Google is going to announce a new Pixel and Pixel XL in the next months, and according to different sources, the Pixel is going to look similar to its predecessor.

Earlier last month an image of the rumored Pixel LX, codenamed Taimen, was leaked. Now, Venture Beat reports that the Pixel will forgo “increasingly common flagship features.” Meaning, the smartphone won’t include top and bottom bezels.

Image credit: Marques Brownlee Youtube Channel
Image credit: Marques Brownlee Youtube Channel

Venture Beat also reported neither the Taimen nor the Pixel, codenamed Walleye, will opt for a dual rear camera configuration.

Google’s new Pixel devices will have several changes

The new devices won’t include a plug for headphones, leading to assume the smartphones will only accept wireless headphones. Google is not the only company opting to omit the 3.5 mm headphone jack, as coming smartphones from Apple, HTC, and Motorola will opt for wireless headphones, too.

Evan Blass at Venture Beat published the pictures of the new Pixel devices in Twitter and reported some new rumors as well. For instance, he noted that Google decided to split manufacturing duties for this year’s Pixel devices. Google reportedly chose to let HTC –the maker of last year’s Pixels- manufacture the Pixel, while LG will make the larger version of the smartphone, the Pixel XL.

The new devices won’t include a plug for headphones, leading to assume the smartphones will only accept wireless headphones. Image credit: 9to5google.com
The new devices won’t include a plug for headphones, leading to assume the smartphones will only accept wireless headphones. Image credit: 9to5google.com

The new Pixel appears to be similar to last year’s model, although the camera module is larger than the one in its predecessor. According to Blass, both smartphones will forgo the dual-camera set up that has become common on modern flagship phones, such as Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus.

The smaller Pixel will also keep relatively sizable bezels around its display, much like the latest designs of Samsung, Essential, and apparently the next iPhone. HTC has not introduced a handset with reduced “forehead and chin,” yet but LG’s G6 and Q6 both have FullVision displays, with 18:9 screens that cover the majority of the devices’ faces.

Headphone jack cutouts were seen in leaked cases photos

HTC will likely include two new aspects in both 2017 Pixel smartphones: front-facing stereo speakers, which the company made popular with its BoomSound feature, and squeeze-sensitive frames, which can be seen in this year’s U11 Edge Sense feature.

Last month a report from Android blog Android Police said the larger Pixel device would have slimmed-down bezels, to allow it fit a larger display in less space.

Venture Beat reported the new Pixel devices are still months away from being announced. Google had announced the coming of the new phones at an event in October last year.

Fans will have to wait a few more months until the tech company finally reveals what sorts of features the new Pixels will include, and which ones it decided to let go. Even though Venture Beat and 9to5Google reported that sources said the devices wouldn’t have a headphone jack, leaked photos of the phones’ cases show the cases have headphone jack cutouts.

Source: Venture Beat