Google could be working on a mid-range Pixel phone for next year

We've seen a host of top-notch handsets launch already this year, but there's plenty more to come too, including Google's Pixel 3 pair. A new rumor to hit the web suggests the tech giant is also busy working on a mid-range Pixel to launch sometime next year.

The tip comes courtesy of the often-reliable WinFuture writer Roland Quandt, who says the mystery device is going to be powered by the mid-range Snapdragon 710 chip and should be with us in the first half of 2019. That's all we've got to go on but it sounds like a more affordable Pixel handset to us.

Up until now the Pixel phones have been distinctly high-end, vying with the likes of the iPhone X and the Galaxy S9 up in the premium part of the market. Adding a new phone to the 2019 line-up would give more budget-conscious gadget buyers an option too.

Talk is cheap

We've heard talk of a cheaper Pixel before – last month the Economic Times reported that Google was readying a less expensive device for emerging markets, possibly with the more lightweight and cut-down Android One software on board.

This sounds more like a genuine mid-range phone for a worldwide market, though with no confirmation from Google, we can't be sure at the moment. We'd certainly like to see the AI-assisted photographic smarts of the Pixel line make their way down to cheaper phones, but for Google it might be a question of profit margins.

Until we hear more about this mid-ranger, all eyes are on what Google might unveil later in 2018: the next batch of Pixel phones are tipped to have dual front-facing cameras, with the larger one also sporting a notch up at the top of the display.

Via 9to5Google

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.