First Image of Google Pixel 2 XL Leaks, Shows Bezel-Less Display and Gorgeous Design

If ever reliable Android Police is reliable in its reporting once again, the device that you’re seeing above is Google Pixel 2 XL, due for a launch in October. For those of you who keep tracking our updates regarding this device, it’s the Taimen codename device. The image, first published by Android Police, has come from some of their extremely trusted sources, and AP has ranked it 8 out of 10 on its confidence scale. So there’s a good chance that this year’s Google flagship smartphone is going to look like this.

Look at it carefully. It’s in-line with XDA specs leak of Pixel 2 XL a few weeks ago, and it is a stark departure from last year’s Pixel XL despite having certain elements in common. The first major difference is a stunningly gorgeous, almost bezel-less 6-inch display, which makes the device externally as appealing as major LG and Samsung flagships available in the market right now. Above the screen there’s a wide speaker grille along with front-facing camera, which may be used in tandem with a rear-facing speaker to produce stereo sound effect.

Next major change that’s visible in the image is location of fingerprint sensor. The sensor is now located below the top glass area rather than inside it, and the glass area also seems smaller than that of last year’s Pixel XL. The camera lens doesn’t seem to be perfectly in-line with glass area due to a silver ring around it, but it’s not very clear in the image. If that ring is slightly protruded then the device may not lie perfectly flat on any surface, but that’s not a deal breaker.

The deal breaker, however, is lack of a dual-camera setup. It’s unclear why Google is not including such a camera setup in its flagship smartphone at a time when almost all major flagships are coming with such setups. The only two major flagship smartphone makers that didn’t include dual cameras in any of their products till now are Samsung and Google. And Samsung is going to bring its first dual-camera device next month in form of Galaxy Note 8. Why not Google?

Anyways, whatever the reason behind exclusion of dual-camera, one thing is certain after this image: Pixel 2 XL won’t age as quickly as its predecessor did! At least not visually. Last year’s Pixel XL started feeling “something from 3-4 years in the past” pretty quickly, thanks to phenomenal rise of edge-to-edge displays. Hopefully that won’t happen this time.

According to AP, LG is the manufacturer of this gorgeous device. And as far as its younger sibling Pixel 2 is concerned, there’s no image or additional detail about it as of now. However, based on the information that we’ve already received, it’s unlikely to be very different from its predecessor. There may be some internal differences, but major changes in its design are unlikely.

The name of this year’s Pixel XL is also not known yet. I’m calling it Pixel 2 XL mainly for the sake of clarity – don’t think it finalized yet. Google may give it any name of its choice, especially because nothing related to name is printed on the device yet. There’s only a Google logo on the back.

In the end, Android Police also believes that this device will come with a squeezable frame similar to Edge Sense feature of HTC U11. The feature will allow users to interact with Google Assistant simply by squeezing the frame of their smartphone in their hands. Various levels of pressure can be used for various types of commands. It remains to be be seen how Google will implement this feature.

So what do you think about Google Pixel 2 XL now? Will you like to buy it if it looks like this and comes without a dual primary camera? Share your thoughts in comments.