Google’s Pixel phone showed the company was ready to take the smartphone market seriously last year, and the firm will be looking to build on its success with this year’s follow-up.
Rick Osterloh, who heads up Google’s hardware division, has already told Android Pit: “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it. You can count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now.”
And now it seems the company could be considering following Apple’s example with the iPhone 7 by ditching the headphone jack on the Pixel 2.
Related: Pixel problems
A new report from 9to5Google claims Google documentation provided to the site shows the firm is indeed planning to drop the 3.5mm port on the upcoming Pixel follow-up.
That’s a somewhat odd move considering Google made a lot of the headphone jack’s inclusion as an advantage over the iPhone when the Pixel launched last year.
The Google Pixel
The report doesn’t reveal the nature of the documentation, for fear of revealing the source of the apparent leak, so at this point it’s by no means confirmed.
But it does claim the documentation presents the removal of the headphone jack as “a matter of fact” – but, again, there’s no way to verify these claims.
It’s also worth noting that 9to5Google says it obtained the information “second-hand,” and has been unable to verify its veracity with other sources.
The Pixel 2’s big feature, at least according to early reports, is said to be waterproofing – something missing from the Pixel and Pixel XL.
Also tipped to appear in the phone is a Snapdragon 835 CPU and either 4GB or 6GB RAM, though at this point, nothing is certain so stay tuned for the latest.
WATCH: Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
Should Google ditch the headphone jack? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
