Google Pixel 2 Without Headphone Jack Surfaces; Another Phablet-Like, Non-Pixel Phone In The Works

There are claims that Google is working on the successors for its Pixel and Pixel XL phones. One of the rumored handsets may not carry the Pixel brand, though.

Multiple sources claimed that Google is working on three smartphones for this year codenamed "Taimen," "Muskie" and "Walleye," Android Headlines listed. The devices will come in varying sizes to cater to customers with different tastes.

"Muskie" and "Walleye" will serve as this year's Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 smartphones, with the former as the larger handset and the latter at a smaller size. "Taimen," on the other hand, is said to be bigger than the two and will likely fall in the phablet category.

Sources claimed that "Taimen" is "separate" from "Muskie" and "Walleye." What exactly that means remains to be seen, but it's likely that "Taimen" is not a Pixel phone at all.

Google may ditch the headphone jack for the Pixel 2, 9to5Google reported from a source. The original Pixel phones came with a headphone jack that was aimed to attract users away from the jack-less Apple's iPhone 7.

Another leaker claimed that Pixel 2 models will have new chipsets under its hood. Some phones would likely have Snapdragon 83X chips and others with Intel chips. Waterproofing is in consideration, too.

The Pixel 2's camera megapixels will not be increased, but Google plans to make up for that by introducing "extra features."

Google recently announced that it is ditching the Chromebook Pixel name for its laptops. The company intends to solely use the Pixel brand on their smartphones. The 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL phones are available in three colors: Quite Black, Very Silver and Really Blue.

Earlier this month, Google acknowledged that a small number of Pixel phones were shipped with defective microphones that were caused by a "hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec." The crack affects all three of the phone's microphones and causes the audio to go out.

Google product management VP Brian Rakowski said that the microphone problem affected less than one percent of devices, but they were willing to replace the defective handsets.

In January, it was reported that Google was having a hard time restocking its Pixel phones, which was officially launched in October 2016. The 32 GB Pixel in Quite Black is currently available on Best Buy under Verizon, while the 32 GB Pixel XL in Really Blue is available on Google's Store. eBay has all models in stock now.