When it comes to mobile phone color, I usually would abstain from white. Not because it is easily dirtied, but because with a white device, more often than not, it will be paired with a white front which, IMHO, upsets the color balance since the display is black when not turned on. However, I might just change my stance if this is what a white Google Pixel 2 will look like. In the latest leak posted by Droid Life, the purported white Google Pixel 2 features a white majority back matched to a black glass section and surprisingly, it comes with a dash of orange… on the power button.
If this is true, it would be considered a refreshing design touch, albeit a small one. Historically, no modern smartphones ever take on this minor design touch, possibly because of cost issue since the button has to be specially coated or stamped separately. Call me a sucker for design or whatever, but if this is the color combo, then you can be sure white model is the go-to color for me, whether or not the front is white or black. Then again, with a rumored 18:9 display that supposedly stretches across most of the front, it really doesn’t matter if the front tiny bezels, up top and bottom, are in black or white, would it?
As for the rest of the aesthetic, the new devices appear to have ditched the chamfered edges in favor of a more roundish edges, which is kind of sleek if you ask me. Though it is not clear if the glass section will be thicker like its forebear, or if the device will be any thinner than then current model. I sure hope it will be cos’ I find the slightly meatier thickness on the 2016 model leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Seriously, after experiencing the thinnest iPhone 6 has to offer, it is hard to go back to a thicker device, even if it is just a couple of mm thicker.
The new leak also indicated that the next iteration of Google Pixel will also come in three hues, well, at least it is for the smaller model. As before, Google has chose to adopt quirk color naming and this time round, they will be refer to as Kinda Blue, Clearly White, and Just Black. The larger Pixel, the XL, is expected to be available in black and a “panda” black/white colorway as mentioned earlier. Another important piece of information from this latest leak is the price. But first, on with the storage. That’s right. Apparently, there is a slight tweak in the storage which will see a bump in capacity in the base model from 32 to 64 GB on both Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The top end storage, however, is tipped to remain the same at 128 GB.
Now, on to everyone’s favorite topic: pricing. It is reported that Pixel 2 will cost the same as the current Pixel at $649 and $749 for the 64 and 128 GB models, respectively, but the Pixel 2 XL is going to set you back at $849 and $949, which is tad pricier over the current XL. Personally, I am not so much bothered by the price hike of the larger Pixel. I mean, seriously, it is still significantly cheaper than Apple iPhone X’s starting price of $999. On the other hand, may be we should be worried because, it is a sign of increase smartphone prices which is going to make a habitual smartphone changer ditch the habit altogether. That in turn, will translate to low sales volume in long run.
But that’s just a thought which could be wrong because of several reasons, including the fact that there are many rich folks out there. Google is expected to unveil the next-generation Google Pixel Phones on October 4, 2017 (not the previously reported October 5. My bad), the same date as it has announced the current Pixel Phone two years ago. During the event, it is also expected to reveal a new Google Pixel Book as well as a smaller Google Home.
Images and source: GSM Arena via Droid Life [1] [2].
