It was only this morning we shared the leaks of the new Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, but we overlooked something in the source report that’s likely to upset more than a few people.
That is, it looks like the LG-made Pixel XL 2 won’t actually ship to customers until mid November, a full month behind the expected date of October 19 for the smaller HTC-made Pixel 2.
If ever there was an argument against using two different manufacturers to build devices which are supposed to be announced and go on sale at the same time, this would be a good one; undoubtedly people will be hanging out for the Pixel XL 2 with its larger display, rounded edges and lesser bezels, but those same people will also be disappointed waiting an extra month or so to get their hands on it.
Of course, this isn’t confirmed but it’s likely we’ll know more at the launch event in a day or two. One thing that is likely, though, is that pre-order for both phones will open almost immediately after announcement, so people can line up (figuratively speaking) fairly quickly.
Analysis
If true, we think this is a bit of a terrible outcome; the Snapdragon 835 is not a new processor. It’s been on the market for months now, and there’s plenty of handsets using it, and for Google — which has adopted a late-in-the-year release schedule — to commence sales of a device in mid November, it strikes me as being a little bit too late to the party.
The Pixel XL 2, with its Snapdragon 835, would’ve been far more impressive a month or two ago. In November, it runs the risk of being old news, so we can only hope the balance of the hardware equation stacks up to make a compelling device. As the defacto reference devices for Android (after the Nexus program was shelved), the Pixel brand needs to lead the way, not follow in the footsteps of others.
