Google Pixel 2 (2017) Rumors: Next Pure Android Flagship Feature Upgrades as Hinted by Android O v. 8.0

By Erik Pineda
Google Pixel phones
Google Pixel has enjoyed a 112 percent increase in device activations during the Black Friday weekend compared to the iPhone 7's 13 percent. iPhoneDigital / Flickr

It was a long-shot that Google will introduce the Pixel 2 2017 handsets alongside the Android O or version 8.0 at the Google I/O 2017. But thanks to the freshly revealed mobile OS - now ready for beta testing - Android fans now have a glimpse of what to expect from the Pixel 2 phones.

That's because when Android O becomes official, the Pixel handsets will be the first to absorb the new software. The ideal route will be - Android 8.0 will debut with the 2017 upgrades of the Pixel line, meaning the device rollout and the OS deployment could happen simultaneously, and then the original Pixels are next in line.

How any of these Pixels will behave will be determined by Android O so it's a safe bet that whatever were revealed at Google I/O 2017 they will be the feature upgrades for the Pixel and down the line for the earlier Pixel and Nexus handset models.

Android O running on Pixel will be best described in two feature clusters, or at least in the manner that Google presented version 8.0 to developers that attended this year's I/O event. The two handset functionality groups will be Fluid Experiences and Vitals, BGR reported.

As the name implies, Fluid Experiences will be the next Android permitting multitasking that is characterized by smooth transitions. For example, Picture-in-Picture will allow the use of two apps when users press the home key while on an active app window. Instead of disappearing from the screen, the app window will shrink but still active thus giving room for another active window.

Google said Picture-in-Picture will be supported by YouTube, Google Maps and Netflix right out of the gate but more apps will be added come the Android O launch time.

Another Fluid Experiences element is Autofill or Google's attempt of making for a smarter copy-paste functionality. When in use, a tap on a group of text or words will prompt Autofill to predict the phrase that users want to lift, supposedly for better productivity.

In the Android O area of Vitals, Google Play Protect is envisioned to figure prominently and the chief design is to regularly scan installed applications to ensure they're not loaded with harmful elements. But it's too early to say if the tool will render third-party security apps on the Play Store redundant.

Google also touted that next-generation Pixel phones, and hopefully all Android-based handset will experience a significant boost boot time speed due to Android O's improved runtime. And the handset battery juice and RAM usage are seen to gain better efficiency with the use of Wise Limits, the end benefit of which is a faster and smoother Android O.

Still in support of Vitals, Android O will make Play Console Dashboard available to users as a tool to monitor device performance. In earlier reports, version 8.0 of Android is also set to introduce Project Treble and the plan is to cut the down circuitous Android update procedure. Google wants to finally solve the notorious Android fragmentation, which hopefully will be reduced starting with Android O.

Android Authority offered a more comprehensive list of the feature upgrades that the next Android will deliver to the Pixel phones and other handsets. The report concluded, "Android O completes some of the work started in Nougat and further strengthens the granular nature of control in Android."

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