New reports are quashing rumors that the Pixel 2 will have an all-new, even faster processor than the Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5. The new chip, speculated to be the Snapdragon 836, was said to be an improved version of the Snapdragon 835, similar to how Qualcomm upped the Snapdragon 820 with the 821.
Could the Pixel 2 look like this?
Android PoliceThe latest reports, from XDA Developers and Android Police, suggest that the 836 rumor is overblown and that Google’s next phone will use Qualcomm’s 835 chip. Android Police also uses an FCC filing to support that an 835 processor makes sense.
In addition, Qualcomm has not announced a Snapdragon 836 chipset.
Why the hubbub? Processors don’t only make phones faster, they’re also responsible for a heap of functions behind the scenes. For example, Snapdragon 835 was smaller than previous models, which means phones can be smaller. Batteries can last longer and cameras can behave more like fancy DSLRs.
Chipsets are what make iris scanning and facial scanning possible, and data speeds faster over LTE. So an advanced chipset gives the first phone to have it an advantage over all the rest.
The latest gossip pins Google’s Pixel 2 unveiling to October 5, a month away. We’ve heard that there will be two sizes, like last year, and that it may get features like a squeezable frame, slimmer bezels and Android Oreo, Google’s next software.
When the Pixel 2 hits, it’ll face stiff competition from other flagship phones, such as the Galaxy Note 8, LG V30 and the 10th-anniversary iPhone on September 12 (which could be called the iPhone 8, iPhone Edition, or iPhone X). With premium phones like these arriving before the Pixel 2 is announced, Google will have to pull off some serious tricks to get people to hold out for its phone.
Qualcomm declined to comment.
Google did not respond to a request for comment.
