We have seen plenty of Pixel and Pixel XL renders over the past few weeks. But this new render gives us the best look of the front panel of the phones.
German blogger Roland Quandt released these images on his website, WinFuture.De, where you can find more pictures of the display assembly, which he says is courtesy of a parts dealer from Hong Kong.
So this is what the Sailfish and Marlin phones look like. As a long time Nexus user, I feel the bottom bezel looks a bit large. Google and HTC could have utilised that space for a front-facing speaker, or at least a front facing fingerprint scanner.
Remember how the Nexus 6 was supposed to have a fingerprint scanner, but that idea was scrapped, when Apple acquired the company which was manufacturing the sensors? Perhaps the bezels of the Pixel phones was a placeholder for something which did not make the final cut. We have heard rumours that this is due to a so-called “refurbished design”. Also making the rounds are a rumoured price tag of $650 for the Pixel XL, which is $150 more than what the Nexus 6P costed when it was launched.
The recently launched iPhone 7 also costs $650, while the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 retails for around $670. So, Google is going premium with its Pixel phones. The real competitor of course, is the OnePlus 3 which is available for just about $400, with similar if not better hardware.
But I don’t think it would deter fans of the Nexus line up from buying the Pixel phones, given that the devices’ hardware specs are impressive, and the stock UI of course is the key factor which attracts buyers. And rumors of the phones looking exactly the same, except for the display size do appear to be true.
