Google is currently developing a prototype of a budget phone

Mar 6, 2017 13:23 GMT  ·  By

Last week, we reported that Google already started working on a Pixel successor, as Google’s head of hardware department, Rick Osterloh, stated. The Pixel 2 phone would stay in the premium range of smartphones, in a market segment that Google entered last year with the launch of Pixel and Pixel XL.

The Pixel 2 phone is expected to arrive later this year, possibly in October. The phone will pack the latest technology and powerful components so that it could take on other premium phones on the market, including the Galaxy S8 and Apple’s offerings for this year.

Stock Android is also expected and perhaps Google will take into consideration suggestions from users and provide the new Pixel smartphone with protection against water and dust damages. We didn’t expect a budget Pixel phone, but recent reports have stated the contrary.

Budget Google phone might be released this year

Google might be working on a budget smartphone, but it won’t necessarily carry the Pixel branding. While the project is being conducted by the Pixel team, the phone could be a Google-built Android One device aimed at emerging markets with lots of potential. Sadly, the smartphone won’t be sold in the United States.

Reportedly, the budget phone is developed alongside the Pixel 2 premium device, but there’s no guarantee that it will pass the prototype phase and actually make it to the market. Details on the subject are very murky for now, so take this information with a grain of salt.

Perhaps Google wishes consumers to associate the Pixel branding with the premium range of smartphones, which is why the budget phone won’t be a Pixel. The next Pixel smartphone is said to arrive in October, but Google’s official didn’t disclose the launch date. Presumably, the phone will arrive at the start of the month and Google will host an event similar to the one it organized last year.