Google Will Release the Pixel 2 This Year

Google is already working on a second-generation version of its first truly proprietary smartphone, according to a company executive.

Rick Osterloh, Google’s vice president of Hardware, told AndroidPit at Mobile World Congress that the Mountain View-based tech giant will definitely release a second-gen Pixel this year. “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it,” Osterloh told the publication. “You can count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now.”

The current Pixel, more than anything else, represented Google’s first push into the premium smartphone market — and that’s apparently not a direction that Google is planning on changing. According to Osterloh, the Pixel 2 “stays premium.” Ultimately, that means Google is shifting its focus away from low-cost, entry-level smartphones like its previous Nexus lineup.

Interestingly, while we will see a new series of Pixel smartphone this year, it seems that the Pixel brand will be reserved for handsets and tablets from this point forward. Also at Mobile World Congress, Osterloh said that the second version of the high-end, Pixel-branded Chromebook will be the last, TechCrunch reported. Though that doesn’t mean that the Google Chromebook itself will be dead, as Osterloh pointed out in a later tweet.

The Pixel, while exactly not the iPhone killer Google probably hoped it would be, is still an excellent device. And, as Google’s true first foray into the premium hardware market, it made an excellent first impression. Of course, with the release of Apple’s highly anticipated and radically redesigned 10th anniversary iPhone refresh looming, one has to wonder what a Pixel 2 can do to steal attention away from Cupertino’s next flagship.

Even though Google hasn’t released any information about the Pixel 2’s launch date, the first-gen Pixel was unveiled in October. Similarly, launch events for Nexus phones have historically been held around this time, too. Still, no matter the exact release date, it’s safe to say that the Pixel 2 will face some stiff competition from the iPhone 8.