Taimen: Google is preparing for us the third Pixel?
April 27, 2017 | News
Last year, Google introduced its first smartphones – Pixel and Pixel XL. It was expected that this year we will see two “heirs”. However, it turns out that there will not be two, but still three.
The new information popped up on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), indicates that Google’s smartphones will have codenames Walleye, Muskie and Taimen. Apparently, Walleye is the heir of Pixel XL, and Muskie is the heir of Pixel. It turns out, Taimen is a kind of mystical gadget, about which we practically did not know anything. According to some experts, Taimen can be a tablet from Google.
Back in March, we learned that Google was preparing a device that might not belong to the “pixel” family. Something like a smartphone designed for a budget segment. Also, thanks to the same AOSP resource, guesses were confirmed about the upcoming budget smartphone of the company (possibly called Pixel 2B), developed for developing countries. It all boils down to the fact that Taimen is exactly the third device of the company, the price tag will be significantly lower than that of Pixel 2 / XL 2. And according to Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of hardware, the “pixels” will remain In the premium category. This means that the following flagships at the price will be at the same level and budget “pixels” should not be expected at all.
Osterlo also said about the day of the announcement of the next generation of flagship smartphones. He said that Google is aiming to release them annually in the same month, in October.
Previously it was assumed that in Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 there will be protection from water and dust, as well as improved cameras for shooting under poor lighting, which are likely to have more megapixels. It is also possible that smartphones will lose 3.5 mm audio jacks.
As for the Taimen model, there is as yet no confirmed information about it, just guesses. It can be like an updated tablet, or a budget smartphone. Or are we still waiting for the third “pixel”? We are waiting for the developers to open the veil of secrecy.
