Previous rumors that the second generation of Google’s Pixel smartphone would arrive in three sizes look to have been dashed with new reports that the Pixel XL will be retired in favor of a new ‘XXL’ model.
As originally reported by Android Police, the successor to the original 5.5-inch Pixel XL (code-named “Muskie”) has been shelved in favor of a 5.8-inch device (codenamed “Taimen”).
This new ranging strategy could be seen to suggest that where the original phone tried to pry Apple-devotees away from their iPhones, this new set of devices might try to make a similar argument for fans of Samsung’s Note series.
Google have yet to say much about the refresh themselves (though it’s expected that the handsets will launch within the same window as Android O). However, given the expected launch date of October, it likely won’t be long before that changes.
