Google Pixel XL
Sabrina Ellis, Director of Product Management at Google, speaks about the new Pixel phone during the presentation of new Google hardware in San Francisco, California, US, October 4, 2016. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

Anticipation regarding the Google Pixel 2 is sky-high, especially after it has been confirmed that a Pixel successor is already in the works. More importantly, the Google Pixel phones have performed great and received immense critical acclaim. In the meantime, this year is going to see some pretty great smartphones get released, and that includes the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Naturally, the Galaxy S8 will be compared a lot with Google Pixel 2. Google’s Senior Vice President of hardware Rick Osterloh said at MWC 2017 that the successor will be released this year, even though a date hasn’t yet been finalised.

Rumours are running rampant as both the smartphones, Google Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy S8, are expected to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The South Korean tech giant will be holding back the heavy-duty processors till the launch of Galaxy S8, which is expected to hit the market sometime in March and April. The Pixel 2 is expected to be released in the latter half of the year, possibly in October. Both the handsets could come in 5-inch and 6-inch models. The Galaxy S8 handset will have an edge-to-edge display.

It is not yet known whether the Google Pixel 2 will have a similar display or not. The fingerprint scanner for the Samsung flagship will be embedded in the display, whereas Pixel 2 may go with the existing setup of a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Camera-wise, there will be intense competition as the Galaxy S8 smartphone could come with dual cameras, a 12MP and a 13MP. The Pixel and Pixel XL have already been highly praised for their camera performance. It will be interesting to see how Google tackles the Samsung flagship with a better camera.

Google is reportedly developing a camera lens for the Pixel 2 smartphone that will take brilliant images even in low-light conditions. Both the cameras will be waterproof and dustproof. Regarding the price, the Samsung Galaxy S8 handset is expected to be way more expensive than the Pixel 2. It could have a price tag of US$899 (AU$1,190 approx). The Google Pixel 2 could cost somewhere around US$649 (AU$850 approx). According to Forbes, Google should slim down the huge top and bottom bezels.

Moreover, Google should also ensure that there is no supply shortage for the Pixel 2 smartphone. The Pixels were plagued by a supply shortage and many could buy the smartphones when they wanted to. Stay tuned on IBT AU for more information on Samsung Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel 2.

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