Report: Yes, the Next Pixel XL will have a Notch, Too
- Paul Thurrott
- May 31, 2018
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34
A Bloomberg report claims that Foxconn will make Google’s next generation Pixel handsets. And that the XL version will have a notch.
A moment of silence for our terrible industry, please.
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As I’ve noted in the past, the Pixel is a lie. That is, Google advertises its Pixel lineup as a family of devices that it makes. Previously, Google partnered with device makers to make Nexus-branded handsets. But in reality, each Pixel handset has been made by a device maker, just as was the case with Nexus. The only difference is that Google has had a bigger hand in the design.
That may be changing, finally, to the point where reality will finally align with Google’s marketing.
Last September, on the eve of the Pixel 2 launch, Google announced that it would acquire about 2,000 employees from the struggling handset maker HTC. That acquisition was completed in January, and Google said that the employees would now work in-house on future Pixel devices.
For the next-generation Pixel 3 handset lineup, Google is for the first time not turning to a handset maker for manufacturing. Instead, Bloomberg says, Google will utilize Foxconn, the China-based manufacturing giant that also makes iPhones and virtually every other consumer electronics device you’ve ever heard of.
The bigger news, at least to the wider world, is that the Pixel 3 XL, the larger of the two coming Google handsets, will feature a notch, in keeping with most 2018-era smartphone flagships. The Pixel 3 XL will also feature a nearly edge-to-edge display with minimal bezels, except at the bottom. Oddly, it will also continue to utilize a single rear camera lens, while all of the competition has long since moved to multiple lenses.
The smaller Pixel 3 will be lame looking like the Pixel 2 and will feature a more traditional smartphone look, with pronounced “forehead” and “chin” areas (top and bottom bezels, respectively). There’s no word on pricing, but both generations of Pixel handsets have been far too expensive.
Google is expected to announce the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in October, as usual. And if history is any guide, these phones will sell poorly, and not threaten Samsung, Apple, or other market leaders. They will also come with an unusual number of quality problems, unless Google finally figures that out.
Anyway, if you’re an Android fan or user, it looks like the notch is inevitable. And for that, we can thank Apple, which formalized this transitional design element, and the entire Android market, which just can’t seem to stop copying Apple.
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Conversation 34 comments
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Stooks
<p>Imitation is the finest form of flattery. All of that trash talking by the Fandroids (Paul ?) and now basically all Android vendors are doing it or will be doing it.</p><p><br></p><p>Meanwhile the iPhone X is still the best smartphone I have owned. The Apple ecosystem is getting better and better. I suspect next week it will get better again.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#279772"><em>In reply to jt5:</em></a></blockquote><p>It's kind of funny that one of the few ideas that Apple could legitimately claim as original is so goofy and that other vendors are copying it. It's doubtful that any Android phone will sell better just because it includes a notch. On the other hand, it's not as if other vendors are scrambling to claim they invented it.</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#280318"><em>In reply to PincasX:</em></a></blockquote><p>No, I didn't imply any such thing. Perhaps you missed the word "could".</p>
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skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#280562"><em>In reply to Michael_Babiuk:</em></a></blockquote><p>Not at all. If I said "Bill Gates could legitimately claim that he was born in the US" that would not imply in any way that Gates actually made that claim at some point. I could legitimately claim the same thing about him but the only connection between the two statements would be the claim itself, not who did or did not do the claiming.</p>
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Bats
<p>Ya know this topic with the notch makes me laugh. It's not just Paul Thurrott who complains about this, but so many other tech bloggers out there on the web. LOL…sometimes, I think these guys just read each other's blogs and just copy and paste their content to their own and change the words a bit. (IMO, I think the blog MSPOWERUSER does that with this site.)</p><p><br></p><p>I don't see why this notch is a big deal. The moment I saw it, I didn't really give it much thought. However, I was totally shocked by the reaction of the tech bloggers and like I said back then, it's really much ado about nothing. I even said that if people want to put back the black bezel, then I am sure they could so through an app or a setting. One phone company did that already. I think the company is ZTE, but I am not sure. </p><p><br></p><p>As for a the part about the Pixel being a "lie." Lie? </p><p><br></p><p>If Paul Thurrott really followed Android rather than dabble in iPhone, he would know and understand the whole story of how the Pixel came to be. Think of it this way. Let's say you're a restaurant and you're trying to create the menu. You hire an experienced and famous chef to help you create the menu you want to have. It's called collaboration. THAT is the Nexus. However, with the Pixel situation, it's like Google hired an experienced chef and said to him/her this is what we want in our menu and this his how you are going to make it and the chef makes the menu, as per Google's instructions. To me, if Google says we created the Pixel based on that last scenario, then that is NO LIE. They created the Pixel.</p><p><br></p><p>In Paul's previous article that he linked about Pixel being a lie, where is the story about Google and Huawei?</p><p><br></p><p>Ya know, this topic is somewhat important because….remember when Paul Thurrott tried to make the argument that Google didn't have a right to charge a premium price for their phones? That's so laughable especially when Microsoft charges so high for their problematic Surface computers. LOL…he made it seem like that because Google has no knowledge of how to make a phone, it shouldn't charge so high a price. NOW…he's acknowleding that the Pixels are being manufactured by real phone manufacturers and that it's not their total creation. LOL…I'm confused!</p><p><br></p><p>To be honest, I might buy the Pixel 3 XL. However, my Pixel 2 XL has been so perfect, I don't know if the Pixel 3 XL will be a worthy upgrade. Again, being totally honest, the performances between my Pixel 2 XL and the original Pixel are so comparable that if it weren't for the 2 front facing speakers, I probably would not have upgraded.</p><p><br></p><p>FYI…the Pixel 3 XL can be HAD for a much cheaper price if you wait for the holiday season. Last holiday season there were a lot of BOGO offers for the Pixel 2 XL. Therefore if anyone complains about the Pixel 3 price, then they are one of those "I have to have it now" tech people…..like me (lol). </p>