufacturing the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 phones.
While this report is not final, there is one major argument to back this up. When the Google Pixel and Pixel XL were unveiled back in 2016, they had the codenames S1 and M1, respectively. Of course, these later on materialized to Sailfish and Marlin, but from the previous rumors regarding the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, we could be looking at Walleye and Taimen for the 2017 models.
It’s possible that the codenames Walleye and Taimen could be used for the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 phones, but according to a new development that has just been put forward through Phone Arena, it appears that we could end up with another pair of S2 and M2 codenames.
These codenames were discovered in the new HTC U11 system files and given that the Taiwanese company was in charge of manufacturing the Pixel and Pixel XL phones, it could mean that this company is still in contention to make their successors. If this is the case, recent reports that have claimed LG will make one of the two Pixel 2 phones might not stand, but since this is also not confirmed, it’s a bit early to start taking sides.
Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 should be unveiled in September or October, just like their predecessors and with this timeline fast approaching, we’ll for sure know more details about them sooner than later. As for now, take this report with a grain of salt.
The rumor that LG would be jumping in to build a third phablet variant did make a lot of sense. HTC has never produced a successful phablet, have never made a bezel-less flagship and have dual-camera avoidance issues. LG has been a pioneer in all of these areas, plus durability and awesome audio capabilities. The V series is awesome. If you want a phablet with all the bells and whistles and latest gimmicks, the LG V30 makes for the perfect dress rehearsal for a Pixel 2 XXL.